|
 But
there was no emergency. Instead it was a staged demonstration of
some of the equipment the department uses when there is a vehicle
accident where a driver or passengers are trapped inside the car,
unable to escape on their own. The
department had brought in a car that would be the center of the
demonstration. Fire fighters worked to remove the doors of the car,
cut off the roof and lift the interior dashboard area so as to
extricate the people that could be inside.
The first step was the removal of the doors with a
pneumatic cutter, run by air pressure and powered by a compressor in
the fire truck.
The cutters and other tools were used to pry the door
from the body of the car, cut the hinges then lift it away from the
car.
The cutter was also used to cut the roof supports at
each corner of the car, the firefighters lifted the roof off.
A pneumatic spreader was used to apply pressure to
the body of the car near the front floorboard. The car gently curled
until the nose of the car was pointing much more downward that at
the beginning. This served to push the interior dashboard up and
away from the front seat area, where a passenger could have been
stuck.
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After the demonstration was over, fire fighter Darren
Schempp brought the cutter close to the yellow security tape and
talked with the crowd about this special machine. He explained that
this tool was so powerful that it can cut the steering wheel column
right off. He said before the department got his cutter, the best
they could do with a steering wheel column was bend it. He said the
department was luck to have such a tool, as it is literally a life
saver when someone is trapped inside a car or other vehicle.
Earlier in the demonstration, it had been noted that the firemen
would be moving slower than they would at an actual accident so that
the crowd could get good looks at what was taking place. During his
talk time, Schempp was asked just how quickly the department could
get a victim out of a vehicle. He said it varied based on a lot of
factors including the vehicle itself, if it a car or a truck or semi
can make a difference. Also the damage incurred to the vehicle in
the accident plays a part. Taking those factors in consideration, he
said that with a car in an actual emergency the crew could probably
have the victim out of the car inside two or so minutes.
Schempp also shared with the crowd that though the
cutter isn’t extremely large, it is extremely heavy. He said that in
a lot of cases, the tool has to be lifted over the head of the
firefighter during the cutting process. He said because of its
weight, the firefighters would team up and would switch off
frequently to avoid exhaustion and possibly injury.
He then invited people in the crowd to come forward and try to lift
the tool. All of those who came forth were kids, and Schempp held on
to the tool as well to keep the kids safe. He from time to time
would comment on the muscle power of a particular person and invite
that one to try and lift the tool of their head. No one accepted
that invitation.
At the end of the event, it was quite a strange sight
to see when one of the fire fighters got behind the wheel and drove
the car off the lot.
[Nila Smith] |
