September in Michigan is a time that I traditionally watch my kid’s football and head up north to fish the annual king salmon run. That all changed 3 years ago at FDIC when Mike Huffman from Harlem-Roscoe Fire Protection District in northern Illinois asked me to teach at Crunch Time Extrication. After my first time there, I was hooked and in 2015 I made my third trip to Illinois to new September tradition. Why you ask? It’s all about the students at Crunch Time Extrication.
Crunch Time Extrication is spread out into a weekend workshop that teaches relatively new firefighters a structured crash course in extrication competitions. Friday night is team registration and classroom class room session. Saturday is a hands on training session and the weekend cumulates on Sunday with an extrication competition.
Friday night consists of a couple hours of classroom presentations. For the last 3 years, I presented New Vehicle Technology from my Vehicle Extrication from inside of the Auto Industry classes.
Saturday the teams are split up in the morning into several groups. The groups include, Incident Command, Medical Officer, and the remaining team members are sent to the junkyard. Around lunchtime the teams are put back together and run through several different scenarios. Thanks to support of Erickson Auto Parts & Services in South Beloit, IL. The student to vehicle ratio was nearly 1-to-1.
Challenge day is Sunday. The teams compete in a judged extrication competition that cumulates the skills and techniques that acquired over the last two days. Each team competes in an unlimited and hand tool only pit. The teams are judged based off TERC USA rules.
Training
2022 Ford Maverick: Vehicle-Specific Body Structure
The 2022 Ford Maverick loaned to the Hurst folks was the star of the extrication show at FDIC. The Maverick was no match for the Hurst tools and
Ford Maverick
The 2022 Ford Maverick loaned to the Hurst folks was the star of the extrication show at FDIC. The Maverick was no match for the Hurst tools and the man that makes these vehicles available, Dennis Lark, was pleased with the destruction. The Maverick is available as an ICE (Internal Combustion Engine) vehicle and an FHEV (Full Hybrid Electric Vehicle). Below is an image from Ford’s 2022 Maverick Hybrid Emergency Response Guide.
If you notice, the Hybrid battery pack is on the passenger (RHS) of the vehicle. If you take a look at the image below, you can see the rocker on the RHS is reinforced to protect the battery pack. You can find more information about the different steels used in the rockers and floor pan here.
A-Pillar (Hurst Booth FDIC 2022)
Photos by Chief Toranze Lee
B-Pillar (Hurst Booth FDIC 2022)
Photos by Chief Toranze Lee
More Pictures
An object on a Vehicle
A simple training scenario that only requires a vehicle (that you do not need to cut, yet) and an object to lift. Great objects include large tree sections, utility poles, and concrete pipes. These objects can be easily found in most cities, maybe even in your Department of Public Works yard.
Take a look at the scenario that Connecticut Custom Fire Training LLC. put together a month ago at one of their training classes.
York County Vehicle Technician Class 2021
Pictures (by John E. Burruss)
