FDIC H.O.T. Session

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Schoolbus Extrication
Truck Company Operations: Ground Ladders
High Angle Emergencies: Scaffolds and Elevated Structures
Indy Metro FOOLS Brotherhood Bash
Exhibits and Miscellaneous Photos
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Monday morning, a group of 42 firefighters rode the bus out to a junk yard some 30 minutes away from the convention center. Once there we were split into two groups, each with their own set of instructors and their own school bus to tear up.

Our group was led by instructors Jerry Jensen (Sarasota Co. Fire Special Operations) and Sam Collier (Cedar Hammock FD), and had participants from Colorado, Texas, Indiana, New York, Washington, North Carolina, and Canada - I'm sure I'm missing several others.

Everyone got as much time as they wanted working the various tools, which included everything from hydraulic spreaders and cutters, electric saws, and pneumatic tools - to the brute-force halligan/sledge/axe/etc. For some things, we found out, it was as easy as having a little forethought and a screwdriver.

Once we went through the basics, we were given a little extra challenge - a bulldozer came in and toppled the bus over on its side, and we went through some additional scenarios in some much more inconvenient conditions.

Click the thumbnails to view a larger photo in a separate browser window.

This group gets a first look at their bus	Instructors Jerry (left) and Sam (right)	This training was dedicated to Tom Brennan, well-known editor of Fire Engineering with a decorated firefighting career who passed away just one week before this year's conference.
First task - remove glass!	With the right technique the pane comes out without shattering	Steve (Cypress Creek VFD, TX) gets some pictures
With a few relief cuts...	...in just the right spots...	...and a little work with the sawz-all...
Voila, a bigger back door opening!	Removing the front door	This crew clears out the front of their bus, removing windshield wipers and glass
A traditional steering column pull would not work on a school bus, as the hood would just crumple under the chain. Here we do a modified maneuver, using two pieces of cribbing, and easily get the job done with no more than 30 seconds of setup!	A few strategically placed cuts, being mindful of the anatomic markings on a typical bus...	...and we easily created a nice side opening
We had folks from all over the country in our group		A wide variety of tools at our disposal
Taking a break!	We learned that cribbing is likely not needed to stabilize an upright bus....	.... as hard as this piece of machinery tugged and pulled it could not topple the thing over
He gave up and went to the other side...	...and after much effort, finally the bus came crashing down	"Hmmm maybe I should get out of the way..."
"TIMBER!!!!!"	Quite a wreck scene here	Imagine arriving on a scene like this...
Instructor Jerry explains that trying to make entry through the bottom of the bus is generally a horrible idea	By reading the rivets on the body of the bus, it is easy to tell where the support members are	Definitely don't want to see kids in this situation!
Instructor Sam shows us how easy it is to slice through the outer shell using the halligan bar - just like using a can opener	Hydraulic spreader works fine too	Air chisel is yet another option - cuts like a hot knife on butter but, makes you deaf especially if you are operating it INSIDE the bus!
And still another alternative, the sawz-all	We tore these buses all to pieces!

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Copyright 2006 NCFirewolf