Each year, almost 40,000 people die in vehicle crashes in this country, and approximately 1.3 million, worldwide.
Of the 26,000 emergency responses Puget Sound Fire will run this year, hundreds will be vehicle crashes, and many are a race against the clock to get a patient out of their crushed car and to an emergency room.
Efforts to reduce crash fatalities include laws on distracted driving and alcohol use, as well as improvements in the design of vehicles. For the fire service, our efforts center around regular training on patient extrication and vehicle stabilization techniques.
On March 14 – 16, member departments of the South King County Fire Training Consortium will be working with the Puyallup Extrication Team, a non-profit education group made up of professional firefighters, to improve the skills of firefighters in rescuing patients.
The South King County Fire Training Consortium would like to invite the media to this upcoming vehicle extrication training so that the public can better understand the rescue efforts that they see along I-5 or other roadways. The media day will be March 16, from 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm.
In addition to videoing the training and interviewing participants, the media will also be given the opportunity to participate in the vehicle extrication training.
Any media that is interested in covering this story should contact Captain Kyle Ohashi at the number below.
To learn more about the Puyallup Extrication Team, go to their website at www.thepxteam.org.
