By Mark van der Feyst
Vehicle rescue operations often require us to break and remove glass from all four sides of the vehicle. This is done to prevent glass particles from flying into the faces of the occupants and responders when we are removing doors or roofs.
The glass in the front and rear windshield are designed not to shatter upon impact. It has a coating that adheres to the glass and keeps it together when impact occurs. There is a very low chance of shattering glass occurring with these two windows. The side passenger windows are made from tempered glass and are designed to shatter into small cube like pieces on impact.
Shattering these side windows will produce many glass shards that fall into the lap or facial area of the occupants. Using two pieces of duct tape on the window in an “x” fashion will reduce the shattering effect. It helps to keep the glass intact, allowing for easy removal after using a window punch.