Michael Smith's Blog (5)

Consumer Drawings

Ever wonder about those vehicle images that show a color coded picture of the different steels used in the body structure? …

Why are vehicles changing and why should firefighters care? First off, vehicles are changing in the United States because of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. The NHTSA has a legislative mandate to issue Federal Motor Vehicle Safety Standards (FMVSS) and Regulations to which manufacturers of motor vehicle and equipment items must conform and certify compliance. The requirements are designed "that the public is protected against unreasonable risk of crashes occurring as a…

The fire service is no stranger to outside of the box thinking. Here is a simple why you can displace a pedal with seat belt webbing and spreaders. Every vehicle has some webbing it, it's called seat belts. Cut out a seat belt and then snake it around the pedal. Tie the seat belt into a loop that extends around 6 inches outside of the rocker panel. Use the spreaders and the seat belt loop to displace the pedal and pull it outwards.

Make sure the loop extends out past…

One of my favorite benefits of the Internet is the ability to communicate with extrication trainers from around the world.  So I asked several extrication trainers a simple question. In one to two sentences, why do you train in extrication?

Jorg Heck

It simply doesn't work efficiently without training...

Randy Schmitz

Well in a nut shell I think the removal of a patient trapped in the wreckage of an automobile or other…

Here's a quick tip on avoiding problems making a cut at the top of the B-Pillar.  The seatbelt height adjuster is another reason that you should always peel off the interior trim prior to making a cut.

The seat belt height adjuster can be found on the B-pillar and even the C-pillar depending on the type of vehicle. Much like a seat track adjuster, the…