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Firefighters Practice Extrication Skills
Each day in the United States there are over 400,000 school buses on the road driving 22 million miles. Unfortunately these buses, on average, are involved in 21,000 crashes each year creating hundreds of injuries and in 2007 55 fatalities. To prepare for a possible bus crash Georgetown firefighters took their training to realistic levels on Tuesday April 20th by practicing extrication skills on a donated school bus. Prior to the practical session firefighters attended a classroom session put on by Lt Chuck Savage. During the classroom session firefighters watched a slide presentation on some the hazards that might be encountered in a school bus crash. Subjects discussed included the location of fuel sources, structural integrity and what to do in roll-over situations. After a one-hour class
firefighters boarded apparatus and went to the Highway Garage where a standard school bus was on-site. Under the supervision of Department Officers, firefighters were put into groups to practice their skills. Skills stations included removal of glass and windows, seat removal, external access by means of special cutting saws, and using tools. In another area away from the bus Captain Brian Gosse worked with firefighters using special air bags that are designed to be used to lift heavy objects off a person or help to stabilize a vehicle. All said, firefighters had a very intense training session and were back in quarters by 9 pm. Chief of Department Al Beardsley noted, "School bus extrication is one of those skills firefighters hope they never have to use but must constantly be training on. Our firefighters take their training very seriously and although we've been very fortunate in not having a serious school bus crash in many years, we need
to be prepared."
To learn more about our training, or if you have interest in becoming a Georgetown firefighter contact Chief Beardsley at the fire station, or call 978-352-5757.
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