Many fire departments could find themselves dispatched to a vehicle extrication involving a submerged vehicle with any number of occupants. Operations at these incidents are significantly different than operations out of the water on hard road surfaces.
Not all rescue companies train for extrications from submerged vehicles. If your department’s rescue company doesn’t, know where the closest dive team is located and include it on the initial dispatch for vehicle rescues where the vehicle is submerged.
Though your rescue company might not be trained to go into the water and rescue trapped occupants, crew members should still mentally size up the situation. How deep is the body of water in question? What type of vehicle is submerged? How many occupants are reported trapped in the vehicle? What is the make and model of the vehicle? What is the time of day? When you arrive on location, if there are witnesses, try to get them to tell you approximately where the vehicle entered the water. While the vehicle might not be submerged exactly where it entered the water, this information does help when determining where to search for the vehicle.
For information on how to train for these incidents, consult this week’s drill. It contains training ideas as well as facts about these types of rescues. You’ll also find information on the various hazards you’ll encounter when operating at a submerged vehicle.
