Firefighters from Eastern Berks Fire Department gathered at the Bally Station on Monday night January 25th for training with rescue air bags.
Inflatable air bags are one of the multitude of rescue devices carried by the department to deploy when needed.
Airbags are inserted under an object like a vehicle or piece of machinery, and slowly inflated to left the object and remove the patient from under the often life threatening danger.
The bags come in a variety of sizes and are inflated with air from breathing air cylinders by means of hand controllers.
Often a variety of bags are needed to be deployed and lifting coordinated so as avoid applying pressure on another part of the person being rescued. As the bags are inflated, wooden cribbing (blocks) are placed under the object to prevent collapse if there is sudden depressurization.
It was precisely this scenario which was practiced Monday night using a “maze” and a ladder with cups of water balanced at each corner.
We had a chance to work in teams, coordinating rigging and deploying the bags, lifting, cribbing, deflating, and resetting.
Constant practice for a variety of rescue and fire fighting situations keeps EFBD personnel at our peak!
