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Roadway Extrication. General Safety. Proper use of protective clothing Protection of both rescuers and patients Consequences of not protecting patients and rescuers Hazards when exposed to: SRS Vapor recovery fuel systems Sealed drive shafts Hatch-back lifting devices. Utility hazards
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Roadway Extrication General Safety
Proper use of protective clothing Protection of both rescuers and patients Consequences of not protecting patients and rescuers Hazards when exposed to: SRS Vapor recovery fuel systems Sealed drive shafts Hatch-back lifting devices Utility hazards Traffic hazards Determining hazmat presence Vehicle placement Securing of a vehicle Communications necessary during incident 5 considerations for night operations Misc. hazards during the extrication This Section will give the rescuer and understanding of:
Emergency Personnel Safety • Protective clothing must be worn at all times during the rescue • Head: Helmet • Eyes: Goggles or glasses • Body: Turnout or nomex jumpsuits • Hearing: Ear plugs or muffs as required • Body Substance Isolation Equipment • Required at all incidents • Personnel should work within their limits • 20 minutes of effective operation, 10 minutes on heavy exertion
Patient Safety • Physical and mental safety must be addressed equally • Greatest threat may be our mishandling of these • Protect the patient • Noise • Glass • Bare metal • Rocking of vehicles • Falling objects (even rescue equipment) • Use hard and soft coverings • Hard=backboards, helmets • Soft=blankets, fire resistive cloth, aluminized
Crowd Control • Always an issue at an accident scene • Crowd could restrict your activities • May provide bad direction to rescue effort • May provide ignition sources • Theft of property may become an issue • Keep crowd at a distance • Physical barriers • Ropes or barricade tape • Should shield crowd from DOA’s or critically injured when possible
Traffic Control • Controlling the traffic early will reduce problems later • Prevents secondary collisions • Make this an integral part of the hazard control process • Vehicles should be utilized to box off the accident scene • Avoid complete stopping of traffic • Limits access of other responding units
Amperage is the killer 1/10th of an amp is enough to kill Power lines have at least 200 times the killing power necessary 2-8 mili-amps sensation of shock 8-15 m/amps is painful 15-20 m/amps loose control of muscles 20-70 m/amps difficulty breathing 100-200 m/amps v-fib 200 or more m/amps may produce burns Downed Power Line Hazards
Downed Wire Safety • Contact utility immediately • Do not use drip loop cutters for this purpose • Ground Gradient • Circles of current in ground • Steps should be together • Occupants of vehicles should stay in car unless absolutely necessary • Then jump free without touching the vehicle and ground at the same time
Radiation Hazards • 3 types of radiation • Alpha • Shielded by a sheet of paper or air • Beta • Shielded by glass or metal sheet • Gamma • Most dangerous • Shielding by heavy lead or concrete • Amount of radiation received depends on • Time exposed, Distance from source, Shielding in place
Vehicle Hazards • Related to the vehicle itself • Fuel and electrical systems • Stability of the vehicle • Sharp glass and metal • Batteries
Response to the scene • Driving to the accident • NFPA data suggests 30% of injuries is some years • Backing up is a huge hazard • Staging of vehicles and personnel may be necessary until size-up complete
Proper Positioning of Apparatus • Safest and most advantageous spot • Must minimize exposure of rescue personnel to oncoming traffic • Position vehicles on the approach side of the accident in the same lane of traffic involved • Get between involved vehicles and oncoming traffic if possible • No obvious hazard, no vehicle should be parked any closer than 100’ of crash site
Safety Upon Arrival At Scene • 3 hazard categories must be addressed • Environmental • Weather arrival • Incident • Related to incident • Crowds, hazmat, traffic, electrical • Vehicle • Vehicles involved themselves • Fuel, battery, stability, sharp objects
Initial Rescue Activities • Sequence of activities • Arrival • Size-up • Establishment of command • Scene stabilization • Patient access • Initial emergency medical care