This was only a test.
If it had been a real emergency, a bike rider would have been flattened under two cars, and three people would have been transported to trauma hospitals in Connecticut.
That was the scenario Sunday, as 40 volunteer Ansonia firefighters and ambulance workers practiced using the Jaws of Life to extricate “patients” from mock car accidents behind the city’s public works complex on North Division Street.
Click play on the video to see the drill in action.
Trainers from Firematic Supply Inc. taught the firefighters how to work with six different Hurst extrication devices — called “jaws of life.”
The drill took place over several hours Sunday afternoon.
In the fake scenario described above, firefighters converged on a two-car accident.
One car drove into a biker, and the other car’s driver became disoriented upon seeing the wreck, and flipped the second car on its top.
Firefighters got the three patients out of the accident scene within 13 minutes, according to Charters Hose Lt. Jay Fainer.
The biker was out from under the car within eight minutes. The driver of the second car — the one that flipped over — was out within 10 minutes. The first car driver was removed within 13 minutes.
The cars for the drill were all donated by local junk yards or car owners, Fainer said. The training was provided by Firematic Supply Company because Ansonia Fire Department purchased its equipment from the company, according to sales manager Kevin Hannigan.
Click play below to see a slideshow of photos from the drill.
