Vehicle Extrication

Have you or a family member ever been trapped inside of a vehicle in an accident? If so, you know what it is like when the fire department is removing a person from a mangled vehicle. It seems like it is going to take forever!
Well extrication does take time. The fire department shows up and they look at the car making sure that it is safe and stabilized. After, stabilization is completed we check on the patient(s). If the patient is all right but trapped in the car we will talk them through the process that we will be doing. However, if the patient needs immediate medical attention we will let the medical team do immediate care to stabilize our patient. Once the patients are stabilized we will place a blanket or a tarp over them. We cover them to protect them from debris while we are cutting on the car.
As the fire department continues to do procedures they keep the patients informed because it is really scary when you hear all of the loud noises and cannot see what they are doing. The fire department labels the posts A, B, C….depending on how many posts there are. Next, they start cutting and spanning areas so that we have room to remove the patient. While a person is cutting there is another person with a rope tied around what is being cut. This person will put tension on the rope pulling away from the car to ensure that when the object is completely detached from the vehicle it does not fall towards the patient. This process continues till the patient(s) are properly removed.
Extrication is a tedious process and must be done correctly to keep from injuring the patient. It does take time, but that time is being used to ensure safety. Next time you or someone you know are being extricated think about this. That time they are taking is for safety of the patient not because they do not know what they are doing. The EMS personnel do not want the patient inside to gain anymore harm.