Catastrophic Accident Extrication Training 2004

This year Discount Towing & Glen Williamson of the Maine Air National Guard with the assistance of T & W Garage were again able to set up and train with all the local fire, rescue and ambulance services in the area.  In this training, a large Catastrophic Accident scene was set up and all first responders including the wreckers and the drivers worked to extricate the trapped victims in the multi-vehicle pile up.  We at Discount Towing, use this opportunity to show how our equipment and extremely well trained drivers can very often be used to save time and help when facing this kind of scene.  One technique that Mike Mellott, took a moment to demonstrate was when faced with a vehicle that had the roof crush in and the dash board had rolled in on the trapped passenger.  He explained that the Jaws of Life could be used to cut the front windshield support and then the car carrier bed is to be lowered and backed against the car for support of the car.  A strap should be placed around each of the windshield support just cut and brought back to the winch of the car carrier, as the winch was wound back up, the roof of the car peeled up toward the back of the car in a matter of seconds.  The same would be done to roll the dash forward by rapping the strap around the steering column.  As I walked around that day and watch each of the rescue squads, there was one that had been assigned a car that been crushed and driven under an 18 wheeler trailer.  The leader of the squad assessed the situation completely, and decided they would use the new technique they just seen.  They cut the front window supports and the side window supports and the wrecker backed up lowered its wheel lift to support the car and the straps were placed on the front window supports and the other ends of the supports were hooked to the winch of the wrecker and the roof raised as though the car was a convertible.  The squad was able to have access to their injured within minutes of being assigned to that portion of the accident scene, even they seemed amazed at how quickly and safely it worked.