Here’s a quick school bus extrication tidbit from Paul Hasenmeier’s Firefighters must be well schooled in bus extrication published in Fire Rescue Magazine in October 2008.
In passenger cars, it’s a common practice to stabilize the vehicle by deflating the tires. But when stabilizing a school bus, DO NOT flatten the tires. Why?
- 6 or more inches of downward movement on one side may cause a drastic tilt, resulting in further injury of the occupants;
- Deflating all the tires, including the inside duals, wastes precious time; and
- For the school bus to be moved or towed, it will need its tires inflated.
Paul is presenting School Bus Extrication at FDIC in 2012! Make sure you mark your calendar for Paul’s classroom presentation at FDIC April 19, 2012 (1530-1715 hours).
School Bus Extrication
Imagine arriving on scene to find an overturned school bus with students trapped, injured, and screaming for help. Whether you are in an ambulance or a fire engine, your first priorities will be numerous–initiating the incident command system, determining hazards and the number of patients, triaging, entrapments, and dealing with walking wounded scattered around the scene. This class covers basic to advanced extrication techniques that include window, door, sidewall, roof, and floor breaches; stabilization; and underrides, rollover pinning, driver entrapment, and roof intrusion causing entrapment.