Jaws of Life

Tonight’s Fire / Rescue training was a lot of hands on training. We were introduced to the ‘tools’ of the trade including the K-12 saw, chainsaw plus the hydraulic “jaws of life”. These three pieces of equipment (cutter, spreader and a ram) are key tools vehicle extrication. They can literally cut a car into pieces in the matter of minutes. Although I was not able to take a photo of the car we ‘practiced on’ this photo is very typical of work that can be done. Our car was a four-door mini station wagon. After removing the windshield we pried off the front and rear doors and cut the top off.

Next will be forcible entry and ventilation.