The Risk of Saving Lives: How Automotive Technology has Impacted the Rescue Worker

Rescue Workers risk their lives daily to save the lives of others. One of the situations that the Rescue Worker encounters is a vehicular extrication. As automotive technology has improved to reduce harm to occupants, it has become increasingly difficult to rescue individuals trapped in the vehicle after an accident. Along with these difficulties, there are new inherent dangers hidden from the Rescue Worker. This paper aids the Automotive Design/Development Engineer with another point of view to add to the current design considerations.

Automotive Engineers have to be aware that there is a great chance that their design may be encountered by a Rescue Worker. Designs that improve the crashworthiness of a vehicle may not be the safest items after an accident. Effort must be made to remove, not relocate, potential injury. Through this paper, education is provided to the Engineer; giving an overview of Rescue Worker training and how automotive designs are impacting Rescue Worker training, tools, and practices.