Isaac Frazier's Blog (75)

When it comes to extrication tools, cutter torque is one of the most “common” and avoidable causes of catastrophic tool failures. In this week’s “Quick Tip”, we are covering an option to help in recognizing/preventing cutter torque in areas that the cutter blades are hard to visualize. There are a many strong points on a vehicle…

When it comes to extrication, there are as many techniques as you can possibly think of, each with a fancier name than the next. This week’s quick tip is covering tunneling vs. cracking the egg. In both situations, the vehicle is roof resting and you will have extremely limited access to the vehicle sides. The better technique is all in personal opinion. Through extensive training on both I have chosen what works best for me and here is why.…

This one hits close to home…Pat Taaffe is a friend of mine and fellow fireman for St. Johns County Fire Rescue. Pat is assigned to Engine 12 C and we are both in the same battalion. I’ve known Pat for many years and can remember him riding with us on Squad 17 after he came to St. Johns County. He has dedicated over 20 years to the fire…

During many of my Tactical Extrication Courses, students will occasionally come across compressed airbag cylinders located throughout the vehicle. Anyone who has taken one of my classes knows that I always push peeling back plastic and exposing posts/pillars to check for airbag cylinders. So what happens when you run across…

At this point in the "Quick Tip" series we have covered many different methods and extrication tactics. If you haven't been following, take a look back and review many of the dash displacement methods in this series. While teaching Tactical Extrication Courses, students typically get the dash lift down pretty quickly. However, when the vehicle is on…

While riding the Squad yesterday, I worked an extrication involving a Florida Highway Patrol cruiser that was struck from behind on I95. The trooper was investigating a MVC that we responded to and cleared about an hour prior. After thinking about the circumstances, I thought there's no better time to cover an important part of roadway…

It’s 4AM and your company is dispatched to an MVC with entrapment. You arrive and find one vehicle against a large tree with the passenger heavily trapped by the dash. Due to the damage, the vehicle cannot be moved from the tree and passenger side access is limited. In turn, we need a full side-to-side dash…

Don’t be an inbred? Are you kidding me? Well now that I have your attention, allow me explain. When…

First off, look at this method as just another tool in your extrication tool box. I have found that this method comes in handy in limited access situations. Think of the steering wheel displacements you have been shown in the past…come-a-long to the front bumper, spreaders on the hood, high lift jack on the hood, etc. What do…

What are you accomplishing during your extrication walk-around?

Many times a walk-around is incorrectly used as an officers mental check note like BSI/Scene safety…However,…

The age-old question…to cut or spread door hinges. This subject is brought up in almost all of my classes. As with any extrication skill, there is a time and place for both. I personally cut and spread door hinges depending on hinge design and hinge access. However, in my experience, the…

Displacing vehicle dash assemblies can be a challenging task at times. Many options are available when a vehicle is sitting upright. However, displacement options can quickly diminish when vehicle orientation changes or the involved vehicle is pinned against various objects. Todays "Quick Tip" will show an alternative technique that is quick, and many times can provide enough displacement to free trapped patients. I have used this method many times when a…

This week’s extrication quick tip will be covering a method that I refer to as the “Junkyard Cut”. It was discussed heavily during Tactical Extrication NJ this weekend. When training on dash displacements the statement was made, “I was taught you have to cut the front support to get a good dash lift.” This…

If you have attended my Tactical Extrication Course, you know that I strive for thinking operators. Not all entrapments will be the same. They will range from a quick job to downright…

You are sound asleep when dispatch notifies you of an MVC with multiple trapped. From the radio traffic, you can tell that it is going to be a good one. The on scene report relays that you have two vehicles involved in a head on collision with both drivers heavily trapped, both vehicles…

The "Quick Tip" this week is part 2 of a 3 part series. We will be covering one of the most important and often unappreciated extrication scene positions-SQD Driver. More often than not, this position will make or break the scenes efficiency. From insuring the safe travel, to anticipating the needs, this position will be working until the situation is under…

During extrication courses, I commonly see students struggle with posts/pillars that are slightly larger than what can be severed with a single cut. This can be due to post thickness, width, or various trim pieces in the way. One often-overlooked method that works very well is a style of compression cut. As shown below, the post in the picture is just outside…

As we pulled out of the firehouse at 0300 hours, the dispatcher informed responding units that they were receiving numerous calls for a serious…