University of Extrication: Extrication Training on a Passenger Car that Rests on Four Wheels
Topic: Operations-level hands-on skills checklist for a passenger car that rests on four wheels
Objective: Complete operations-level hands-on skills
Task: The rescue team shall complete all skills that are on the operations-level skills checklist
Training officers, rescue crew chiefs and instructors who are preparing for a vehicle rescue session must ensure that the extrication skills that crewmembers learn can be used in real-world situations. (Of course, training should comply with national, state and agency standards.) In addition, your mission is to get the most training value out of every donated, acquired vehicle as possible. (Every donated vehicle has value, and people went out of their way and made the effort to make the vehicle available to the rescue team for the drill.)
This column provides a vehicle rescue checklist for those who conduct hands-on extrication training that involves an automobile that rests on four wheels. Participants must be told that the sequence of tasks isn’t intended for handling an actual entrapment incident; the sequence is for training purposes and to systematically use up the acquired vehicle.
The checklist is intended to be used as a hard-copy document during the drill session. Once completed, signed and dated, and filed away, it verifies the completion of the training session and defines exactly what skills that participating crewmembers accomplished. This can be of great benefit during a future litigation situation.
NFPA 1006 and NFPA 1670
The checklist is designed to ensure that participants, at a minimum, complete skills that would be considered compliant with NFPA 1006: Standard for Technical Rescue Personnel Professional Qualifications and NFPA 1670: Standard on Operations and Training for Technical Search and Rescue Incidents at the operations level. NFPA 1006 identifies operations-level competencies as tasks that are conducted on vehicles that commonly are found within the “local jurisdiction.” For the purposes of conducting a hands-on vehicle rescue skills session, this author believes that a passenger vehicle that weighs no more than 10,000 lbs. gross vehicle weight rating fits that definition.
Prior to using this checklist, it’s assumed that the acquired passenger vehicle is protected from moving traffic and was checked for potential hazards. Furthermore, it also is assumed that undeployed airbags were deployed or hot-wired for deployment during the training session.
With participants on site and their rescue tools and equipment laid out and ready, the instructor organizes them into small, working crews, or companies, and gives each crew its designation. The drill continues with an overall safety orientation, including PPE requirements, tools discipline, where the designated debris area is and site clean-up protocols.
This is followed by explaining that the checklist will be used for assignments and that each crew is to complete only the specific skill that it is assigned.
With all of the safety bases covered, the instructor starts the hands-on training. As each crew completes its assignment, the instructor marks it “completed” on the checklist. Task assignments are rotated among the participant crews, with assignments beginning with the left column and continuing to the right column of the checklist document.
To download a copy of the checklist, click here.
Ron Moore
RON MOORE, who is a Firehouse contributing editor, recently retired as a division chief with the McKinney, TX, Fire Department and now serves with Prosper, TX, Fire Rescue. He self-published the Vehicle Rescue 1-2-3 training manual and serves as the forum moderator for the extrication section of Firehouse.com . Moore can be contacted directly at [email protected].
