Firefighters within the Regional District of Central Kootenay (RDCK) spent their weekend learning how to safely conduct patient extrications from large vehicles.
Regional Training Officer with the RDCK, Dan Zayac, said 30 firefighters from within the RDCK, Salmo, and Creston took part in the two-day training exercise, along with staff from Teck Metals.
The training was held at Scrap King Auto Wrecker in Salmo and was led by the Alberta Vehicle Extrication Association.
Firefighters practiced techniques for stabilizing and lifting large vehicles, like semis and buses, learning how to safely extract patients from vehicles that they could be trapped underneath.
Four instructors led the training session, and crews broke off into groups and stations to learn each technique.
The experience was important for the RDCK, as Zayac said they usually only train and practice auto extrication on passenger vehicles.
“The response was really good. We don’t get opportunities to work on large vehicles that often. We’re normally working on passenger vehicles at our departments when we practice auto extrication. So it was really valuable to work with large equipment.”
He added that considering the type of highway infrastructure in the region, it’s only a matter of time before crews will have to utilize their new training.
“We have a lot of highways here. It’s inevitable and only a matter of time before we get a call about an accident involving large vehicles. So knowing how to safely work around them, stabilize them, and lift them off passenger cars is really important. This would also apply to other things like trains as well.”
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