BY FERNANDO RODRIGUEZ
Recently, The Puyallup Extrication Team from Seattle, Washington was in Cabo San Lucas to give our volunteer firefighters a two-day course in life-saving auto extrication using The Jaws of Life hydraulic tools. In addition to instructing other firefighter departments, the non-profit organization has also competed nationally and internationally since 2000 in the WRO/NAVRA vehicle rescue competitions where teams of firefighters from around the world compete in rescue scenarios to enhance their skills, learn new automotive technologies, and help to advance techniques of auto extrication rescue.
The Jaws of Life were invented by George Hurst in 1961 after watching a stock car accident in which it took workers over an hour to remove the injured driver from his car. Using tools which were dangerous and created sparks and the length of time to free the drivers were the reasons that inspired Hurst to invent a safer, quicker alternative for emergency crews to use.
Previous rescue attempts often used circular saws for vehicle extrication, but this possessed several drawbacks. Saws can create sparks, which can start a fire, create loud sounds, stress the victim(s), and often cut too slowly. Trying to pry open the vehicle doors with a crowbar or Halligan bar also compromised the stability of the vehicle or injured the victims even further.
In comparison, hydraulic spreader-cutters are quieter, faster, stronger, and more versatile: they can cut, open, and even lift a vehicle. The hydraulic spreader was originally developed in 1972 by Tim Smith and Mike Brick, who later developed a cutter and a hydraulic ram. When an occupant is trapped, the tool is used to pry or cut the car to remove the occupant. It takes about two minutes to take the roof off a car. Mike Brick coined the phrase “Jaws of Life” after he observed people saying that their new device “snatched people from the jaws of death.”
The four major jaws of life tools are the 1) cutters, 2) spreaders, 3) rams and 4) combination tools.
The cutter is a pair of hydraulically powered shears designed to cut through metal. Cutter blades are replaceable, and blade development progresses as vehicle technology progresses to cope with the new car protection technology.
A spreader is a hydraulic tool with two arms that come together in a narrow tip, and the spreader uses hydraulic pressure to separate or spread the arms. The tip of the tool can be inserted into a narrow gap between two vehicle panels—like between two doors, or between a door and a fender—when the tool is operated. Spreaders may also be used to “pop” vehicle doors from their hinges.
A combi-tool combines the cutting and spreading functions into a single tool. In operation, the tips of the blades are wedged into a seam or gap and the hydraulic pump powers a piston that pushes the blades apart with great force and spreads the seam. Once the seam has been spread, the now-open blades can be repositioned around the metal. The device is then engaged in reverse and the blades close, cutting through metal. Repeating this process allows a rescuer to quickly open a gap wide enough to free a trapped victim. The blades can spread or cut with a force of several tons with the tips of the blades spreading up to a meter.
The extension rams are used far less than spreader-cutters in auto rescues; however, they serve a very important purpose. There are many types and sizes, including single-piston, dual-piston and telescopic rams. Sizes commonly vary from 50.80 cm (20″) to 178 cm (70″) (extended). Rams use more hydraulic fluid during operation than spreader-cutters, so the pump being used must have enough capacity to allow the ram to reach full extension.
“We know of the shortcomings that exist in many fire departments in the country and to the extent of our possibilities, we help with the greatest of pleasure,” said Commander Carbajal, adding, “It is painful to see how many firefighters exist in Mexico providing emergency services without adequate equipment; many lives are lost for this reason. We understand the hardships that happen every time they had to pull out a person from the twisted irons of a crashed car, and when they reached out for help, we moved into action.”
Carbajal also added that the “jaws of life” are tools which are desperately needed for many of the other firefighting departments in Mexico.
