Vehicle rescue skills (teamwork) stability and initial entry point

It is very important for rescue workers to understand stability as necessary. The vehicle needs to be stable and is mainly willing to have the following three:

1. Reduce the risk of further injury to the injured by preventing the vehicle from moving to prevent further spinal cord injury or pelvic trauma.

2. Provide a solid assessment of medical intervention.

3. Provide a stable platform that can use hydraulic tools to prevent further deformation of the vehicle.

Before any stabilization, one or two tires are again stopped to prevent movement.

Goal: Safe, fast and systematically stabilizing the vehicle, ensuring the initial entry point for safety, and creating a stable working platform for technical and medical rescue operations.

We see stability from three stages:

1 , manual stability

Refers to the rescue personnel using their hands to stop the movement of the vehicle, only to consider the use of rapid access to the vehicle for lifesaving intervention, such as opening the respiratory tract of the injured.

2 , using wedges and pads

Vehicle pads sufficient to handle wheel landings should be placed at the “jack support point” to enhance stability and also below the B- pillar. It is also necessary to keep stability below the rear of the vehicle. This will maintain the stabilizing effect of the "gold standard rescue" operation.

3 , use of auxiliary equipment

When the vehicle body is grounded or the vehicle is on the ground, additional equipment is required, such as a vehicle stabilizer. This kind of equipment can increase the stress point of the vehicle and therefore can increase stability.

Vehicle deflation stops

It is controversial to deflate the tires to stop them, like placing wedges and pads normally and then defusing the tires. The main reason for the controversy was that deflation of the tires would jeopardize any subsequent investigations of tire pressure that the police had initiated. Based on experience, this stabilization method is very effective and should be considered when (for example) confirmation of spinal cord injury occurs.

All that is needed is communication between rescue workers and the police (or law enforcement agencies), whether on site or during joint training. If they can communicate with each other in advance, this method can be used as a feasible operation plan.

Precautions:

1. Rescue workers must communicate with the police before defusing the tires

2. When the vehicle is on a slope or on an uneven road surface, the tire deflation is not very effective.

3. Once the rescue is completed, you need to lift the car to remove the wedges and pads

4. If the tires of the vehicle leak, it will be difficult to move. This will delay the opening time of the road (blocking traffic may also cause further accidents).

When the vehicle is not fully stabilized using the described equipment, other equipment such as winches or fastening straps are required.

Stability is a dynamic process. Once the process is established, it should be checked regularly during the rescue process. That is:

1 , the weight of the vehicle (remove the glass or window)

2. Increased vehicle weight (persons or equipment entering the vehicle)

3 , large vehicles may have goods, then the stability will be more important (especially when the load is a liquid or granular), you can consider designating a person to monitor the stability throughout the rescue (in the case of resource permits)

Remember that stability provides a solid platform for the vehicle's initial entry point. The initial level of stability depends entirely on the condition of the injured; this is one of the factors that need to be considered.

Practical examples

Which degree of stability is decided first is based on:

1 , security

2 , the initial response of the injured

As mentioned above, our primary task is to stop, in order to reduce further spinal cord injury and pelvic trauma.

Priorities

The importance of the initial entry point

The lack of an initial entry point allows the physician to conduct an initial investigation and take any life-saving interventions (such as maintaining a smooth breathing), and it can also help determine the difficulty of the rescue. This is extremely important. Without this information, field commanders will not be able to formulate rescue plans.

Initial entry point selection

The initial entry point can be as simple as manually opening the door or it can be more complicated, requiring the use of hydraulic tools or glass management.

Here are some possible ways of starting an initial entry point :

! Remember that if the injured do not respond, then priorities must be changed. If the injured do not respond, the respiratory tract may be traumatized. Therefore, they must intervene quickly and still provide stability.

This article belongs to holmatro and edited by China Rescue Equipment Network.