The following information should provide you with a basic hows and whys of extricating victims from vehicle accidents.

• The Tools
• Removing Doors
• Rolling/Removing Roof Tops
• Rolling Dash Boards

Removing the doors is the most common extrication task we encounter and is usually an easy one.

After proper stabilization and glass removal a starter spread between the door and car body may be necessary to get the jaws tips in enough to spread with. Though there are techniques used to accomplish doing this by using the jaws to spread in the window area, it is more safely accomplished by using a pry axe shown in picture.

Now for a commonly debated issue: which side should you begin to spread apart the door from. Some prefer to start on the hinge side of the door while some prefer to start on the lock side. It usually depends on the individual circumstances and damage to the door area of where to start.

What about passengers that are trapped in the back seat of two door vehicles. At first this may seem to be a problem on getting passengers out of the back seat without moving them to much. However, with a couple of relief cuts with the cutters and some spreading with the jaws, a third door can be created. The picture shows the third door opened up.

This picture demonstrates the lifting power of the jaws. Usually air bags are a more reliable means to lift vehicles. This is because air bags lift straight up and are much more stable.

We would like to acknowledge the Boles Fire Protection District for their contribution of this article.