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By Mark van der Feyst
When firefighters extricate a person from a vehicle by forcing open a passenger door, there is a large amount of potential energy waiting to be released when the door does give way. We have been taught to lean our bodies backward into the door while the other firefighter operates the hydraulic tool.
We can avoid bodily injury from that technique by using webbing. Wrap the webbing around the car post and the door post at the same time using a girth hitch.
The girth hitch will loosen as the door is forced open. This will allow the door to travel its needed direction, but will contain the door from flying open when the door is finally released. This also keeps the other firefighter away from the operation and in the way.