While the involvement of doctors and paramedics in extrication of trapped patients from cars is limited to medical rather than demolition aspects, it is important for us to understand the general process of extrication.

In particular, the two broad types of extrication are immediate extrication, which is used when patient demise is imminent, and controlled extraction, which is slower but carries less risk. Which of these two techniques the Fire Service use will depend partly on the medical advice they are given after entrapped patients have been assessed.

This paper provides a nice overview of extrication methods.

The photos below are from the ‘extrication’ section of the Careflight Prehospital Trauma Course, conducted in Auckland in 2012.

Leon Ford – the man to see for all your car demolition needs!

You won’t find these tools at Bunnings! Rusty Clark

Auckland ED Clinical Director, Tim Parke, trials a new device for chest drain insertion