Crash Rescue Challenge - Part 1

[219]

As some of you may know , I work as a photographer for the Fire Service and , yesterday , we held a 'Crash Rescue Challenge' in which various fire crews from around the country compete to see who can cut a victim out of a car quickest.

In order to do this we obtain a number of scrap cars from breakers yards and 'simulate' accident damage to some of them (using sledgehammers or other means).

It so happened that one of the vehicles used yesterday was a Mercedes 190E and I thought some of the pictures might be of interest.

This was the rather sad looking 190 I spotted in the yard ...

It wasn't long before it fell victim to our fork lift truck ...

Once the car was in place , we got the 'victim' into it ...

Then it wasn't long before the fire crew arrived...

They quickly swing into action stabilising the car by putting blocks underneath

And one of the firefighters enters the car to reneder assistance to the victim

In the meantime the crew are working on extracting the victim from the car

One of the first things is to break glass in a controlled manner , shielding the occupants from flying splinters

With the glass disposed of they set about cutting away the door frame

Then the top of the 'B' pillar is cut

In order to free the bottom of the 'B' pillar they start to cut into the sill - those jaws cut through the sill like a knife through butter ...

Then they use the 'spreaders' to separate the bottom of the 'B' pillar from the sill and peel it away along with the front door...

 

[219]

Crash Rescue Challenge - Part 2

Had to split the posting in two as there were more pics than allowed

It only takes a couple of minutes to open up the whole side of the car...

With that done , it is time to get the victim out

Here comes the 'spineboard'

Afterwards , this is whatis left of the car

The whole exercise took around 10 minutes from start to finish []

 

[Brian WH]

Excellent Photos Derek.

Looks better as one thread though.

 

[pentoman]

 

[219]

Looks better as one thread though.

Thanks Brian.

 

[Plodd]

There was a round of this a short while back at the Fire Service Training Centre in Manchester.

I was there with bike as a P.R. exercise. About 16 or 17 cars lost their roof and/or various other bits that day too.

The cars they used were ones we had removed from the roads under our new powers for uninsured vehicles and unlicenced drivers.

The national winners of the competition get to compete in South Africa.

 

[jdrrco]

The cars they used were ones we had removed from the roads under our new powers for uninsured vehicles and unlicenced drivers.

Perhaps if they used the unlicensed drivers as the "victims" it might help to discourage them in the first place..?

 

[219]

I hope those cars actually BELONGED to the unlicenced drivers then ....

bit unfair if it turned out to be the ned's mum or dad's car ?

 

[Plodd]

I hope those cars actually BELONGED to the unlicenced drivers then ....

bit unfair if it turned out to be the ned's mum or dad's car ?

They do get a chance to reclaim the car. They just have to produce the relevant documents and pay the recovery charge.

 

[cra_arc]

hi pont you on here aswell ...oh and pent....

col.

 

[Richard W]

Excellent pics Derek, I have to be part of extrication processes quite often as part of my motorsport officialing 'pastime' and am always impressed by the professional and swift approach by the rescue crews whther full time or volunteer.

Quite often the crews we attend at an accidents have got out of the vehicle themselves and then felt bad. Quite simply the competition cars are so strong that the violence of the accident is masked by the fact that they don't have any visible injuries and it's the shock that then hits them along with the muscular problems associated with a sudden (and often violent) stop.....