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Area fire companies participate in rescue course |
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Local Content -
Local News
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Written by Larry McGuire
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Monday, 03 August 2009 |
Several volunteer fire companies participated in an agriculture accident rescue training course Sunday at the Perry Township Volunteer Fire Company. Dave Braun (far left) of Buck Community College, taught the class and instructed participants on the different ways to approach and manage agricultural emergency scenes. Here, firefighters from Perry Township, Ringgold, Sigel, Plumville, Central and Elk Run fire departments are being taught the correct technique for placing cribbing (wooden blocks) under this tractor, which rolled over and could have potentially trapped a victim underneath. (Photo by Larry McGuire/The Punxsutawney Spirit)
NORTH MAHONING TOWNSHIP — Rural volunteer fire departments must be prepared for just about any type of emergency that may occur, especially those that occur in the agricultural community.
Full-time city firefighters may deal with more accidents and fires, but they usually don't deal with accidents involving farm equipment.
The Perry Township Volunteer Fire Company hosted a rescue training on how to deal with accidents involving large agriculture equipment, specifically highlighting tractor roll overs, which occur frequently in hilly western Pennsylvania.
Debbie Coleman of the Perry Township Volunteer Fire Company said volunteers from Perry Township, Ringgold, Sigel, Plumville, Central and Elk Run fire departments all participated in a farm rescue/farm medic class.
Coleman said Dave Braun, of Buck Community College, taught the class, and instructed the participants on the different ways to approach and manage agricultural emergency scenes, such as silo entrapment and machinery rollovers and entanglements.
"They were able to practice what they learned in a staged combine/tractor rollover incident," Coleman said. "The staged accident scene occurred at the Wainright/Coleman farm in North Mahoning Township. As the crews arrived, they found a combine on its side, along with a tractor pulling a manure spreader."
Coleman said it was very interesting as Braun guided the crew through disassembling the machinery and how to rescue and treat any patients that could have been involved in a real life accident.
Denny Plyler, Perry Township fire chief, said that because this is a rural area, training on these types of rescues is very important.
"We don't see a lot of these types of accidents because the operators do exercise caution when operating their equipment," Plyler said. "The hilly terrain that we live in sometimes causes the operator of a tractor to accidentally roll the vehicle over. All area fire departments are in need of training in this area."
Plyler said when it comes to rescuing someone who is trapped beneath a vehicle — whether it is a tractor or a car — you have the "Golden Hour" to complete the rescue.
"You've got one hour from the time that we arrive on scene until the victim is in hospital care," Plyler said. "Many times, in an agriculture accident, it might be two to three hours before the mishap is discovered. The quicker the emergency crew can perform these tasks, the better off the patient is."
One of the primary tools that are utilized in a vehicle rollover is cribbing (stacking of wooden blocks).
A base crib is a type of specified cribbing used as a base of support for rescue tools to rest upon while in use. It is usually made of two-inch-by-eight-inch boards of variable lengths.
Several of the fire companies involved provided the cribbing at the scene for the mock agriculture accident.
Plyler said Mike and Dan Coleman of the Perry Township fire company were responsible for setting up the class.
"They supplied the fire company, the firefighters participating in the course and a place to hold the accident training," he said.
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Last Updated ( Tuesday, 04 August 2009 )
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