Firefighters Tackle Staged Tragedy

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By Ruth Johnson

Summary

Walla Walla County firefighters spent about an hour Tuesday night extricating a man from his car, which had been crushed under a bus. The rescue was a drill, and it brought the reality of tragic accidents to light for the first responders.

Story Published: Nov 19, 2009 at 12:51 AM PST

BURBANK -- Walla Walla County firefighters spent about an hour Tuesday night extricating a man from his car, which had been crushed under a bus.

The rescue was a drill, and it brought the reality of tragic accidents to light for first responders, especially the newer recruits.

Anyone stumbling upon the scene would have been amazed at the detail taken to create the scenario. A full sized passenger bus was positioned on top of a passenger car, as if the two vehicles had just crashed head on. Inside the car, the 'injured driver,' a lifelike dummy.

Two big tow companies, American and Action Towing, took part. Assistant Fire Chief Mike Wickstrom, who is also a training officer, said it's rare that first responders get the opportunity to train with tow companies, even though they are a vital part of a rescue involving a heavy vehicle and an entrapment. And, he said, it created a scenario that is rarely experienced except on the state level.

The drill took place just blocks from one of the most dangerous intersections in the region: Highway 12 and Humorist road. Passersby stopped to watch and take pictures as massive straps were placed around the front of the bus, while firefighters erected supports on the side of the vehicle.

Once the bus was lifted and the car towed out from under it, the real activity began. The car had to be sawed and wrenched open in order to get to the 'driver.' And an EMT crawled in a broken window to monitor vital signs.

Wickstrom and other veteran firefighters like Randy Reynolds stepped aside to let the younger, newer crew members get a chance to use the tools necessary to extricate a trapped accident victim.

Wickstrom said over thirty percent of the volunteers are aged 19, or in their early twenties.

In spite of the dramatic setting, the drill took about an hour to complete, start to finish; and that's what organizers had planned on.