Volunteer fire departments train on vehicle extrication

Floyd Township Fire Capt. Brack Hildebrand watches as a fellow firefighter cuts into a vehicle during extrication training his department and two other volunteer fire units held Saturday.

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BAINBRIDGE — For firefighters getting someone out of a vehicle after a crash, it is more than cutting it up. It is “sizing up” the scene and working accordingly to keep everyone involved safe.

Taking advantage of the crisp weather, firefighters from the Bainbridge, Clinton Township and Floyd Township volunteer fire departments worked through scenarios and techniques on extrication training Saturday morning.

Held at Adams Towing on U.S. 36 near “Nine Mile,” the training was guided by Brian Russell, the current chief of the Liberty Township Fire Department in Hendricks County.

Guiding the training, Liberty Township Fire Chief Brian Russell points out a consideration in working to free a patient trapped in a wrecked vehicle.

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With his many years of experience in the fire service, Russell related that each incident has different variables and obstacles. The crucial approach for him is the big picture, not just the vehicle. This is looking out for hazards like power lines, fluids, traffic and people in general.

The point is for firefighters to take their time to do a 360-degree review of the scene if possible and identify those obstacles as well as a patient’s injuries. With different vehicles, firefighters have to also be aware of their battery setup.

The success of an operation, in its essence, is dependent on slow being smooth, but smooth being fast. The goal is to be efficient and prevent further injury to the patient.

Russell honed in on the necessity of having a staging area where all of the tools can be found. A key element is keeping equipment in check and accounted for as it would be on a fire scene.

After sizing up the scene, the essential step before determining how to access a patient is stabilizing a vehicle. Whether it is on its side or upside down, firefighters will use specialized struts, a winch or a handyman jack if need be.

As to cutting into a vehicle, they are various ways to go about getting to a patient safely, depending on how the vehicle may be damaged. Nonetheless, it was noted that it is needed to communicate with a patient about what is happening.

An essential stage of any extrication response, wooden cribbing and specialized struts are used to stabilize a vehicle on its side.

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Firefighters will utilize cutters and spreaders (i.e., Jaws of Life), which can be hydraulic or battery-powered, to cut and bend compromised parts of the vehicle to remove the doors and roof. The point is to remove the vehicle from the patient, not vice versa.

At this juncture, the patient would be removed from the secured vehicle. While there will be no set way to do this on any given incident, the “golden hour” from a crash to medical attention is of the essence.

Though staged, the training reinforced teamwork and clear communication despite the unpredictabilities of any given incident. Ultimately, this means better working relationships among them.