- March 26, 2025
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Responding to a vehicle crash can quickly become a complicated situation. But if one arises, the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department knows how to handle it.
From March 18 to 20, Longboat Key Fire Rescue crews practiced vehicle extrication techniques, utilizing equipment like the Jaws of Life.
A crew of about nine personnel, including two lieutenants and firefighter paramedics, suited up and approached the scenario as they would with a live rescue call.
The lieutenants commanded the scene and directed firefighter paramedics along the way.
The first step is the most important, said Training Captain David Eggleston, which he said is “to do a proper 360 around the vehicle to determine all the potential hazards and how to approach.”
This means the crew will perform a 360-degree observation around the exterior of the scene and try to get a full view of the inside of the vehicle.
First, the crew will look around the scene of the crash for ejected victims, hazardous car parts strewn about or if there are potentially dangerous vehicle fluids.
Inside the vehicle, the quick but detailed observations help the crew in determining how many victims are inside the vehicle, the severity of the victims’ injuries and how a paramedic could enter the vehicle to begin treating the victim.
“The 360 is super important on all of our scenes,” Eggleston said.
For the scenario on March 20, the simulation was a single victim, single-vehicle crash. Eggleston said this could be a scenario where someone crashes into a traffic barrier or tree, but applying similar procedures would be the case for many accidents.
When possible, a paramedic or two would enter the vehicle and begin treating any victims. This was the case during the training on March 20.
Two crew members entered the vehicle and began treating the victim’s injuries.
The firefighter paramedics on the outside began using the Hurst Jaws of Life tools to break open the vehicle and, as they did, the crew members inside could protect the victim from potential debris from the tools.
The Jaws of Life are common tools for vehicle extrication, and the tools used by the Longboat Key Fire Rescue Department include cutters, a spreader and a ram.
Cutters are all in the name — the powerful attachment can cut apart tough pieces of metal like the frame in between the front and rear doors.
A spreader pushes into a door frame and, using the tool’s electric-powered force, spreads open the door when it’s stuck.
A ram is utilized for scenarios like when the steering column is stuck on a victim’s legs. The ram holds in place and forces a heavy object up, holding it there while the crews remove the victim.
Eggleston said vehicle crashes can be tricky situations and are always unique.
“You never know what you’re going to get,” Eggleston said.
Different vehicles and older or newer materials will have unique characteristics and challenges, but giving these crews an opportunity to get hands-on training with the Jaws of Life equipment allows them to familiarize themselves with how to use the tools if an emergency situation arises.
This training is something the department aims to do every year, which is made possible by local vehicle junkyards that donate the vehicles to the department, according to Fire Administration Manager and Public Information Officer Tina Adams. The only thing the department has to do is pay for the towing fee.
