Vehicular Extrication training for local Fire Department
By Terresa McCall
Reporter—SKNVibes.com
~~Adz:Right~~BASSETERRE, St. Kitts - MEMBERS of the St. Kitts Nevis Fire and Rescue Services honed their skills in “Vehicular Extrication” during a two-day workshop which began last Wednesday.
On Thursday, as part of the workshop, 27 Fire Station and Fire Sub-Station Officers gathered on a plot of land in Bird Rock, where a number of derelict vehicle sat, for the hands-on segment of their training.
SKNVibes visited the site and witnessed part of the “Vehicle Extrication Exercise” and found facilitators Captain John Bondager and Steve McDowell, both of the Vaughn Fire Department in Canada, conducting the exercise. Mike St. Claire, who was present on the site, was also a facilitator of the workshop.
One of the features of the exercise was an explanation and demonstration in the use of the “jaws of life”, an apparatus used to pry pieces of wreckage apart, especially to free individuals who may be trapped within.
The fire officers received an opportunity to operate the gadget and were encouraged to learn from any mistakes made, as that would lessen the likelihood of the same mistakes being made during a real-life rescue effort.
While on scene, SKNVibes spoke with Fire Sub-Officer Abdias Samuel who explained that the exercise is designed to “sharpen skills with hands-on practice in doing different techniques in order to extricate victims from vehicles which were involved in accidents, whether front collisions, head-on collisions or roll-overs”.
Samuel highlighted the importance of such training, noting that as technology develops the Fire Department has to ensure it could deal with any situations which may arise. He also indicated that following the workshop, training would continue on a local level.
“We plan to have continuous training locally by local instructors. As new technology which is used to make cars develops, we have to increase or develop our tactics in approaching and dealing with different situations which may arise.”
The workshop was made possible by Forensic Psychologist Dr. Judi Riches and her husband, Bob Riches, retired Fire Chief of the Toronto Fire Department. It was codenamed “Operation Jamie” in memory of the late Dr. Jaime Astaphan, who made the initial step in garnering assistance for St. Kitts Nevis Fire and Rescue Services Department.
All of the trainees were presented certificates of participation at the closing ceremony held on Friday.
