All vehicles damaged in crashes are inherently unstable and require stabilization to minimize further movement so the extrication process can proceed. One of the more remarkable stabilization concepts to gain acceptance in the extrication field is that of “tensioned” buttress stabilization. Three principal equipment manufacturers and the International Association of Fire Chiefs’ (IAFC) Transportation Emergency Rescue Committee (TERC) are responsible for the increased awareness of this excellent technique.

The basic components of a "tensioned" buttress stabilization system are shown in this closeup of the Capabear Claw. Holes in the corners of the baseplate allow spikes to anchor the claw.

With a car on its edge, for example, one objective of stabilization is to spread the base of stability beyond what is already in contact with the ground. This is just what an aerial ladder truck does when its outriggers are lowered into position. For a vehicle on its edge, buttress-style stabilization is done anytime a tool or device is placed on a diagonal (typically a 45-degree angle) to brace against the vehicle and the ground.

I’ve done this for years with equipment such as four or six foot-long four-inch-by-four-inch wood cribbing, Porto-Power extension tubing or hydraulic power rams. This is not the only way to stabilize a car on its edge, but we’re confining our discussion to this type of stabilization effort for this specific type of crash. This bracing is referred to as a buttress.

Looking at a picture of a car with standard buttress stabilization in place, you’ll see a triangle shape if you draw a vertical line representing the car, a diagonal line representing the buttress crib device and a horizontal line represented by the ground.

Standard stabilization in this fashion, although it works, can be greatly improved upon by the newly accepted concept of tensioning the buttress or diagonal brace. Mike Schmidt, owner of the Glen Rock, PA-based company called ZMAG Rescue, makes an all-steel device called the Ground Pad. It consists of a metal plate with a square metal boot or cup hinged to it. The boot accepts the butt end of dimensional four-inch-by-four-inch lumber. There is an adjustable ratchet strap welded to one side of the flat plate.

Rich Michalo, president of American Rescue Technology in Dayton, OH, makes a similar device called the Capabear Claw. This unit, however, is of all-aluminum construction. The Claw’s ratchet strap, used to tension the buttress cribbing, is mounted at the center of the base plate. The Claw also has a square aluminum box or boot which accepts the bottom end of dimensional four-inch-by-four-inch wood cribbing.

A different tensioned buttress device is offered by Steve Cudmore, president of Airshore Inc of Vancouver, British Columbia. The Airshore base unit resembles a flat plate with a large pin positioned horizontally across its center. This Airshore base plate also has an adjustable strap device centered on one side. This device works with Airshore’s aluminum stabilization struts and their various swivels and attachment devices.

Here’s what’s so simple yet so radically different between standard buttress stabilization and tensioned buttress stabilization. With either of these new devices, the user sets the wood four-inch-by-four-inch crib or Airshore aluminum strut bracing in place first, forming an approximately 45-degree diagonal buttress. This initially begins stabilizing the vehicle.

To utilize the tensioned buttress stabilization technique, the rescuer then runs a nylon ratchet strap or nylon rope provided by the manufacturer from the bottom of the base plate to one or two low points on the vehicle being stabilized. The adjustable ratchet is then drawn snug, pulling the strap or rope tight. This places the diagonal brace into load or tension against the vehicle and immediately stiffens the unstable vehicle. It doesn’t take much pull on the ratchet strap for the rescuer to quickly draw the entire car and the stabilization devices into tension.

What a difference! A pair of tensioned buttress supports on each side of a rollover vehicle can truly make the vehicle rock solid. The tensioned buttress stabilization technique is simple, safe, quick and very effective. Check it out!