Firefighters train for vehicle rescues
RUSSELLVILLE — City firefighters trained last week on how to stabilize overturned vehicles and remove trapped occupants.
Fire Chief Joe Mansell said the training helps firefighters stay current as vehicle designs and rescue tools continue to change.
Lt. Grant Tarascou organized the training around a simulated rollover scenario with a trapped patient.
“We try to do a lot of scenario-type training to make it more realistic,” Tarascou said.
The right combination of tools makes it possible to do the job more effectively.
“We use the air bags to raise the vehicle off the patient, and at the same time we’re cribbing and making sure the vehicle is stabilized,” Tarascou said.
Lt. Shane Mansell said the equipment improves safety for both patients and firefighters.
“If you have a vehicle that’s rolled over on its side or on its top and someone’s either pinned underneath it or inside, and the car is not stable enough for us to extricate them, we use those to stabilize it and then get the person out,” he said.
Mansell said the training is practiced at least once a year to make sure the firefighters are familiar with it should the need arise.
Tarascou said the department focuses on hands-on practice with equipment that crews may not use often but need to master for highrisk situations.
“It was very successful,” Shane Mansell said of the training. “A lot of the new guys learned some techniques they probably had never seen before.”
Chief Joe Mansell said the department’s work includes more than fire suppression.
“The thing about the fire service is it’s not just fighting fire,” he said. “We run medical calls. We do a lot more than people realize.”
He said regular training remains necessary as materials and construction methods continue to change.
Lt. Mickey Gentry and Firefighter Michael Hall run through a vehicle rescue scenario as part of a training exercise.
“The way things are made now, they burn faster than they used to and the vehicles are different,” he said.
The Mansells credit the city’s support for the purchase of rescue equipment.
“Anytime we see something that’s going to help a citizen, that could potentially save a life, the city’s been right there for us,” Chief Mansell said.
Shane echoed that support.
“We appreciate the city for allowing us to have the equipment to work with if we ever need to use it. Hopefully we never have to use them,” he said. “But if we do, we want to be ready.”
