New Canaan firefighters for more than two hours on Thursday underwent rescue jack training, a critically important tool in stabilizing vehicles following accidents.
The New Canaan Fire Department undergoes rescue jack training on Sept. 3, 2015. Contributed
NCFD officials say vehicle stabilization often is the very first step rescuers take at a motor vehicle accident scene, and a safety requirement prior to removing victims from a wreck.
Even if a motor vehicle after a crash is “on all fours,” meaning on four tires, it can be important to ensure it’s stabilized and will not move in order to administer to a patient inside, officials say. One example of a time that rescue jacks could have been used for stabilization was Monday night when a box truck got stuck under the railroad overpass on Route 106 and was wedged at an angle with two wheels in the air, officials say.
The fire department’s rescue vehicle is equipped with four rescue jacks as well as other straps, chains and tools to be used depending on what’s needed.
The training on Thursday—held up on the old landfill at the Transfer Station—involved mostly career firefighters in New Canaan, and will be offered additionally to volunteers, officials say.
—Michae Dinan