Firefighters,
paramedics set to highlight extrication skills
Neil Pierson
Published: August 19th, 2009 06:00 AM
For about nine years, the Puyallup
Extrication Team (PXT) has gone everywhere from Canada to Chicago and built a
reputation as one of the best units in the business.
The PXT, comprised of firefighters and
emergency medical technicians from Central Pierce Fire and Rescue and other
area units, will be hosting 15 other squads from around the globe this week at
The Pile Up in Puyallup, the 2009 international championship event for the
Transportation Emergency Rescue Committee (TERC).
PXT President Jeff Pugh, a captain with
Central Pierce and one of the extrication team’s founding members in 2000, said
Puyallup has hosted a regional event for TERC since 2004 but hosting an
international competition is a much bigger honor that’s largely based on PXT’s
success.
Eight American squads and eight more
from Canada and Europe will be on hand as competition gets underway Wednesday,
Aug. 19, at the South Hill Mall. The teams will vie for titles in smaller
drills known as limited events, more complex drills known as unlimited events
and an overall team crown. There will also be a separate, head-to-head drill in
which teams try to pull live patients from smashed vehicles in 10 minutes or
less.
Each team at this week’s event is
comprised of six members: An incident commander who sizes up the scenario,
gives directions and coordinates backup efforts, a medic and four members who
deploy various tools and stabilize victims.
In the limited scenarios, teams are
given 20 minutes to use jacks, hacksaws and the infamous jaws of life to work
on one or two vehicles.
“If you get the patient, it’s icing on
the cake,” Pugh explained. “It’s a nicety but not a necessity.”
In the unlimited drills, Pugh said “the
crashes are more horrific” and typically involve multiple vehicles and what may
or may not be live patients.
Following the events, teams go into the
“judges’ chambers” to receive evaluations. Judges are carefully selected among
experienced firefighters with extensive knowledge of extrication techniques,
Pugh said.
PXT is comprised of Pugh, Kevin
Williams, Mark Clayton, Charles Kemp, Ryan Taylor, Frank Naubert,
Marc Beal, Chris Burdyshaw, Pat Lillie, Jeff Coffey,
Ronnie Kent, Anthony John and Chris Lorenz.
PXT’s education efforts started locally
with units in Graham, Fort Lewis and Lakewood before branching outward. Today,
the team travels throughout North America when its members are off duty and
Pugh said the group has received numerous donations from companies who like
what they see.
Pugh thinks events like The Pile Up in
Puyallup raise awareness of the skills employed by fire and rescue personnel.
He participated in four real-life extrications during a three-shift period last
week.
“It’s commonplace,” Pugh said of
extrications. “It’s more common than fires.”
Reach Reporter Neil Pierson at
253-841-2481 ext. 313 or by e-mail at neil.pierson@puyallupherald.com.
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