Copyright 2006 Oroville Mercury Register  
  
By PAULA M. FELIPE
Oroville Mercury Register (California) 

Firefighters practiced auto extrications with new tools and equipment on abandoned cars in the city yard on Mitchell Avenue on Thursday.

Nineteen firefighters from Oroville City and El Medio Fire departments participated in the extrications, which refers to the practice of tearing or cutting open a vehicle when occupants are trapped because of vehicle damage that occurred in a traffic collision or roll-over.

There is an increasing number of traffic accidents and collisions every year, which poses an ever-increasing challenge and potential danger to firefighters who need to use extrication to rescue people.

"Firefighters want to get to the injured well within the Golden Hour," said Oroville City Fire Department's Chief Dave Pittman, who is referring to that period of time when they most likely will be able to revive and treat the injured successfully.

"New cars are being made safer for the occupants, but the new devices pose more dangers to the firefighters," Pittman said.

"Firefighters have been injured when airbags deployed unexpectedly. Gas struts and hydraulic cylinders used to support hoods and car doors can also be explosive. In Sacramento, a firefighter had a rod strut that went through his leg. Another firefighter had a rod hit him in the face. These new safety features in cars make it safer for the public, but have consequences to the firefighters."

Pittman spoke about other examples of potential hazards, including some convertibles that do not have roll-over bars, but do have a bar that pops out if the vehicle is tipped over to a certain degree. These kind of devices can activate and injure a firefighter who is conducting a rescue after an auto accident. Also, new cars are made of composite materials, plastics, and other materials that have dangerous gases when burned. Batteries pose another danger to firefighters because of the acid and potential for explosion. The firefighters need to disconnect the electrical power source [battery] when conducting extrication in order to turn off any potential airbags and other devices.

"We need the training, technical knowledge, and ability to deal with these auto systems in a variety of ways," Pittman said. "The responsibility is upon us to learn, practice, and stay up on the latest safety techniques and we appreciate Kevin Krause, the rescue specialist of L.N. Curtis & Sons, for providing us with this special training with a focus on safety in auto extrication today."

Krause also showed the firefighters a Powerpoint presentation on tools and techniques and taught a four-hour class.

The cars were provided by the vehicle abatement program, and tow truck companies were helpful in transporting the vehicles for the firefighters.