Firefighters Finish
Extrication Course

MidTown - February 27, 2003 --- Four Evans Center firefighters recently completed Course#15: AVET-Accident Victim Extrication Training, offered by the New York State Office of Fire Prevention & Control [NYS OFPC]. The course was hosted by the North Boston Fire Company in the Town of Boston.

Jay Mazurkiewicz, Fire Protection Specialist in the HazMat & Transportation Bureau of OFPC was the instructor for the 16 hour course. Some 25+ students learned the basics of vehicle construction, scene safety, stabilization, disentanglement, and patient extrication over four nights including two lectures and two hands-on evolutions.

Exercises were completed first using only hand tools like Sawzalls, wood shoring, hack-saws, ropes, come-alongs, screw drivers and hammers to demonstrate the availability and effectiveness of this gear when 'all else fails.'

The last night gave the participants the opportunity to use hydraulic cutters, spreaders and rams along with pneumatic air chisels and other equipment to stabilize and tear apart cars in realistic scenarios that tested the students resourcefulness and imagination.

Evans Center firefighters Bruce Green Jr., Patrick Murphy, Mike Relosky and Tiger Schmittendorf teamed up with firefighters from North Boston, Scranton and the Buffalo Fire Department to successfully complete the course.

Photos UPDATED 3/6/03 - Courtesy of: Don O'Bryant/NORTH BOSTON FIRE

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