ON FIRE ❘ by MICHAEL N. CIAMPO

With the development of lithium-ion batteries and engineers creating more recreational vehicles, firefighters will see many more incidents involving scooters, bicycles, skateboards, and unicycles. Since the operators often ride with reckless abandon and the vehicles produce no noise, you’d better be ready for more incidents with the operator and vehicle pinned beneath an automobile, truck, or stationary object. When you’re approaching the scene, don’t just scan the intersection and street for the incident. Look up on the sidewalk; although many of the scooters have stickers on them stating, “Don’t Ride on the Sidewalk,” packs of riders can be seen riding there.

USFA: Responding to Lithium-Ion Battery Fires in Mobility Devices

Many companies are now carrying automobile floor jacks to assist in making the extrication process go faster. Buying the lighter weight model will give firefighters an easier time transporting it to the scene or lifting it out of or placing it back into the truck’s compartment. The nice thing about floor jacks is that the handle is long and keeps us out of harm’s way and not under a vehicle. When firefighters deploy a bottle jack to lift a vehicle, the lifting rods are much shorter and can have you working closer to the load. If the load shifts or the ground gives way, you’re in close proximity to the load if it falls off the jack.

A great point to remember when using a bottle or floor jack is you can use the jack pads off the ladder truck to create a stable base. If there is enough room under the load, you can also put cribbing there and the base plate on top of the cribbing to create a stable base. It’s very important to remember, “For every action, there is a reaction.” If firefighters find a victim pinned under the side of a car and they lift only one side of the vehicle, the other side will go down. Although it may look like the victim’s upper torso is being released by the lift, the other side of the vehicle could be pinning down the scooter and victim more.

Prior to lifting, crib the opposite side of the vehicle with step chocks or cribbing. Doing this prevents this side of the vehicle sinking lower toward the ground. If you don’t have jacks or a complement of air bags on the apparatus, another reliable option is to take a ground ladder and support it with the folded or rolled sections of hose. Now, you can insert the ladder’s tip under the car and use it as a fulcrum to lift the car off the victim. Remember, it’s just as important to crib the opposite side in this situation, too. Attaching some webbing or old seat belts to cribbing creates a carrying handle to assist in transporting it to the scene.

Once the vehicle is clear of the victim, don’t think you can just slide the victim out. Often, the victim’s broken limbs are still pinned by the scooter or bike he was riding. You may have to use smaller hand tools or a portable cutter under the raised vehicle to cut apart or disassemble the scooter to untangle the victim. Having a backboard on the ground and partially under the victim will help you remove him quicker once he’s free.

When you’re working on a victim under a car, pay close attention to the proximity of the car’s exhaust system, transmission, and catalytic converters. These components generate a great deal of heat and can burn a victim or firefighter; that’s why it’s important for the rescue firefighter under the car to be in full protective clothing. Also use caution when removing a victim from under the engine; we’ve encountered the lower radiator hose severed and a severely burned patient located there.

Another type of run to be prepared for is the victim with a foot or toes caught inside a bicycle chain, wheel spoke, or even sprocket. Removing the victim may be easy by just turning the sprocket—as it moves, it releases the victim’s pants from the chain. Unfortunately, you may run into worse situations and have toes crushed between the chain and sprocket or a foot wedged between the frame and wheel when the extra rider on the back slipped and got a foot stuck. Using smaller hand tools such as an open-end wrench and ratchet might be called for. A battery-operated saw or disc cutter can also make quick work of cutting apart a bike.

It seems without fail, once a summer, you’ll encounter a child or adolescent stuck in a swing set at the local playground. Whether it was an oversized child who wedged himself into the swing and can’t get out or the teenager who was dared to get into the swing, you can expect to run one of these calls.

As in most incidents, prior to just cutting the swing apart, there are a few things you can try. Getting a garbage can, flipping it over, and putting it under the victim takes the weight of his body off the swing. It also allows him to stand up and try to wiggle free of the swing. If necessary, you can unhook the swing’s chains or release them from the support piping for more range of motion. Using the foam can and wetting the victim’s legs is a way to make him slippery. If that doesn’t work, either a commercially bought PVC cable cutter or a large length of weed trimmer string (four to six feet) can cut the plastic swing when it’s moved back and forth.

When cutting, use some water to help reduce the heat created on the plastic and to prevent burning the victim. If the swing is rubber, a medical shear can usually cut the rubber apart. In some of these swings, a piece of metal is embedded into sections of it; firefighters may have to cut in areas away from the metal for an easier removal.

MICHAEL N. CIAMPO is a 36-year veteran of the fire service and a lieutenant in the Fire Department of New York. Previously, he served with the District of Columbia Fire Department. He has a bachelor’s degree in fire science from John Jay College of Criminal Justice in New York City. He is the lead instructor for the FDIC International Truck Essentials H.O.T. program. He wrote the Ladders and Ventilation chapters for Fire Engineering’s Handbook for Firefighter I and II (Fire Engineering, 2009) and the Bread and Butter Portable Ladders DVD and is featured in “Training Minutes” truck company videos.