Vehicle Rescue Skills (Team Collaboration) Glass Management

The glass management at the site should be completed as soon as possible and reasonably. This means that glass can't be managed “indiscriminately”, but it must be completed before the next stage of creating space. Without first managing glass, it is unsafe to use hydraulic rescue tools to enter or expand space. Failure to do so can result in uncontrolled damage.

Management options

1. Controlled removal

Older vehicles can remove glass by cutting rubber seals or gaskets. The glass can be removed perfectly.

2. Controlled damage

Controlled breaking of glass can greatly reduce the risk of broken glass.

3 , put in place

If you do not think it necessary to remove, then consider not removing the glass.

Emergency glass management

This refers to the immediate need for medical treatment for those who have not responded when arriving at the scene. In this case, if you need to break the glass immediately, consider the following:

1. The wounded were not protected against glass fragments or glass dust.

2. Enter by breaking the glass away from the wounded, for example on the other side of the vehicle (ensure that you can still enter quickly)

There are generally two types of glass on site:

1. Tempered glass - generally seen in every window, except for the windshield.

2. Laminated safety glass - typically windshield

For safety reasons, sandwich glass is now more and more often seen in other locations in vehicles, such as side windows. This prevents the occupant from being ejected. In some parts of the world, this will become mandatory in the near future.

Polycarbonate glass

Although rarely seen, and mainly in some high-end cars (for example, Porsche 911GT3 and above, and Audi R8 GT ), Fiat has announced that in 2014 , the 500L model will use some polycarbonate glass as a feature. However, at present, no vehicle is completely made of polycarbonate glass, and polycarbonate glass is not suitable due to its safety.

The main dangers of on-site glass are:

1 , broken glass on the ground, so that people on the ground more easily slipped.

2. Glass fragments will enter the exposed wounds of the wounded, delaying hospital treatment and leading to sepsis (infection).

3. Glass management generates glass dust.

Of course, the glass of some vehicles has been broken in the event of an accident. This means that there is broken glass on arrival. Broken glass poses a danger to rescue workers (other people on the scene) and must be dealt with as soon as possible.

1 , broken glass on the ground

If the climate is dry, cover the glass. Cleaning these glasses will allow glass ash to diffuse into the air and endanger the breathing of everyone on the scene. If the climate is damp, wipe it off. Humidity prevents glass dust from spreading in the air.

2. Broken glass in the vehicle

If there is broken glass in the vehicle, the best treatment is to cover it. This will make the injured and the doctor in the vehicle more secure. When rescued, rescue workers (wearing medical gloves) entering the vehicle will not encounter broken glass.

Processing glass

Tempered glass

There are many small pieces that are produced when you break the tempered glass. Due to the manufacturing process of tempered glass, energy is released when the tempered glass is broken. Need to take this into account.

Window breakers are the best tools that can be used in many ways.

1. Place the strong broken glass in the container. Once all the glass has been managed, remove the container. This will remove all broken glass in the hazardous area.

2. If the door can be opened (no hydraulic tools are needed), keep the door open. This means that the broken glass is far from the wounded.

3. Lower the window as far as possible into the door, and cover the remaining glass with a thin plate. When the glass breaks, most of the glass will be inside the door, and the thin plate will prevent the glass from splashing.

Laminated safety glass

This is a challenge because the laminated safety glass must be cut. Glass dust (silicon dioxide) is generated when cutting, so when managing glass, rescue workers and the injured must perform proper respiratory protection. The current windshields are all laminated safety glass. This can improve safety performance.

The windshields that use laminated glass are now mounted together so that they cannot be moved without shearing.

Polycarbonate glass

Polycarbonate glass must also be cut. Since polycarbonate glass is used completely without any vehicle, it is still rapidly accessed through tempered glass at other locations in the vehicle.

key point:

1 , must wear full personal protective equipment, including gloves, goggles and respiratory protection (dust masks).

2. The injured must use soft protection (wound protection blankets) for protection. It is best to use high-flow oxygen (positive pressure oxygen to prevent glass dust).

3 Verbal warning before breaking the glass.

4. Once the glass management stage has been completed, dust masks can be removed. This will facilitate on-site communication.

This article belongs to holmatro and edited by China Rescue Equipment Network.