We all know a bit about just how far heavy-duty extrication tools have come since George Hurst first introduced the 32A back in the early 1970s. That said, just how far have they really come, and what are some of the REAL changes that affect the way we extricate trapped patients from vehicles?
From an extrication instructor or an end user’s standpoint, do (or should) we really care about anything else about a rescue tool’s features save for the overall effectiveness of the rescue tool we’re using?
From a historical perspective, let’s answer some of the questions about what’s changed in rescue tool technology.
Weight
Without a doubt, the single biggest change in heavy-duty rescue tools is weight. The original tools that George Hurst produced back in the 1970s weighed in at more than 70 pounds. The average weight of a rescue tool today is right around 42 pounds. Interestingly, however, is the fact that with the advent of Ultra High Strength Steel (UHSS) and its use in today’s tough new vehicles, we saw that some of the tool manufacturers had to actually add weight to their rescue tools to allow them some measure of success against the UHSS.
Cutting Blade Design
It is a known and proven fact that to be successful on today’s new vehicle construction and materials, a rescue tool must have a combination of speed, good blade design, and high compressive force. Tool manufacturers have changed their blade designs to achieve this success. What the blades and spreader tips are made of, how they are made, and how they are heat treated to add a combination of hardness and flex all play into new blade design.
New Mechanical Advantages
Mechanical advantage in rescue tools can be seen by comparing the physical makeup of a rescue cutter to that of a simple hydraulic ram. I don’t know of any hydraulic rams on the market that have a mechanical advantage. They function simply through hydraulic operation of a ram cylinder, whereby the piston action of the ram is the single source of terminal power. On a rescue cutter, you will typically see that the ram of the cutter is connected to a yoke that houses links, which extend to the outer ears of the cutter blade. The addition of the links and the yoke helps to create a mechanical advantage that allows more terminal power than that of a ram. These new mechanical advantages can be seen in not only the physical makeup of the tool but also by whether the tool generates its forces through a “pulling” or a “pushing” action.
Multistage External Hydraulic Pumps
Just as the weight of rescue tools has fluctuated over the years, so too has external hydraulic rescue tool pump technology. It doesn’t seem like that long ago that the standard for external rescue tool pumps, or “power units” as they are often referred to, was two-stage pumps. In the quest to achieve the “power, speed, blade design” combination, some rescue tool manufacturers tried small lightweight two-stroke, single-stage (think chain saw) power units. Today, tool manufacturers have multistage (more than 2 stages) power units, as they try to achieve the aforementioned combination for success.
Although externally-powered (hard mounted to the rig or portable gas-powered pump) extrication tools are still the majority of rescue tools in use today, the addition of battery-powered (battery electric over hydraulic) tools probably is the single biggest evolution for rescue tool manufacturers. I was not always a fan of battery-powered rescue tools for two reasons. First, we all know that the weakest link in any of our other battery-operated tools on the rig has quite simply been the battery. The batteries always get the bad rap because they depend on us (firefighters) to make sure that they are charged and in good condition. We learned from our mobile radios that certain types of batteries developed a “memory,” and if we didn’t discharge and recharge them properly, we saw their lifespan diminish rapidly. Reciprocating saws, drills, and other battery-powered tools were certainly no different.
Good news: Battery technology has changed dramatically and continues to change for the better; however, regardless of how much better that battery technology is, no tool battery can charge itself and is only good if someone remembers to recharge it.
A few years ago, I recall using battery-powered tools that gave no warning before the battery died, and I don’t mean weakened, I mean instantly died. On the cutter front, this is/was an issue because since the advent of UHSS and designed deflection materials now used in modern vehicle construction, the metal at the location of a “partial” cut (because the battery failed or the tool isn’t powerful enough) is made stronger by a type of heat treating known as “work worrying.” Work worrying can further harden the metal from the forces exerted by the rescue tool on the metal at the site of the attempted cut. This metallurgic reality is not exclusive to battery-powered rescue tools. Any excessive force (from our rescue tools or the force created when the vehicle collided with another object) on a metal component generates heat. That heat can rearrange the molecules in the metal, which causes the metal to become harder, aka heat treating.
Choosing the Right Tools
When I teach vehicle rescue classes, the two most common questions I am asked are “What’s the best extrication tool on the market?” and “Which are better, battery or traditional hydraulic rescue tools?”
Most times, when I am preparing for a class, I suggest that the host fire department reach out to as many rescue tool reps and dealers as they can to have them bring their latest and greatest products to our program. This allows both instructors and students to be able to put different tools to work so that they can see for themselves what they like and don’t like. I do not allow any type of sales pitches or “teaching help” from reps during the program, but I do allow company reps to present their products and answer students’ questions about the tools. This gives companies a better return on their investment for bringing out tools and spending their weekend with us.
As I said, I was not a fan of the original battery-powered tools a number of years ago. To me, many of them were heavy, bulky, weak, and gimmicky. I have since changed my attitude about the battery-powered lineup. I was impressed just a few weeks ago while doing a program in southern Louisiana, where a couple of rescue tool dealers brought out their brand-new lines of battery-powered rescue tools. The tools were fast and strong and had some great cutter blade and spreader tip designs/improvements.
I used to grumble that “headlights and fancy handles don’t make a rescue tool.” That said, on the new battery-powered tools in Louisiana, I saw new, valuable features such as indicator lights on the tool that signaled when the tool had “tapped out” on a cut or spread.
With these new improvements in the battery-powered lineup, I was able to see first-hand how the value of portability would make more sense for my department than it did with the earlier versions of these tools. I also saw that the challenge of batteries still remains. Many departments like that they can go to their local home improvement stores and purchase batteries that are interchangeable with those that came with their rescue tools. That makes sense to me. I understand the new proprietary rescue tool batteries (those that can only be purchased from the tool manufacturer) from a business perspective. After all, as much as we’d like to think otherwise, tool manufacturers are in the business of selling rescue tools; they are not in the extrication business.
At the end of the day, the choice of who makes the best new rescue tools is still up to you. What may work best for my department’s applications may not align with your department’s needs. Become informed (not biased or brand loyal) tool committees and purchasers. Make the rescue tool companies earn your business. Don’t forget about things like warranties and required routine and preventive maintenance costs. If your new rescue tools need to be tweaked and tightened after each use, are they really that good?
Demo lots of different tools as you would use them in the toughest of extrication situations. Then choose wisely.
CARL J. HADDON is a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Editorial Advisory Board and the director of Five Star Fire Training LLC, which is sponsored, in part, by Volvo North America. He served as assistant chief and fire commissioner for the North Fork (ID) Fire Department and is a career veteran of more than 25 years in the fire and EMS services in southern California. He is a certified Level 2 fire instructor and an ISFSI member and teaches Five Star Auto Extrication and NFPA 610 classes across the country.
