Tooling Around

Here is a quick drill that will practice staging the tools needed for three different entrapment situations.

Setting Up

Explain that you are going to give your crew a few vehicle crash scenarios and you want them to place the tool-staging tarp on the apparatus floor. There will be no need for safety gear because this is a walk-through drill: the crew must be ready to put all equipment back on the apparatus if a call comes in.

Scenario 1

Start with an easy situation. Example: You've arrived on the scene of a single vehicle crash in which the driver is slightly entrapped and injured, and you need to force open the door. Stage the tools you'll need for this scene.

Suggested tools and equipment:
• Cribbing and step chocks for stabilization
• Glass removal tools
• Axe and halligan bar for glass and door-opening work
• Hydraulic cutter, spreader and power unit

Discussion questions:
1. Any other tools we might need?
2. Hazard protection? Pull a line?
3. How could we protect the patient?
4. How could be avoid injury from undeployed air bags?

Scenario 2

Remove the tools from the staging tarp---but don't put them away yet. Make the next scenario a little more difficult: Now you're on the scene of a vehicle crash in which the driver is trapped by jammed doors, and the dash is bearing down on his legs, pinning him.

Suggested tools and equipment:
• Cribbing and step chocks for stabilization
• Glass removal tools
• Axe and halligan bar for glass and door-opening work
• Hydraulic cutter, spreader and power unit
• Hydraulic ram to lift the dash
• Recipricating saw or hack saw for roof removal
• Wedge cribbing to hold the dash in place after moving it
• Rescue chains, webbing or rope to tie off wreckage that cannot be removed

Discussion questions:
1. What different methods of dash lift can be done?
2. What hazards are associated with moving a dash?

Scenario 3

Remove the tools from the staging tarp once again. Now, you're at a crash scene involving a vehicle on its side underneath a semi-tractor-trailer. The driver is trapped by wreckage and the roof. Stage the appropriate tools.

Suggested tools and equipment:
• Cribbing and step chocks for stabilization
• Glass removal tools
• Axe and halligan bar for glass and door-opening work
• Hydraulic cutter, spreader and power unit
• Hydraulic ram to lift the dash
• Recipricating saw or hack saw for roof removal
• Wedge cribbing to hold the dash in place after moving it
• Rescue chains, webbing or rope to tie off wreckage that cannot be removed
• Enough cribbing to build a box-crib up to the bottom of the semi-tractor-trailer
• Air bag system and air bottles
• 4" x 4" shoring

More questions:
1. If we don't carry enough cribbing, who could we call?
2. Who has an additional air bag system?
3. Where could we get additional shoring?
4. What could we use to chock the wheels of the semi-tractor-trailer?
5. What hazards are under a trailer?

Clean Up

With all the tools out, and the training complete, all hands should check, maintain, and clean the tools and equipment before replacing them on the apparatus.