(Courtesy: MHFES)

By Eli J. Ridder, Jesse Gill

Medicine Hat firefighters gear up for heavy vehicle extraction training

Apr 17, 2024 | 4:00 AM

Members of the Medicine Hat Fire and Emergency Services are taking part in heavy vehicle extraction training this week.

The focus on a passenger vehicles involved in a collision with a bus or a passenger coach is a new training for the members.

In addition to extrication techniques, the training will allow them to learn about the bus construction, safety features, victim removal techniques and advanced stabilization.

A subject matter expert from Calgary is leading the training which involves a scenario with a vehicle that drove under the rear of a bus.

Chief Training Officer Troy Bjelland said this expert travels all over the world to teach heavy extrication.

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“We’re pretty fortunate to have him in Medicine Hat this week,” Bjelland said.

The training will allows the firefighters to be a little more proactive and prepared for these scenarios should they experience an event like this.

Bjelland said the knowledge gained will be valuable.

“Yeah, the techniques are pretty adaptable.

We’re actually taking them through multiple different scenarios and different ways of doing different things,” Bjelland said.

“All things they can use on a bus incident or a heavy semi-tractor trailer or vehicles. All the skills are applicable to different situations,” he added.

“This week we decided to focus strictly on the bus side of it, but our members train quite frequently on vehicle extrication and other types of techniques and scenarios.”

Each of the department’s four platoons will take part in the training during an off duty day.