SKILL  KNOWLEDGE  SAFETY

PUASAR024A - Undertake road accident rescue

Description

This unit covers the competency required to gain access to and extricate entrapped casualty/s from vehicles travelling on the road such as cars, motorcycles, buses, trucks and semi-trailers while minimising the potential for further injury and preserving the integrity of evidence.

This unit requires the responder to access entrapped casualty/s using a range of techniques and to operate specialist equipment to undertake the rescue.

Pre Requisites

 Nil

Application

This unit applies to a member of a rescue team.

This unit may be customised to suit a range of road crash rescue incidents based on an organisational risk profile.

Prformance Criteria

 1. Prepare and respond to road crash rescue    
1.1 Equipment is checked, serviced and operationally ready for use
1.2 Operation and task information is obtained and assessed about the type of collision
1.3 Rescue equipment is selected based on incident information
1.4 Personal protective equipment (PPE) is selected relevant to the nature of the rescue operation
1.5 Any further details of the nature of the rescue are received en route
1.6 Anticipated hazards and associated risks are discussed with rescue team members while on route
    
2. Establish and maintain rescue scene safety    
2.1 Road crash scene is assessed, hazards and risks are identified and appropriate control and ongoing monitoring processes are put in place
2.2 Scene management procedures are followed in accordance with organisational procedures and legal requirements
2.3 Safe working area is established and monitored to prevent injury to self and/or others
2.4 Vehicle/s are stabilised to prevent movement during access and removal, in accordance with organisational standards and procedures
    
3. Manage casualties    
3.1 Hygiene precautions are maintained in accordance with organisational requirements
3.2 Casualties are assessed and stabilised to minimise further injury or discomfort during rescue operations
3.3 Nature of injuries/entrapment is ascertained to develop an extrication plan
3.4 Support is provided to medical personnel assisting with the treatment of the entrapped person/s as required
    
4. Remove casualties from entrapment    
4.1 Access plans are determined in consultation with team leader and medical staff
4.2 Procedures are implemented to protect casualties from further injury or discomfort during access and removal
4.3 Access path is provided for removal of casualties using appropriate rescue techniques and equipment
4.4 Casualties are removed from vehicle using appropriate rescue removal techniques and rescue equipment
4.5 Removal of deceased person/s is undertaken under the direction of police
    
5. Conclude road crash rescue operations    
5.1 Scene is preserved for investigating officer/s
5.2 Equipment is recovered, cleaned and maintained in accordance with manufacturer's guidelines and organisational procedures
5.3 Decontamination procedures are followed in accordance with organisational procedures
5.4 Where identified, signs and symptoms of operational stress in self and others are recognised and reported to appropriate personnel
5.5 Operational debrief is participated in and operational documentation is completed to organisational standards
    

Required Skills & Knowledge

 Required Skills
  •     apply emergency care practices
  •     apply relevant road crash rescue techniques
  •     apply scene management procedures
  •     undertake initial (ongoing) scene assessment
  •     userescue equipment in a range of situations
  •     wear appropriate PPE
  •     work in a multi-agency environment
  •     work in teams

Required Knowledge
  •     dangers associated with vehicle safety devices
  •     documentation requirements
  •     emergency care
  •     equipment characteristics and safe working loads in rescue operations
  •     establishment and maintenance of safe working areas and minimisation of hazards
  •     hazards and environmental threats
  •     infection control procedures
  •     legal requirements for responders
  •     methods of access
  •     need to return equipment to operational readiness after use
  •     operating procedures and organisational standards
  •     operational briefing and debriefing procedures
  •     organisational procedures for cleaning and discarding equipment in terms of environmental management and sustainability
  •     personal hygiene protocols
  •     reconnaissance processes
  •     relevant occupational health and safety principles and practices
  •     rescue equipment and manufacturer's operational guidelines
  •     rescue techniques relevant to a range of vehicles
  •     road crash rescue techniques
  •     road crash rescue concepts as described in the Australian Emergency Manual Road Crash Rescue
  •     roles and responsibilities of, and relationship with, other emergency service/s
  •     use of PPE
  •     vehicle construction and dangers in cutting vehicle parts and panels

Range Statement

 Operationally ready may include    
  • Serviced as per manufacturers' recommendations and/or standard operating procedures

Operation and task information may include    
  • Environmental and other hazards
  • Location
  • Other agencies responding
  • Type and number of casualties/vehicles
Type of collision may include  
  •  Crushed vehicle
  • Head-on
  • Jack knife
  • Load movement
  • Multiple vehicle accidents
  • Off-set (quarter oblique)
  • Rear impact
  • Side impact (t-bone)
  • Vehicle roll-over
  • Vehicle under-ride/over-ride
Rescue equipment may include    
  • Fire extinguishers
  • Glass management kit
  • Hand tools
  • Ladders
  • Lighting equipment
  • Powered tools (battery, electric, fuel) such as:
  •     lifting bags
  •     chain saws
  •     cutting tools
  •     drills
  •     excavating tools
  •     hydraulic tools
  •     pneumatic equipment
  •     Rescue vehicles
  • Ropes

Stabilising equipment such as:
  •     winches
  •     Tarpaulins

Personal protective equipment may include    
  • Appropriate protective clothing
  • Boots
  • Ear protection
  • Eye protection
  • Gloves, boots
  • Helmets
  • Infection protection
  • Respiratory protection

Hazards may include    
  • Adverse weather and environmental condition
  • After dark operations
  • Bio-hazards
  • Composite materials (carbon fibre and fibre glass)
  • Difficult terrain
  • Electricity
  • Gas
  • Hazardous materials/dangerous substances
  • Other road users
  • Supplementary restraint systems
  • Traffic and bystanders
  • Vehicle fuel
  • Vehicle propulsion systems
  • Vehicle glazing
  • Wild farm or domestic animals
  • Water and sewerage utilities

Scene management procedures may include    
  • Access and egress
  • Cordoning and screening scene
  • Glass management
  • Isolating vehicle electrical systems
  • Managing bystanders and media
  • Positioning of response vehicles
  • Preserving evidence
  • Removing hazards
  • Searching for missing occupants
  • Staging areas
  • Traffic control and traffic plan

Vehicles may include    
  • Buses
  • Cars
  • Farm vehicles
  • Motorcycles
  • Semi trailers
  • Trucks

Stabilising vehicles may include    
  • Chaining
  • Chocking
  • Jacking
  • Packing
  • Propping
  • Ratchet straps
  • Roping
  • Tensioning (manual operated cable winch)
  • Use of soft webbing (rated)

Extrication plan may include    
  • Alternate entries
  • Controlled release
  • Immediate release

Procedures to protect casualties may include    
  • Padding of sharp hazards (hard and soft protection)
  • PPE for casualty (helmet, glasses, dust mask, ear protection)
  • Shielding from debris, glass and tools

Appropriate rescue techniques may include    
  • Door removal
  • Folding down sill
  • Foot well/front seat techniques:
  •     pulling and pushing the column (fitted with uni-joints)
  •     lifting the dash
  •     dash roll
  •     winching the dash
  •     exposing the foot well
  • Light commercial vehicle techniques:
  •     van dash roll
  • Overturned vehicle techniques:
  •     inverted side removal
  •     flapping the floor pan
  •     inverted ramming (including inverted cross ramming techniques)
  • Roof techniques:
  •     create openings
  •     forward roof flap
  •     roof flap
  • Side impact techniques:
  •     cross ramming
  • Side removal:
  •     'B' pillar rip
  •     'B' pillar removal
  • Third door entry
Rescue removal techniques may include    
  • Cervical collars
  • Extrication devices
  • Spinal immobilisation device
  • Spine board (back board)

Preserving the incident scene must include    
  • Disturbing only to gain access or make scene safe
  • Not disturbing fatality scenes until police investigation activities are completed
  • Preserving integrity of evidence

Operational documentation may include    
  • Exposure records
  • Incident field notes
  • Incident report
  • Organisation's reporting system
  • Post operational report

Evidence Guide

 Not applicable

Newsletter

Follow Us

Login


Copyright © 2011
Risk Response + Rescue
All Rights Reserved

Terms & Conditions
Disclaimer
Privacy Policy
Imprint