The Kansas Fire & Rescue Training Institute showed off some of its extrication tools Friday morning in Lawrence, demonstrating how they can be used to help firefighters remove victims of car accidents from wreckage quickly and safely.
The extrication tools KFRTI purchased include a hydraulic rescue tool that cuts metal, often called the “Jaws of Life”; airbags that elevate vehicles; cable ratchets that roll vehicles; and step chocks that stabilize vehicles. On Friday, KFRTI demonstrated using the airbags and the hydraulic tool. The bags were used to lift a car Friday morning, and on the scene of an accident they would be used to help free a person trapped underneath a vehicle. The “Jaws” tool enables firefighters to cut off the tops of vehicles to remove people trapped inside cars. On Friday, a volunteer used the tool to cut through a piece of metal.