Prompt road help

Prompt Technical help > of prompt help > Prompt road help ----

The term of prompt road help indicates engagement without delay of means to carry out a road help .

The term road help indicates the intervention of the helps organized on an traffic accident, or accident of the public highway (AVP). The action to be taken for a witness of an accident is described in the article First aid on the road .

Intervention-type

Average volunteers

The traffic accident, or AVP (accident on the public highway) is a building site which presents particular risks: collision risk by another vehicle (Suraccident), fire hazard (electricity of the batterie+essence), wound of the speakers by the remains (glass, sheet), and this in particular on the expressways and Highway S (higher speeds of circulation).

There are typically several actors present on the ground:

for the beaconing and the safety of circulation: the police force or the gendarmerie, the Public service charged with the Roadway system (in France: the Equipment, DDE) or the Company of highway;
for the fire-protection, the stabilization of the vehicle, the access to the victim and its release, first aid in the vehicle: the firemen;
for the purely medical part, in the vehicle, during the extraction and the evacuation: a ancillary medical team or a medical team extrahospitalière (the Smur in France);
for the release of the roadway: the Breakdown truck S.

The size of the device depends of course on the importance of the accident.

In France, minimal engagement for an accident on an expressway with casualties is in general:

a Vehicle of road help (VSR) with three people; it is parked right before the accident (in the direction of circulation of the way);
a vehicle of help to anybody (VSAB or VSAV) with three people; it is parked just after the accident (in the direction of circulation of the way);
a vehicle of beaconing; it is parked at least with 200 m before the accident (in the direction of circulation of the way).

It is frequent to have also:

a hospital mobile Unit (UMH) of the Smur;
a machine of fire (Van pump-ton, FPT), providing men (the firemen assigned to the FPT take part in the help in victim) and in preparation for a starting point of fire; it can also serve as “vehicle plug” (shield protecting the speaker against suraccident).

When there is no casualty, there is in general only one vehicle of beaconing and a breakdown truck.

Collision risks

The first concern is the collision risk - one will remember the drama of Loriol-sur-Drôme: the November 29th 2002, on the highway A7, in spite of the beaconing, a car strikes firemen intervening on an accident, causing five deaths. The firemen being often there before the services in charge of the beaconing, they set up their own beaconing.

The vehicle of beaconing is a light vehicle (VL) or a utility (van) provided with Gyrophgare orange S or flashing lights and with a luminous panel carrying a message of the type “Accident - slow down”. It sets up cones of Lübeck (orange and white plastic cones) in order to prohibit circulation on the ways concerned. These cones are positioned in diagonal on the basis of the edge of the carriageway, then follow the line of demarcation of the way concerned.

The vehicle of road help, parked right before the accident, sets up cones of Lübeck, and goes up gyromât it: a blue gyrophare fixed on a telescopic, visible mast by far. Door gyromât in addition projectors of light which make it possible to light the building site the night.

The speakers carry a whole a Gilet high visibility (orange or yellow fluo with reflecting bands).

Beaconing on highway

The Autoroute is the medium where the collision risk is strongest and the most serious consequences.

In France, the speed limit on highway is of 130 km/h, and it is estimated that a vehicle been parked on the Hard shoulder will be struck on average at the end of twenty minutes (although the hard shoulder is not a lane). The beaconing is thus made as follows:

all the vehicles arrive while running in the direction of circulation;
the vehicles of help to anybody (VSAV, Smur, Ambulance) are placed just after the accident, special fires (gyrophares, flashing lights) lit;
the vehicle of road help (VSR) is placed right before the accident, with nearest, lit special fires, gyromât gone up;
if the accident takes place on a center lane or a way of left, a Fourgon of fire (FPT) is positioned 50 to 100 m before the VSR, lit special fires; it is about a vehicle “plug”, if a vehicle must be struck, it will be that one and he will protect the remainder from the building site;
a prébalisage is placed at 350 m before the last vehicle (VSR or vehicle plug): triangular panel of warning with three flash-lights “triflashs”, or a vehicle of beaconing of the police force, company of highway or firemen (vehicle of beaconing and indication, VBS, or conveys safety, VSEC);
a beaconing of position is set up on the 150 m preceding the last vehicle (VSR or vehicle plug): the cones of Lübeck are placed in diagonal on 50 m in order to deviate the circulation of (or of) the way (S) of the building site, then cones dissuade to refranchir the line lasting 100 more m;
the beaconing is continued over the length of the building site.

Risk fire

The second concern is the fire hazard. The personnel of the VSR thus cuts wire of the battery, and a person is in charge of protection fire (small lance of the VSR in hand, Extincteur in the vicinity). In certain top-of-the-range car models, the batteries are not under the cap (but under the seat or in the trunk), other models have several batteries, which complicates the task.

The team puts a powder absorbing on the gasoline and oil puddle pools, which reduces the risk of fire and slip.

Risk mobilization

The third concern is the stabilization of the vehicle. The personnel of the VSR places holds under the Châssis, then cut the valves of the Pneu S (if the vehicle is on the wheels); thus, the vehicle rests on the holds, the suspension S do not move more, one removes a risk of aggravation of the wounds of the victims.

Access to the victims

The fourth concern is the access to the victims.

A personnel of the VSAV, called “squirrel”, tries to thread in the vehicle by the accessible openings (carries if possible), in order to take stock of the victims, and to ensure first aid: stop of the Hemorrhage S, maintenance of the head and the mask with oxygen, to reassure.

If necessary, the members of the VSR cut out or draw aside sheet, remove the windshield or the rear window to give access to the victims.

The presence of safety device passivates (inflatable Coussin with standard explosive Airbag ®) complicates the task and present a real danger to the squirrel, more especially as they have an independent food and remain active once the cut battery (only the front cushions are fed by the battery).

This stage, the medical team of Smur can begin the medicalisation (poses perfusion, intubation) while is held the Désincarcération.

Release of the victims

The fifth concern consists in releasing the victim, it is the Désincarcération. The deformation of sheet can prevent from leaving the victim (the victim known as “is trapped”), but it can also wound the victim (the victim known as “is imprisoned”), for example, the instrument panel comes to compress the legs, the wheel compresses the chest… It is thus necessary in priority “to give again volume” with the cockpit.

Therefore, the personnel of the VSR cuts and draws aside the parts which obstruct, with grips and hydraulic spacers or electric. If necessary, one removes the roof while cutting the amounts (cesarisation). The risk of release of the passive safety measures, as well as the possible presence of drain LPG under the frame, complicate the task. and installation side of hold-head).

Formations

In France

Since August 2007 and the disappearance of the Certificate of formation to the activities of road first aid (CFAPSR), the formation suitable for the prompt road help is reserved to the firemen. It is divided into two parts.

A first part (2 days) names the complement SAP 1 and is carried out at the conclusion of PSE 2. It relates to the knowledge and the identification of the dangerous matters as well as the assumption of responsibility of polytraumatized (evacuation of a car, etc)

The second part (3 days) is carried out in the help centres equipped with vehicles of road help (VSR) and relates to the missions of the VSR (beaconing, chock, lighting, protection fire, medical access and desincarceration) and its use.

In the United States

PHTLS ( prehospital trauma life support )

See too

External bonds

Accident on the public highway: while waiting for Samu, an article of the General practitioner
the medullary casualty is not a victim like the others, the General practitioner n°2115, May 4th 2001
Désincarcérer a victim, an article of the General practitioner or on the site fast Urgence.com
Extraction with a cover, method of extraction without cesarisation with two rescuers (file pdf, 4p, 240 KB), an article of the site Swissrescue.ch
Dealt with medical and technical of polytraumatized imprisoned, an article of the site Urgence-pratique.com
Note of technical information - Indication complementary to the vehicles of fire and help
the desincarceration, where is one? - the taking into account of new technologies, an article of the Fireman magazine
hybrid vehicles and their dangers, an article of the Fireman magazine
Vehicle extraction technics, Australian document (file pdf, 70p, 4,9 Mo)

Random links: