North end firefighters receive extrication training on hybrid vehicles

Published 12:58 pm Friday, October 5, 2012

Firefighters from the north end of the county gathered Wednesday, near the Clearwater Casino, to cut their way through vehicle extrication scenarios.

Fire officers from North Kitsap Fire & Rescue, Poulsbo, and Bainbridge Island Fire Departments received classroom and hands-on training focused on vehicle incident management and handling new vehicles technologies, including; hybrid vehicles, high strength steel vehicle construction and supplemental restraint systems. The training was provided by the Puyallup Extrication Team, a Pierce County-based training group, which provides vehicle collision training to fire departments across the country.

All three north end fire departments have major highways in their districts and respond to a significant number of serious vehicle collisions involving entrapment and injuries.

“[Wednesday’s] training was part of an ongoing fire officer training program between the North End Fire Districts,” Poulsbo Fire Department’s Battalion Chief Jim Gillard said, “This allows for a higher level of training than each department could afford to provide on their own, and improves our ability to work together on large scale incidents.”

The drill was also made possible because of donations from local businesses. Complicated motor vehicle extrication scenarios took place because of several vehicles donated by Yank-a-Part auto wrecking services. In addition, Port Madison Enterprises donated the use of their facilities. This enabled firefighters to have both a classroom setting, and a parking lot in which to perform the various scenarios.