North Dade Firefighters Complete Extrication Training DADE COUNTY, GA – Accidents with entrapment are becoming an all too familiar thing today.  As manufacturers make cars safer the job of extricating a patient becomes more complex.  Hybrid vehicles help us save on fuel but the placement of the batteries and additional electrical cables throughout the car make the job of a firefighter trying to remove a trapped driver much more dangerous, not only for the firefighter but also the patient.  Additional airbags and their placement make for a hazardous condition for those trying to fight time when a patient is in need of immediate medical care.   To help firefighters learn how to deal with these potential problems and more, Assistant Chief Chris Lowrance of the North Dade, Georgia Fire Department turned to the Chattanooga Hamilton County Rescue Squad for help, and Assistant Chief Frank Pate of CHCRS was there to provide it.  Over the weekend of June 23 and 24, 2007 Chief Pate and other members of the Rescue Squad conducted a training class for members of the North Dade Fire Department. Beginning Saturday morning with several hours of classroom training, Chief Pate explained how to not only successfully remove the patients but keep everyone, including those doing the extrication, safe.  After spending time in the classroom, everyone moved outside the fire station where everyone was given the opportunity for hands on training in extrication.  Firefighters spent the remainder of Saturday practicing on two different vehicles.  Doors were removed, roofs peeled and dashes rolled. Sunday brought some more classroom training and then more hands on work.  Much of Sunday morning was devoted to stabilizing the vehicles prior to beginning the actual extrication process.  Safety was stressed throughout the two day course.  Firefighters learned the proper way to use cribbing and the proper way to handle the cribbing to reduce the possibility of injury while performing this task.   After lunch on Sunday, the final exercise was a scenario of two vehicles involved in a head on crash.  Both vehicles were on their sides and one “victim” had been ejected and was trapped underneath the car.   Another “victim” was also trapped inside the overturned car that pinned the ejected person.  Using the skills that they learned over the weekend, firefighters set out to rescue the victims.  The overturned car was stabilized and then using airbags, the victim was removed from under the car.  After again making sure the car was stable, firefighters removed the door from the car and rescued the remaining patient by removing the door. Firefighters said that the training was successful and that they feel they are now much better equipped to handle these emergencies when they arrive.  It should be noted that temperatures hovered around or exceeded the 100 degree mark over much of the weekend.  While full bunker gear was required for the final scenario, it was decided that during much of the training firefighters were very much at risk of heat related problems if they wore full gear and it was not required.  Safety officers were present during all training exercises.