Transcript Roadway Extrication - Louisiana State University

Roadway Extrication
General Safety
This Section will give the rescuer
and understanding of:
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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
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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
Emergency Personnel Safety
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Protective clothing must be worn at all times
during the rescue
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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
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Personnel should work within their limits
– 20 minutes of effective operation, 10 minutes on
heavy exertion
Patient Safety
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Physical and mental safety must be
addressed equally
Greatest threat may be our mishandling of
these
Protect the patient
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Noise
Glass
Bare metal
Rocking of vehicles
Falling objects (even rescue equipment)
Use hard and soft coverings
– Hard=backboards, helmets
Crowd Control
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Always an issue at an accident scene
Crowd could restrict your activities
– May provide bad direction to rescue effort
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May provide ignition sources
Theft of property may become an issue
Keep crowd at a distance
– Physical barriers
– Ropes or barricade tape
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Should shield crowd from DOA’s or critically
injured when possible
Traffic Control
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Controlling the traffic early will reduce
problems later
– Prevents secondary collisions
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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
Downed Power Line Hazards
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Amperage is the
killer
1/10th of an amp is
enough to kill
Power lines have at
least 200 times the
killing power
necessary
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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 Wire Safety
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Contact utility immediately
Do not use drip loop cutters for this purpose
Ground Gradient
– Circles of current in ground
– Steps should be together
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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
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3 types of radiation
Alpha
– Shielded by a sheet of paper or air
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Beta
– Shielded by glass or metal sheet
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Gamma
– Most dangerous
– Shielding by heavy lead or concrete
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Amount of radiation received depends on
– Time exposed, Distance from source, Shielding
in place
Vehicle Hazards
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Related to the vehicle itself
– Fuel and electrical systems
– Stability of the vehicle
– Sharp glass and metal
– Batteries
Response to the scene
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Driving to the accident
– NFPA data suggests 30% of injuries is
some years
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Backing up is a huge hazard
Staging of vehicles and personnel may
be necessary until size-up complete
Proper Positioning of Apparatus
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Safest and most advantageous spot
– Must minimize exposure of rescue personnel to
oncoming traffic
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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
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No obvious hazard, no vehicle should be
parked any closer than 100’ of crash site
Safety Upon Arrival At Scene
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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
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Sequence of activities
– Arrival
– Size-up
– Establishment of command
– Scene stabilization
– Patient access
– Initial emergency medical care