10/12/2026
Yesterday, 17 members of Medway Fire/Rescue spent time getting hands-on with our extrication tools: the hydraulic spreaders, cutters, and Combi tool.
The twist? Eggs! Members practiced picking up, moving, and setting down eggs with tools built to tear cars apart. Hydraulic tools generate thousands of pounds of force, so moving an egg without cracking it takes slow, precise control of the valve and a feel for how the tool responds. That same fine control matters on a real call, where crews often work just inches from a trapped patient. Precise movements let rescuers spread or cut exactly where they intend, avoid sudden shifts in the vehicle, and keep the patient from further injury. Building that touch now, before working on cars, means members can focus on technique and teamwork when the stakes are higher.
This was part one of our extrication training. In part two, crews will work on vehicles, learning techniques for removing doors, roofs, windshields, and other glass, as well as performing a dash roll.
Why does this matter? In a serious crash, the vehicle itself can trap a patient. Doors may be jammed shut, the roof crushed in, or the dashboard pushed down onto someone's legs. Removing doors and roofs creates space to reach the patient, give care, and safely move them out while protecting their spine. Glass is managed first because spreading and cutting put stress on the vehicle that can send glass flying. Removing it in a controlled way, while covering the patient, protects them and the crew from cuts, and the open windows also give rescuers a way to reach and talk to the patient. A dash roll lifts the dashboard off a pinned patient so they can be freed. Seriously injured patients have the best chance when they reach definitive care quickly, so every minute saved on scene matters.
Thank you to everyone who gave up part of their Sunday to train. Your commitment to our community shows!
