Hoffman Estates Fire Department Vehicle Accident & Extrication Guidelines 2022 PDF

HOFFMAN ESTATES FIRE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINES SOG Category & Identification Number: EFFECTIVE DATE: SPECIALIZED OPERATION - 010 January 1, 2022 NIMS COMPLIANT SOG Title:...

HOFFMAN ESTATES FIRE DEPARTMENT STANDARD OPERATING GUIDELINES SOG Category & Identification Number: EFFECTIVE DATE: SPECIALIZED OPERATION - 010 January 1, 2022 NIMS COMPLIANT SOG Title: Vehicle Accident and Extrication Guidelines Revision: 5 APPROVED BY: NUMBER OF PAGES: Re-evaluation Date: Alan Wax January 1, 2025 Fire Chief 5 PURPOSE The intent of this guideline is to establish guidelines regarding Fire Department extrication, medical treatment, and hazard mitigation operations regarding vehicle accidents POLICY Apparatus placement, protective clothing, extrication tool usage and area security 1. All Fire Department apparatus should be located at least 50’ (preferably uphill) from the involved accident vehicles. Once the accident scene has been determined to be free of any fuel related hazards, not involved in fire, or not requiring patient extrication (using power or hand tools), the Incident Commander may reduce this requirement as needed or as appropriate. 2. All Fire Department personnel entering the accident area (approximately 50’ in diameter with the accident scene located in the center) must wear full protective clothing (excluding SCBA) and appropriate PPE. Once the accident scene has been determined to be free of any fuel related hazards, not involved in fire, or not requiring patient extrication (using power or hand tools), the Incident Commander may reduce this requirement (excluding EMS PPE) or as appropriate. 3. All personnel (including civilians, police, and outside agency personnel) not equipped with protective clothing or not injured should be moved away from the accident scene to a protected area approximately 50’ from the involved accident vehicles. As stated above, the Incident Commander may reduce this requirement. 4. Tower 22 is equipped with an electric cutter, an electric spreader and an electric ram. Squad 22 is equipped with two electric spreaders, two electric cutters, and two electric rams. Any time it is determined by Incident Command that a use of extrication equipment is needed, the incident will be upgraded to an “Entrapment” response. Use of the electric extrication tools is reserved for times when all Extrication Guidelines and Considerations have been accomplished. 1 5. An upgraded response for an extrication will include the following: a. Battalion Chief – Assume the Incident Command position as needed b. 2nd Ambulance – to be utilized for the care and transport of emergency personnel working on the incident. If needed for another assignment by command, a replacement ambulance shall be requested. c. Tower 22-tower officer assumes Rescue Group. PROCEDURE First arriving Engine Company Operations 1. The first arriving Engine Officer will typically be the Incident Commander (the Shift Commander will assume this role during larger more complex operations and will designate the Tower Officer as the Rescue Group.) and will be responsible to complete or assign the following tasks: a. Hazard evaluation. b. Patient evaluation (number of patients, severity of injuries [Red, Green, Yellow, or Deceased], or BLS/ALS status). c. Priority of patient treatment (triage should be assigned to one of the first on- scene paramedics). d. Initiating scene mitigation assignments. e. Requesting additional fire department resources (determined by the number and severity of patients, extrication needs, or support activities). f. Coordinating activities with other emergency agencies. 2. Engine companies will typically be involved in the following activities (when Shift Commander is on the scene) a. Coordinating activities of Rescue and EMS companies. b. Hazard evaluation and mitigation. c. Deactivation of air bags by disconnecting or cutting the negative battery cable on appropriately damaged vehicles (on all vehicles with intermediate to severe accident damage). Electronic Vehicles (EV) see Extrication Guidelines and Considerations below. 2  d. Patient treatment and removal from the involved vehicles. e. Providing hose line deployment (whenever a fuel spill is involved, during any extrication using power/hand tools, or whenever appropriate). f. Providing foam application (whenever a fuel spill is involved or whenever appropriate). g. Request additional fire department resources (communicating this request to the Incident Commander). Squad and Tower Company Operations 1. The Tower Officer will typically be the person responsible for the completion of the extrication, the Tower Officer will usually be designated as the Rescue Group and will be responsible for the following extrication activities: a. Evaluating extrication needs relating to the damage to the involved vehicle and the damaged vehicles design and construction characteristics. b. Evaluating stabilization needs relating to the damage of the involved vehicles. c. Priority of extrication operations. d. Initiating extrication mitigation assignments. e. Requesting additional Fire Department extrication resources. f. Coordinating activities with other emergency agencies involved in extrication operations. 2. Squad and Tower companies will typically be involved in the following activities: a. Hazard evaluation and mitigation. b. Deactivation of air bags by disconnecting or cutting the negative battery cable on appropriately damaged vehicles (on all vehicles with intermediate to severe accident damage). Electronic Vehicles (EV) see Extrication Guidelines and Considerations below. c. Patient removal from the involved vehicles. d. Providing protection (utilizing appropriate heavy duty extrication blankets) for all patients trapped within the vehicle involved in the extrication activities. f. Stabilizing vehicles (using step chocks, cribbing, and or Res-Q-Jacks) all vehicles involved in extrication activities. 3  g. Completing extrication activities using power and hand tools. Extrication Guidelines and Considerations 1. All vehicles requiring extrication (with hand or power tools) should typically be completely stabilized (using step chocks, cribbing, and or Res-Q-Jacks) prior to the start of extrication activities. 2. All vehicles requiring extrication (with hand or power tools) should have the negative battery cable removed or cut (if accessible) prior to the start of extrication activities. Although this method will reduce the chance of vehicle air bag deployment, additional activities may be required to deactivate the air bags. 3. Whenever extrication activities are required, all appropriate window glass in the involved vehicle is to be removed (after the entrapped patient and EMS treatment personnel are protected with a heavy duty extrication blanket) or lowered into the door frames (with manual window controls). The removal or lowering is to be typically completed prior to the start of extrication activities. Any window glass which is cut should be relocated underneath the involved vehicle or removed away from the extrication work area. 4. Whenever the roof needs to be opened (i.e., a KED is used or a dash roll up is needed), the entire roof section should be typically removed. This is especially true of a roof constructed of plastic materials (the plastic roof will store energy and snap back violently, if a roof flap is attempted). Prior to cutting the A, B, or the C-posts, any interior trim must be removed from the area, and a visual inspection must be made for stored gas cylinders or other air bag actuating devices. If a stored gas cylinder is identified that has not been depressurized, it must not be severed and another cut zone must be identified. Depressurization is only accomplished by activation of the air bag that the cylinder controls. The roof section should be removed away from the extrication work area. 5. Displacing the entire dash and firewall assembly by performing a dash lift using a spreader is the preferred method for moving wreckage off the patient (located in the front seat) after a frontal collision. Remember, it is nearly impossible to effectively displace the dash when both A-posts are intact, or if the opposite side door is jammed shut. 6. During extrication involving vehicles having plastic components, the best approach is to strip away the body panel that covers the area to be moved or cut, then work on the exposed steel frame. 7. Each (EV) has a cut-loop that is the only acceptable place to cut the battery for any EV or Hybrd. NFPA Guide can be used (a link to the guide has been placed on the IPads). The alternative is to remove the key fob of the vehicle at least 20 feet from the vehicle. No high voltage (orange) cables or medium voltage (any larger gauge cable other than the standard red(+) and black(-) shall be cut to de-energize. 4 Emergency Medical Treatment Guidelines 1. Remember the basic goal of no more than 10 minutes of on-scene time regarding ALS trauma patients. 2. Attempt to respond one ambulance for each ALS patient or one ambulance for every two BLS patients. 3. Whenever the accident scene involves three or more ALS patients or is determined to be a Medium to Large Scale incident the Incident Commander should be responsible (or assign this task) to communicate with the appropriate hospital (typically by cellular phone). The purpose of this communication is to provide the hospital with a brief description of the accident and general patient information (number of BLS and ALS patients along with their general condition). This communication with the hospital should take place early in the incident and prior to any ambulances leaving the scene (for transportation to the receiving hospital). DEFINITIONS EXCEPTIONS Where MABAS Illinois Policies and Procedures current online reference or MABAS 1 Operating Guidelines/Policy Statements are in conflict with HEFD Standard Operating Guidelines, HEFD Standard Operating Guidelines will take precedence. REFERENCES MABAS Illinois Policies and Procedures current online reference MABAS 1 Operating Guidelines/Policy Statements End of Document 5