No Time, Under Where?

2230 hours should be time to wind down the day. A day full of training and business inspections. I'm in the shower and just got soaped up suddenly the strobe on the wall starts flashing and the station tones sound. Its a vehicle rollover on a curvy canyon road. Hurry! Hurry! rinse off as much soap as possible grab the towel and dry off while I'm running to grab my coveralls. No time for the normally essential clothing, zip up the coveralls and quickly pull on some socks over wet feet. Now I'm running to the vehicle where my partner waits. After pulling on my bunker paints, we're en route with very little delay.
The dispatcher's voice comes over the radio and declares there is a patient trapped in a pick up truck and extrication will be needed. We arrive to find the pick up truck with its driver side on the ground. After a quick and careful scene assessment I kneel down to find the driver's arm coming through the door window and moving. I start talking to the the man who declares his side hurts and his arm is pined under the truck. I continue my assessment by asking questions because I can not see the man yet. The ambulance arrives and one of the paramedics takes over patient care as my crew prepares for the extrication.
We quickly develop a plan and start by using stabilizer struts on the underside of the truck which now faces the canyon wall and another set on the top of the vehicle, which faces the river. This will prevent vehicle from falling over onto its top or back onto its wheels while we move the victim to safety, protecting the responders and the patient.
 

The next tool used are air bags specifically designed for lifting heavy objects at emergency scenes.  We stack two of these under the side at the "C" post (back corner) of the truck cab. Here is an example of how these bags work to lift.

 After the vehicle was stabilized one of the medics climbed into the top of the cab through the passenger window to gain access to the patient. This is an important part of helping the patient remain calm and assisted with the extrication from the inside. We slowly lifted the truck and the medics gently slid the the victim out and onto a backboard. The patient's neck was protected with a c-collar while he was strapped to the backboard and then moved onto the cot. On the way to the hospital the medics performed a detailed assessment, started IVs and oxygen treatment. With a mechanism of injury like this, the patient may have fractures in his arms, skull, chest, legs or internal injuries of the chest or abdomen. In this case, the patient was fortunate and only sustained rib fractures and minor head lacerations. A few stitches and some time in the emergency room for observation and he goes home, me, I return to quarters for a rinse and the clothing i didn't have time for earlier.