Minnesota First Responders Train for New Vehicle Extractions

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(TNS) — Every vehicle collision is different, said Matt Carlson, and a Saturday training in Mapleton helped first responders prepare for when vehicle extractions are needed.

Carlson, an instructor with Genesis Rescue Systems, led firefighters from Mapleton, North Mankato and Minnesota Lake through extrication demonstrations on a variety of crash vehicles.

Learning new procedures could cut down on extrication times in situations where every minute counts, Carlson said.

“The goal today was to add more tools to their toolbox,” he said. “When you get that call at 2 in the morning, if you’ve got eight ways to do something instead of four you have a better chance at being successful.”

The training is part of the First Responder Emergency Education, or F.R.E.E., program. The National Auto Body Council, or NABC, started it as a response to newer vehicle designs and technology and the challenges they pose to first responders.

Vehicles now can have multiple airbags and stronger steel among their safety advancements. These same safety measures, though, can make extrication more difficult, according to the NABC.

Electric vehicles pose more challenges for first responders, as cutting through a battery during extraction could cause a fire risk. Luther Mankato Honda provided an electric vehicle for observation Saturday.

Jerry’s Abra Auto Body Repair in Mankato partnered with USAA Insurance, NABC and Genesis on the event, which welcomed observers to watch near Mapleton’s football fields. Affordable Towing also donated vehicles for it, and the SHiFT Vehicle Retirement Initiative got involved to process and recycle the vehicles afterward.

The auto repair shop sees vehicles come in smashed up all the time, said Laura Kottschade of Jerry’s Abra, and the job is to fix them. Saturday was cool, she added, because it was about tearing them apart in the name of training.

As someone with family connections to firefighting, she said it felt good to partner on a training for them.

Michael Bammert, first assistant chief on the Mapleton Fire Department, saw value in experimenting with new tools and learning new techniques. Stronger metals in vehicles, for example, may require stronger cutters.

“We gotta be ready for everything,” Bammert said.