School Bus Rescue: Advanced Evolutions

[rmoore]

Advanced Level school bus rescue evolutions, fit the following criteria;
-require commitment of multiple pieces of equipment to complete the evolution
-require simultaneous operation of extrication equipment to complete the evolution
-utilize complex or involved rescue techniques
-involve moving or removing structural portions of the bus
-can require up to one hour per evolution to complete
-require commitment of minimum five member extrication crew to complete

Sidewall: opening or removal
Roof opening: roof hatch forcible entry, roof hatch removal, "sunroof" opening, 2'x6' roof opening, "flipping" the front or rear portions of the roof, and total roof removal.
Jacking and shoring evolutions
Opening through the floor

All of the basic, intermediate and advanced evolutions posted here can be explained individually in future School Bus Rescue postings. I just need your input to request follow-up information about any or all of these jobs. The ones that you're not sure about are the ones you should request to have explained.

Check back here to keep up with the requests for information and the explainations of those tasks.

Thanks for your interest and participation.
Hope you enjoy this interactive University of Extrication forum.

Ron Moore
<rmoore@firehouse.com>

[DQuinn]

Ron;
Would like to see more info. on "jacking & shoring" and "through the floor".

[Rob]

Ron,
How different are the school bus bodies from the 80s compared to the trucks being built today?

[rmoore]

Posting from Forum Moderator Ron Moore

Questions asked about advanced school bus rescue evolutions and some answers;

1) Would like to see more info on "jacking & shoring"

Jacking and shoring evolutions involve several scenarios. I have teams deal with a bus on six wheels where an auto crashed into it broadside and is under the belly of the bus in front of the rear axle. I block out a seven foot wide section along the side and say that this is where the car is jammed under the bus. The team must jack and shore the bus eight inches on the impact side to satisfy that assignment.

One common type of jacking and shoring happens with the rearend crash. I require a team to raise the rear bumper of the bus eight inches but I do not allow them to use any of the rear of the bus. That is where the car would be jammed under and that area is off limits for this task.

You'd be surprised how many teams forget to chock the front tires. Once the rear wheels leave the ground, the bus has no brakes and it can and will roll forward if not chocked.

Another task is the rollover bus with an occupant ejected and trapped underneath the bus. I position an old smokehouse dummy or an old Resusci-Anne CPR mannequin on the ground and roll the bus over onto "Ms.Squishy". Rescuers must then jack, shore and bring the patient out on the longboard to complete the task.

2) " ..... through the floor?".

In my school bus rescue seminar, I require teams to cut a 4'x4' hole in the floor of the bus. Some teams work with the bus stabilized on its wheels. They get inside, remove seats, strip the floor covering, and slowly, slowly, and did I say slowly cut, pry, peel, curse, spread, curse some more, lift, sweat and ( did I say slowly?) make an opening in the bus floor. To complete their assignment, one member of the team must enter the hole and come out from underneath the bus. Average time with unlimited tools and a well-trained crew of 5 or 6 is 25 minutes.

The other floor opening is made with the bus rolled over. The team may only work from the undercarriage side.

3) How different are the school bus bodies from the 80s compared to the trucks being built today?

The problem with a school bus body is that other than the fiberglass hood and fender unit, you're dealing with steel, steel, steel! Thick stuff. Sometimes up to 1/4-inch thick or more.

With a truck, the similarity is the full frame construction and the heavy weight. That's where most of the similarities end however.

Modern-day 18-wheelers do not have the crash safety standards to comply with like school bus vehicles. You'll find lighter metals, aluminum, plastic, fiberglass, etc. These kinds of materials do not exist on a school bus in its structural areas.