Prior to addressing the subject of what a fire chief might look for in an extrication program, two obvious questions have to be answered: What do firefighters need to get out of an extrication program; and, what do we need from an extrication class that we don't presently have?

Auto-extrication programs typically are broken into three types of classes: basic, advanced and specialty. The entry-level basic course covers the fundamentals of vehicle construction, the anatomy and physiology of safety systems, and basic vehicle stabilization, as well as the tools and tactics used in extrication. Advanced classes generally delve into more complicated techniques for stabilization and the successful extraction of accident victims. Specialty classes usually focus on more-complex extrications involving school buses, aircraft, public transportation vehicles, big rigs and farm equipment, to name a few.

But a new breed of extrication training programs has emerged in the last year. These are commonly known as New Vehicle Technology programs.

New Technology, New Problems

Whereas new vehicle technology, or NVT, originally was found only in higher-end luxury vehicles only a couple of years ago, it now is found not only in passenger vehicles and light trucks, but also in public transportation, such as commuter trains. As such, NVT must be incorporated into all types and levels of auto extrication training programs.

NVT is not a singular or one-sided issue. It creates complex challenges as it spans numerous aspects of vehicle construction. One of the challenges concerns understanding the metals that are used in today's vehicles: how they are fabricated, their locations within the vehicles, and much more. A better understanding of this metallurgy can prepare firefighters for doing a more thorough, faster and — most importantly — safer job on scene.

We all have heard about the so-called exotic metals being used in new cars. While the term “exotic” is a bit of a misnomer — these metals aren't exotic; they simply are new to the auto industry — we use this term since it is accepted within the auto industry. Basically, as opposed to the plain, mild steel used in the past, manufacturers are employing lighter and stronger materials such as boron, magnesium, titanium and martensite in order to meet consumer demand and industry requirements for passenger safety and fuel economy. Hydroform technology takes these metals and strategically bends and forms these metals in such a fashion that makes them even stronger, and consequently tougher to deal with during extrication operations.

For almost two decades, while the styling and features changed, the basic framework and construction for automobiles was fairly consistent. Structural components were made of heavy — and strong — mild steel. This steel was easy to use and relatively inexpensive to produce. Most rescue tools manufactured during those same two decades were of similar construction and were sufficient to get the job done on the vehicle technology of that era. However, with today's push for smaller, more fuel-efficient cars, and the introduction of the “Five Star” crash ratings to promote safer cars, the old design approach to car-making had to be challenged and reinvented. Consequently, much of the approach to auto-extrication training and rescue tools also must be reinvented to keep up with new vehicle technology. Fire departments across the country and around the world are learning the hard way that their present mindsets and toolsets are not capable of handling the challenges presented by new vehicle technology.

Not only are these new vehicles presenting rescue and safety challenges to the fire service, our own rescue tools are being asked to operate beyond their limits. Unfortunately, the consequences of asking our tools to deliver more than they are capable of doing are causing an alarming increase in the number of catastrophic tool failures and resulting firefighter injuries.

As with many fire-service training programs, there exists several requisite factors to consider when evaluating an auto-extrication training program, as follows.

• Do the instructors for the program you are considering have real-life experience in the subject they are teaching? Are they credentialed and/or certified to teach firefighters? What special training or experience do they have that qualifies them to teach this program? Are they, or have they been, firefighters themselves? Can they offer you references from other departments at which they have taught?

• Is this program something new and relevant? Did the instructors develop the program being taught, or are they teaching an existing program? If an existing program, why should your department take the class from them?

• Does the program meet your department's specific needs? Are the program and the instructors flexible and dynamic enough to be able to change to meet those needs as they evolve? Cookie-cutter" programs often leave participants with a feeling that their department's training needs weren't addressed.

• What is the cost? How can you best afford to get as many of your staff through the training? Does the program offer multiple-day discounts so that you can accommodate both your paid shifts and volunteer firefighters? Will your personnel have to travel to the training, or will the training program travel? What is the cost differential? Is it possible for you to host a program in order to reduce costs? Is the cost of the program worth the benefit to the department?

  Finally, here are a few specific things to look for (and to look out for) when choosing an auto extrication training program.

• Make sure that the program is up to date. In the ever-changing world of auto extrication and NVT, teaching techniques that are outdated serve little purpose, especially if they can't be used on all types and ages of vehicles. Beware of "fluff" courses. As fire officers, shouldn't we train to the most difficult scenarios whenever possible? We don't work in fluff situations, so we shouldn't train in fluff courses either.

• Unless you're looking only for an awareness-level training program, make sure that the hands-on portion of the class offers relevant training. For example, if a class is offered on hybrid cars, make sure that the class incorporates actual hybrid cars as part of the training. Looking at a printed handout or a slide presentation is much different than being able to tactically experience an actual vehicle. Taking this a step further, when actual cars are used, make sure that students can access anything and everything in the vehicle that they might encounter in a real extrication.

• When looking for an NVT extrication training program, make sure it offers new vehicles to train on. It is absolutely impossible to teach a hands-on NVT program on old cars. While new techniques certainly can be taught on old cars, the reaction (or lack thereof) of the metals and components of old cars is drastically different compared with today's new cars. Remember too that we know what our current rescue tools can do on old cars, but we won't know what they can and can't do on new cars unless they are used on new cars. A multi-victim wreck on the highway or freeway is not the place to discover the tools' capabilities. It should be noted that programs that offer the opportunity to train on new vehicles likely will be more expensive to attend due to the cost of acquiring and transporting such vehicles.

As you can see, the task of choosing an auto extrication training program is not as simple as it once was, because of the current advancements in new vehicle technology, coupled with those promised by the technology of tomorrow. Consequently, the fire service has much catching up to do, at a time when many departments are feeling the financial crunch. The good news is that there are available programs that offer quality updated training, and the rescue tool industry is trying to catch up — albeit slowly — with their own need for technology to deal with the harder metals that their products are being asked to tackle.

Finding a healthy balance of quality dynamic instructors, up-to-date accurate curriculum, and state-of-the-art tools, equipment and vehicles to train on is the key to success for an effective auto extrication training program.

Carl Haddon is the director of Five Star Fire Training LLC. He presently serves as assistant fire chief for the North Fork (Idaho) Fire Department and is a career veteran of more than 25 years in the fire and EMS services in Southern California. Haddon also has served since the early 1980s as a fire/emergency services director for numerous racing organizations, including Penske Motorsports, NASCAR, USAC and Mickey Thompson Racing. He is a certified Level-2 fire instructor, ISFSI member, and presently teaches 5 Star Auto Extrication and NFPA 610 classes across the country. He can be reached at 5StarFireTraining@gmail.com.

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