Post on 11-Feb-2022
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Essentials of Firefighting
Chapter 7
Rescue and Extrication
Part 2 - Rescue & Extrication Tools & Equipment
Deputy Chief Bobby Pitman
Bartow Fire Department
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Tools and Equipment
• The Skills and Techniques required for rescue and
extrication work can be learned only through
complete training
• It is impossible to anticipate every extrication
situation
• To be prepared, you must be proficient with this
equipment
• The following sections highlights some of the
common tools you will need to operate
• KNOW ALL THE NUMBERS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
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Emergency Power &
Lighting Equipment
• Operations would be easier if they were all in the
daylight hours
• Poor lighting is a way of life in our occupation
• These situations require artificial lighting
• This lighting makes the scene safer and a more
efficient place to work
• As a firefighter, you must have a basic
knowledge of when and how to properly and
safely operate the emergency power and lighting
equipment
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Power Plants Page 186
– An Inverter is a step-up transformer that converts a
vehicles 12 or 24 volt DC system into 110 - 220 volt AC
current
– This allows us to run small power tools or other AC
equipment off of the truck’s electrical system
– A Generator is the most common power source used for
emergency vehicles.
– They can be portable or vehicle mounted and can be
gasoline, diesel, or hydraulically powered
– Vehicle mounted generators usually have more
generating capacity than portables.
– Usually have 110-220 volt output with capacity up to 50
kilowatts
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Lighting Equipment
Page 187
– Lighting Equipment can be divided into two categories
• Portable and Fixed
– Portable lights are used where fixed can not reach
– Portable lights generally range from 300 - 1,000
watts
– Fixed lights are mounted to a vehicle and are primarily
for lighting of the overall scene
– These usually have a capacity of 500 - 1,500 watts
per light
– The type and number of lights need to be match with
the power plant so as not to overwhelm it
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Auxiliary Electrical Equipment Page 187 - 188
– A variety of other equipment may be used in conjunction
with power plants and lighting equipment
– Electrical cables or extension cords are necessary to
conduct power to portable equipment
– Cords may be stored in coils on cord reels, or on fixed
automatic rewind reels
– Twist lock receptacles provide secure connections
– Electrical cable should be water proof, explosion proof,
and have adequate insulation without exposed wires
– All outlets should have ground fault circuit interrupters
and conform to NFPA 70E, Standard for Electrical
Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces
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Maintaining Power Plants
and Lighting Equipment Page 188
– Servicing and maintaining portable power plants and
lighting equipment is essential for reliable operation
– Guidelines for servicing and maintenance: {use owner’s manual}
• Run all power plants at least once a week and test the electrical
appliances for operating status
• Check gas & oil levels weekly and after each use
• Wear gloves when changing quartz bulbs {normal hand oil can
cause the bulb to explode when energized}
• Inspect electrical cords weekly for damage
• Inspect the spark plug, spark plug wire, & carburetor weekly.
Keep a spare spark plug readily accessible
• Change or run dry the gasoline every 3 weeks to ensure freshness
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Hydraulic Tools Page 188
– Rescue tools can be operated manually or by powered
hydraulics
– These tools have a wide range of uses, speed, and power
– Manual hydraulic tools operate on the same principles as
powered hydraulic tools except that the pump is
manually powered
• Powered Hydraulic Tools
– Receive their power form hydraulic fluid pumped
through special high pressure hoses
– Some systems use compressed air
– Most are powered by electric or gasoline motors
– May be portable or may be vehicle mounted
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Hydraulic Tools Page 188 - 189
• Manually operated pumps are available to overcome
the occasional engine failure of power tools
– There are four basic types of powered hydraulic tools:
• Spreaders
• Shears
• Combination Tools
• Extension Rams
• Spreaders • These were the first tools to come available
– Capable of pushing or pulling
– Generate up to 22,000 psi at the tip with up to 32” spread
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Hydraulic Tools Page 189
– Shears
• Capable of cutting almost any metal object they can grab
• Some models can not cut case hardened steel
• Produce up to 30,000 psi of force with an appx. 7” bite
– Combination Spreader / Shears
• Do both jobs
• Tips do the pushing / pulling, arms do the cutting
• Usually less powerful than the individual tools
– Extension Rams
• Usually used for pushing, can be used for pulling
• Can extend from 36” closed to 63” open
• Open with a pushing force of up to 15,000 psi
• Closing force is about one-half the opening force
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Left to Right
Combi-Tool
Light Spreaders
Heavy Spreaders
Same tools in
their open
position
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Left to Right
Combi-Tool
Small Shears
Large Shears
Same Tools In
Open Postion
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Small, Medium, and
Long Rams - Closed
Small, Medium, and
Long Rams - Open
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Manual Hydraulic Tools Page 190
– Two manual hydraulic tools are used frequently in
extrication work:
• Porta-power tool systems and hydraulic jacks
• The primary disadvantage to manually operated hydraulic
tools is that they operate slower than powered hydraulic
tools, and they are labor intensive.
– Porta-power tool system
• Basically a commercial shop tool that has been adopted by the
fire service
• Transmits pressure from a hydraulic pump through a hose, then
to the attachment at the end of the hose
• The primary advantage or this over a hydraulic jack it that it has
numerous accessories that allow it to be used in tough spots
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Porta - Power with “jaws”
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Manual Hydraulic Tools
Page 190
– Hydraulic Jacks
• Designed for heavy lifting applications
• Excellent compression device for shoring or stabilizing
ops
• Most hydraulic jacks have lifting capacities up to 20 tons
– Units with higher capacities are available
• All jacks {hydraulic or other} should have flat, level
footing, and should be used in conjunction with cribbing
– Non-Hydraulic Jacks
• These tools are effective for their designed purpose, but
they do not possess the same power as hydraulic jacks
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Non-Hydraulic Jacks
Page 190 - 191
– These can be considered hand tools because they do not
operate with hydraulic power
– These tools are effective for their designed purposes, but
they do not have the same amount of power as hydraulic
jacks
• Screw Jacks
– Operation is by turn the shaft of the jack
– Check for wear after each use
– Keep them clean and lightly lubricated
– foot plates should be checked for wear and damage
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Non-Hydraulic Jacks Page 191
• Two Basic types of Screw Jacks:
– Bar Screw Jack
• Excellent for supporting collapsed structural members
• Normally not used for lifting
• Primary use is to hold an object in place, NOT to move it
– Trench Screw Jack
• Often used to replace wooden cross braces due to their
application, durability, and relatively low cost.
• Consists of a swivel foot plate and a threaded stem
• An adjusting nut on the threaded stem is turned to vary the
length of the jack and to tighten it between opposing members
in a shoring or stabilizing system
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Non-Hydraulic Jacks Page 191
• Ratchet - Lever Jacks
– Also known as high-lift jacks, used as medium duty
– Consists of a rigid I beam with perforations in the web
and a jacking carriage with two ratchets on the geared
side that fits around the I beam
– Ratchet jacks are dangerous because they are the least
stable of all the various types of jacks
– If the load shifts, the jack can fall.
– They may also fail under heavy loads
– WARNING: Rescuers should never work under a load
supported only by a jack. If the jack fails or the load
shifts, severe injury or death may result. USE cribbing
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Cribbing
Page 192
– Rescue vehicles should carry an adequate amount of
appropriately sized cribbing
– Cribbing is essential in many rescue operations
– When selecting your wood, it should be solid,
straight, and free of such major flaws as knots or
splits
– Most popular dimensions are 2x4’s and 4x4’s
– The length of the pieces may vary, but 16” to 18” is
the standard length
– Can be stored staked in a compartment or placed on
end inside a storage crate
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Pneumatic {Air Powered} Tools Page 192 - 193
– These tools used compressed air for power
– Air can come from vehicle mounted compressors,
apparatus brake systems, SCBA cylinders, or cascade
system cylinders
– WARNING - Never use compressed oxygen supplies to
power pneumatic tools. Mixing pure oxygen with grease
and oils found on the tools will result in fire or explosion
– Air Chisels - Also called pneumatic hammers or impact
hammers; are very useful in extrication work
– Most operate at pressures between 100-150 psi
– They come with a variety of interchangeable bits
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Pneumatic {Air Powered} Tools
Page 193
– CAUTION - The sparks produced while
cutting metal with pneumatic chisels may
provide an ignition source for flammable
vapors
– Pneumatic Nailers - These are very useful for
nailing wedges and other components of a
shoring system
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Pneumatic {Air Powered} Tools Air Tool Being Checked for Readiness
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Lifting / Pulling Tools Page 193 - 194
– Lifting / Pulling Tools - These tools include Tripods,
winches, come-alongs, chains, air bags, and block &
tackle systems
– Tripods - Used to create an anchor point above a utility
cover or other opening allowing rescuers to be safely
lowered into and raised out of confined spaces.
– Winches - Excellent pulling tools, can usually be
deployed faster than other lifting/pulling devices and are
much stronger as a rule.
– CAUTION - Whenever possible, a winch operator should
stay farther away from the winch that the length of the
cable from the winch to the load. {Figure 7.56}
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Lifting / Pulling Tools - Continued Page 194 - 195
– Come-Alongs - This is a portable cable winch operated
by a manual ratchet.
– In use, the come along is attached to a secure anchor
point and the cable is run our to the object to be moved
– the most common sizes or ratings are 1 to 10 tons
– Chains - Can be used as part of a lifting / pulling system
– Only alloy steel chains of the correct size should be
used in rescue work
– These are highly resistant to abrasion making them ideal
for this kind of work
– Proof coil chain {common or hardware chain} is not
suitable for emergency situations
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Air Bags Page 195
– There are three basic types of lifting bags
• High-Pressure
• Medium Pressure
• Low Pressure
– High-Pressure - These are a tough, neoprene rubber
exterior reinforced with steel wire or Kevlar®
– Deflated, the bags lie completely flat and are about 1 inch
thick. They range in size from approximately 6” x 6”
to 36” x 36”
– All bags attain their rated capacity @ 1” of lift, after that,
they lose 50% of capacity per extra 1” of lift
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Air Bags - Continued Page 195 - 196
– Low and Medium Pressure Bags
– These are considerably larger than high pressure bags
and are most commonly used to lift or stabilize large
vehicles or objects, often in a recovery situation
• Air Bag Safety Rules
– Lifting operations should be planned before starting
– Operators should be thoroughly familiar with the
equipment, its operating principles and methods, and all
of its limitations
– Operators should follow the manufacturer’s
recommendations for the specific system used
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Air Bags - Continued Page 196
• Air Bag Safety Rules - Continued
– All components should be kept in good operating
condition with all safety seals in place
– Operators should have available an adequate air supply
and sufficient cribbing before beginning operations
– The bags should be positioned on or against a solid
surface
– The bags should never be inflated against sharp objects
– The bags should be inflated slowly and monitored
continually for any shifting
– Rescuers should never work under a load that is
supported by air bags only
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Air Bags - Continued Page 196
• Air Bag Safety Rules - Continued • The load should be continuously shored up with enough
cribbing to adequately support the load in case of bag failure
• When box cribbing is used to support an air bag, the top layer
should be solid; leaving a hole in the center may cause shifting
and collapse
• Bags should not be allowed to contact materials hotter than
220°F
• Bags should never be stacked more than two high. With the
smaller bag on top, the bottom bag should be inflated first
• CAUTION - Air bags should be inspected regularly and should
be removed from service if any evidence of damage or
deterioration is found
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Air Bags - In Storage
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Block and Tackle Systems Page 196 - 197
• Because of their mechanical advantage in converting
a given amount of pull to a working force greater
that the pull, a block and tackle is useful for lifting
or pulling heavy loads
– A Block is a wooden or metal frame containing one or
more pulleys called sheaves
– Tackle is the assembly of ropes and blocks through
which the line passes to multiply the pulling force.
Figure 7.64
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The
End