The List hosts Jessi Combs and Patrick McIntyre head to an LA County Fire Department Training Center to experience the jaws of life firsthand. Watch Jessi and Patrick rescue one another from crashed and crumpled cars using this special set of powerful hydraulic tools.
As electric vehicles become more prevalent on the roadways, first responders are facing new – and sometimes unknown – challenges when it comes to intense tasks such as the extrication of passengers trapped inside a car. Advanced Extrication, an online training resource for rescue workers, recently posted a video showing how rescuers should respond to vehicles like the Tesla Model S.
Among the best reasons to buy a new car are the safety improvements that have been made across the industry over the past decade. Yet safer cars for drivers and passengers haven't meant an improvement for first responders. On the contrary, the added complexity and new technologies employed in modern vehicles routinely frustrate firefighters attempting to save occupants involved in a crash.
Immense amounts of money, research, effort, time, and science have gone into making cars safer. Your economy car is so safe now that you'll survive an accident with a larger vehicle. But it's also so safe now that the traditional blades, jaws, and saws that fire departments would use to extricate you are no longer strong enough to get through the car's metal.
