RESCUE POINTS TO PONDER
The rescue operations in these photographs offer a number of points to ponder. We’ll give you a few, in no particular order of importance. Write to us with your own operational considerations of the scenarios depicted, and we’ll publish them in a future issue.
(Photos by Tony Greco.)
- Is there fuel (diesel or gas) spilled and possibly creating a potential fire problem? Rescue tools might spark ignition of the leaking fuel, so perform rescue operations with a charged handline standing by.
- Are there separate emergency windows, doors, or openings from which the nonambulatory victims can be removed? Note the rescuers accessing the bus from a side window via a ground ladder.
- Is there a need for special tools and equipment that are not at the scene already? If so. who has them? Have a resource list on the scene of available mutual-aid companies and the tools and equipment they can provide.
(Photos by Richard Symon.)
- Can access for the firefighters and egress for the occupants be safely accomplished, or did the force of the explosion prevent access/egress, thus causing a delay in reaching the victims and the fire?
- What is the structural stability of the building after the blast?
- How can you get specialized equipment to the upper floors? Use the bucket of a tower ladder to bring tools to the highest floor the bucket can reach, and personnel can walk the tools up to higher floors.
- Is it a gas explosion (in which case you must shut off the gas to the building) or a bomb explosion (in which case you must consider the possibility of other bombs)?
- Shore up floors and walls before search and
- debris removal.
- Victim accountability—how many are unaccounted for and where were they last seen?
- Provide sufficient lighting for rescue operations—use portable lighting when necessary.
- What are you going to do with debris that has been moved or that has shifted? You may have to preserve some debris as evidence.
(Photos by Ron Jeffers.)
- Is the truck chocked sufficiently? Ensure it is before you begin. Will lifting the truck shift the load or move the vehicle, thus endangering the victim or rescuers?
- Is medical treatment necessary prior to releasing the victim from entrapment, or can it be administered afterward?
(Photos by Ed Heavy.)
- The benefits of having a working mutual-aid agreement with other departments will be evident at large-scale disasters such as this.
- Interagency cooperation and coordination are key to successful rescue operations.
- Have railroad personnel explain the emergency braking, lighting, and communications systems as well as the locations of emergency exits and windows either prior to or as part of the drill.
- Such a drill enables you to practice victim removal techniques from higher elevations.
- As a safety precaution, always act as if the third rail is energized and the power is on.
- The need for extreme safety during these drills is evident. This includes having a safety officer for the duration of the incident.
If you would like to submit photos for Rescue or EMS Points to Ponder, send them with a short description of the incident to: Points to Ponder, Fire Engineering, Park 80 West, Plaza II, 7th Floor. Saddle Brook, NJ 07662.
(Photos by Craig Schenes)
