STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE RESCUE
This power wedge is
extremely suitable for
initial lifting or
spreading in extremely
narrow cracks
Structural
Collapse – More
common than
you think?
Ian Dunbar
Holmatro
INTERNATIONAL FIRE FIGHTER
USAR teams have specific skills, equipment and training, so what happens when
the structural collapse occurs on a more local scale, which does not immediately
fall under the jurisdiction of specialised teams?
T
he term structural collapse is often associated
with large scale urban search and rescue
operations following natural occurrences such
as earthquakes. Indeed the start of this century
has seen many high profile natural disasters that
have been well reported across the media, often
showing this type of rescue operation being
performed by specialist search and rescue (USAR)
personnel.
Of course USAR teams are often a nationally
funded resource and are specifically trained in this
discipline and respond to any area of the world
when required. They often take part in regular
training sessions and large scale exercises, which
allow them to maintain and develop their skills in
structural collapse rescue and other areas of USAR
operations.
As well as learning specific skills, they are also
provided with specific tools and equipment, with-
out which, this type of rescue operation would be
unsafe and extremely difficult. This equipment is
often very different from the equipment used during ‘normal’ fire fighting and rescue operations.
So, if USAR teams have specific skills, equipment and training, the question is: what happens
when the structural collapse occurs on a more
local scale, which does not immediately fall under
the jurisdiction of specialised teams?
Rescue Scenarios Involving Structural
Collapse
We must understand that any firefighter/rescuer
can attend an incident where structural collapse or
instability will have to be managed. This will
immediately compromise the safety of everyone
on scene and inevitably delay rescue operations. It
is also important to remember that structural
collapse does not just refer to ‘buildings’, but
45
STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE RESCUE
A mobile concrete
crusher quickly breaks
up large pieces of
concrete
Examples of incidents where structural collapse
has to be managed include:
– Transport versus buildings (cars/trucks/
aircraft)
– Unsafe structures as a result of gas
explosion
– Unsafe structure as a result of
building/renovation
– Unsafe structure as a result of fire
– Trench collapse
relates to any kind of structure that may need
controlling in the event where rescue is necessary.
In general, the first response to these types of
incidents will not include specialist urban search
and rescue teams. So, the skills and equipment
required may not be immediately available on
scene and the incident progression may be halted
due to having to adopt a defensive strategy.
It simply is not practical for every rescuer to be
specially trained and equipped to deal with structural collapse incidents. However, if we accept that
attendance at this type of incident is foreseeable,
then our preparation must be such that an effective emergency response capability can be
deployed in the first instance, allowing rescue
operations to safely progress.
In my career I have witnessed many incidents
that involved some form of structural collapse or
where a structure needs stabilising, so a safe area
can be established. By far, the most common was
when vehicles collide with buildings. In many
cases, there is a building that needs securing
before extrication can take place. Of course there
is an option to relocate the vehicle, but this is not
sympathetic to the victims. Movement of the
vehicle may certainly compound their injuries.
Gas explosions in domestic and commercial
properties are not a rare occurrence and do not
always result in a fire. The blast wave exposes the
structure to a very rapid dynamic load as a gas
explosion will generate high pressures and often
also high flow velocities. It is the pressure and flow
that cause the dynamic load on structures and
consequently cause the damage. Upon arrival,
without the ability to stabilise the structure, there
is very little chance of performing effective search
and rescue operations in the initial phase.
An emergency shoring
system provides quick
and reliable stabilisation
46
INTERNATIONAL FIRE FIGHTER
STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE
STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE RESCUE
Emergency shoring
system for stabilisation
and (hydraulic) lifting in
every rescue situation
Picture courtesy of Erik
Haverhals
Building and renovation work affect the integrity
of a structure, and collapse during this type of
work is possible particularly where work involves
load bearing elements of the structure.
A building that has suffered severe fire may
show signs of collapse. The heat causes thermal
expansion of steel beams (in older building these
beams may not be protected) and causes brick
walls to bulge outwards. All firefighters should be
aware of these signs and symptoms of collapse
and be able to identify these risks during firefighting operations.
Trench collapse operations require rapid intervention due to the nature of injuries that are often
Training and Awareness
Building construction is a vast subject and of
course differs enormously around the world. However, local/regional building methods tend to stay
relatively similar (with the exception of new
materials, especially in commercial structures) and
this gives a focus for learning. An understanding
of how the load bearing elements within structures work, will give you an appreciation of the
consequences when these parts of the building
are damaged or completely destroyed. This will
also make you understand what actions need to
be taken in order to rapidly support this area in a
dynamic situation.
USAR teams have specific skills, equipment and training, so what
happens when the structural collapse occurs on a more local
scale; one that does not immediately fall under the jurisdiction
of specialised teams?
sustained. However the stability of the trench will
be further compromised by the attendance of
rescue personnel at the top, meaning that rapid
stability is required.
None of these types of incidents are rare, and
all require some form of structural stability to
ensure a safer working environment and to enable
the continuation of operations.
We have identified that it is not possible for
every incident of this type to be attended by USAR
specialists as part of the initial response, so what
can be done to ensure the gap in knowledge and
equipment can be reduced, giving the initial
crews a safer working environment and greater
options?
INTERNATIONAL FIRE FIGHTER
Appreciating the types and severity of injury
encountered in such incidents will give you the
understanding of the need for dynamic intervention and the control required during extrication. Structural collapse may involve some type of
crush injury, and the importance of medical and
technical intervention crews working closely
together in such incidents cannot be underestimated. With crush injury syndrome, immediate
release is not an option (depending on the time
trapped) and the controlled release of a victim
suffering this type of trauma is vital.
Identifying USAR teams who may cascade their
knowledge is an option worth exploring. USAR
specialists will – I am sure – be happy to attend
47
STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE RESCUE
STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE
Transport versus
building
Picture courtesy of
Cheshire Fire and Rescue
Service, UK
training sessions with firefighters/rescuers in order
to assist with your learning.
Ian Dunbar is a Rescue
Consultant at Holmatro
Rescue Equipment
For further information, go to
www.holmatro.com
48
USAR Equipment
USAR equipment differs from your normal firefighting and rescue inventory. However, there are
some items that offer the possibility of crossover,
and for the types of incident listed above, some of
the equipment normally carried only by specialist
USAR teams, should now be part of your primary
rescue response.
● Emergency Shoring
This equipment gives you the ability to very quickly
construct load-bearing shores that can create safe
areas in which to work. They are lightweight, easy
to construct and have both a load-bearing and
lifting capability. They consist of a strut, extension
pieces and, together with specifically designed
heads and bases, can be used in a wide range of
incidents to provide vertical and horizontal stabilisation. The struts can be hydraulic, pneumatic or
manual and allow crews who are first on scene to
start to stabilise the structure with a view to progressing the rescue. In the case of the hydraulic
and pneumatically operated shores, these can be
inserted and extended remotely, meaning that the
rescuers are not immediately compromised in the
risk area.
The main advantage of these types of systems is
that they are not just suitable for structural
collapse/trench rescue incidents, but can also be
used for stability or lifting at road traffic collisions,
either on single cars or large goods vehicles. So,
the more exposure you have to using this equipment in more common incidents, like road traffic
collisions, the more efficient you are using them at
less common structural collapse incidents.
● Concrete Crushers
Removing the results of structural collapse in order
to make progress into the building or rescue
victims, the ability to crush concrete rather than
cut means there is less noise and dust created.
Less dust means the atmosphere is more tolerable
and the process of crushing produces little or no
vibration at all, therefore not affecting stability.
● Power Wedge
This tool allows the rescuer to commence a lift
with an insertion height as little as six millimetres.
This lift can then be continued with a high
pressure lifting bag and a full lift can be realised by
use of a lifting cylinder or a shoring system with a
lifting capability. This tool can also be used for
breaching security shutters and opening elevator
doors.
Conclusion
We must accept that as firefighters/rescuers, we
can face a structural collapse incident any day of
the week, and it is no longer just the type of
incident faced by specialist USAR teams (when
they respond to a natural disaster on a national or
international scale).
There are many factors and events that make
structures unsafe, and these are not uncommon
and are indeed foreseeable. In most cases equipment and knowledge may mean that a safe
intervention cannot be made immediately and this
will inevitably put pressure on the crews on scene
who will be facing the moral pressure to react.
USAR equipment, historically used only by specialist teams, must now form a part of your initial
response gear. This allows for a safe environment
to be created in the first instance and then
immediate progression can be made, before the
arrival of further resources.
There will always be incidents that we respond
to, where we do not immediately have the right
equipment and specialised knowledge. However,
the more these incidents occur, the more we must
improve our capabilities in terms of what we
have and what we know. Whatever we are faced
with, crew safety is always the priority. Together
with additional equipment and training, we can
ensure that we operate in a safer environment,
giving us the ability to more effective rescue on
IFF
scene.
INTERNATIONAL FIRE FIGHTER