Where Will Extrication be in 10 Years?
So here it is, my 50th blog; quite a milestone. For those readers who are still with me (yes…both of you!) I would like to thank you for spreading the word and sticking with it. In the relatively short time since my first blog there have been some major developments in the field of vehicle extrication, many of them have been unforseeable. But if we had a crystal ball and we could predict the future, what could we see in the next 10 years?
This is an interesting question and something I will be presenting my views on at a conference in the UK in October (http://www.atacc.co.uk/conference/). Of course none of us can predict the future and it is only by looking back that we get some kind of clue as to how things will change.
So what has the last decade taught us?
Technical Advances
Well, from a technical perspective, the vehicles we have to extricate victims from have changed beyond recognition. The natural progression would have been for tools to get bigger in order to deal with the increased strength of modern construction. However, technical developments in vehicle construction have been matched in the design and manufacture of extrication tools. They are stronger and lighter, just like the cars and vehicles. Intelligent design now means that cars and tools are lighter with increased performance!
Let’s be honest. If I would have told you in 2005 that in ten years’ time you can have a hydraulic spreader that only weighs 9.9kg/21.8 lb but can deal with modern vehicles, you may have nodded politely but thought I was crazy.
A Spreader weighing less than 10kg/22lb? No one saw that coming!
The Medical Perspective
From a medical point of view, I could never have foreseen the cessation of applying a cervical collar to trapped patients (where applicable) and yet the latest research has led this to be the case in some parts of the world. Similarly, if someone would have told me a decade ago that some firefighters/technical rescuers would be so advanced in their trauma skills by 2015 that they would be saving lives by applying tourniquets on scene then I probably would have looked at them with an element of disbelief.
At the heart of both areas of development (technical and medical) is ‘our’ understanding of what is happening around us and applying the latest research, techniques and principles in order to achieve a better result; be it a lighter rescue tool, a stronger car or a more stable cervical spine injury on scene. If this is the case then rather than speculating what the next decade will bring, we all have an opportunity (or maybe an obligation) to be part of the future; we can shape the coming ten years and beyond. I would urge everyone to try and play their part. Either through training and developing new techniques, working with manufacturers of rescue tools or communicating with other agencies to develop working strategies. For those of you who may be thinking '....how can I change the future?', my reply would be that all kinds of changes start with the smallest idea, so why shouldn't this come from you? I work with a guy who had the idea of mounting the blades of hydraulic cutters at a 30 degree angle. So you see, simple yet gamechanging!
The simple ideas are always the best!
Finally, going back to the conference I mentioned above. I have been asked to give a presentation on the future of vehicle extrication on 21st October and I am due to talk at approximately 4pm…………which means I will be finished by around 4.30pm......
This is NO COINCIDENCE!
As ever I welcome your feedback!
Ian