Richard Marinucci

The automobile has come a long way since it was first manufactured on the assembly line pioneered by Henry Ford. It was a very basic machine and had relatively few parts.

There were no options, and even the color, black, was the only one available. In fact, Henry Ford is credited with the statement that buyers could have any color they wanted, as long as they chose black! Today, vehicles have many options and are regulated by the government to provide better mileage as well as safety components. Both have an effect on extrication should there be a crash, requiring extra effort.

Fuel Types

Early autos ran on gasoline. Now there are vehicles that use diesel fuel, battery power, natural gas, and gas/battery hybrids. There are also cars being developed that operate on hydrogen gas. Each of these can present a challenge to firefighters and create varying obstacles during extrication operations. Just this aspect of automobiles presents more information that firefighters must know to be successful and safe with their operations. Fortunately, there are many resources available to fire departments, and access through the Internet allows each organization to gain the information it needs. What are not provided are the time and plans to use this information in a quality training program. Those are left up to departments to figure out.

The fuel a vehicle uses will affect responders’ decision-making processes. Generally speaking, there needs to be an initial assessment to determine if the fuel type will affect the operation and safety. In most cases, if the vehicle is powered by a liquid or gas and there is no leak, then extrication can proceed without immediate concern. Responders should constantly monitor and note any changes in conditions. If the vehicle is powered by electricity, there should be more consideration so that responders note any potential electrical issues that could cause harm to responders and the victims in the vehicle. Regarding this, organizations and their personnel should routinely review the challenges presented by electric and hybrid vehicles during extrication. These vehicles are not large in number compared to gasoline engines, so the frequency of events is low. This makes training more important than ever.

Safety Features

Automobile makers have added many safety features that have improved the survivability rate and lowered the injury rate of those involved in crashes. This is good but challenges the fire service to be even more competent in its skill level for extrication. To have a positive outcome, minimal extrication time is necessary so the injured can receive treatment as quickly as possible. Anything that contributes to a delay must be addressed to provide the best possible service. Vehicle construction knowledge is essential, and continual changes in the industry present new and unique challenges.

Vehicles have built-in safety features designed to restrain passengers and also keep the vehicle from collapsing, caving, or basically falling apart. The vehicles are constructed with better materials. The steel used is high strength, making cutting the steel more difficult. There must be better tools to address this and also better knowledge on the part of the firefighters so they know when they are likely to encounter these circumstances. They also need to explore training opportunities with cars of this vintage or at least consider practicing with scrap metal so they appreciate what they likely will face.

If you

Richard Marinucci

The automobile has come a long way since it was first manufactured on the assembly line pioneered by Henry Ford. It was a very basic machine and had relatively few parts.

There were no options, and even the color, black, was the only one available. In fact, Henry Ford is credited with the statement that buyers could have any color they wanted, as long as they chose black! Today, vehicles have many options and are regulated by the government to provide better mileage as well as safety components. Both have an effect on extrication should there be a crash, requiring extra effort.

Fuel Types

Early autos ran on gasoline. Now there are vehicles that use diesel fuel, battery power, natural gas, and gas/battery hybrids. There are also cars being developed that operate on hydrogen gas. Each of these can present a challenge to firefighters and create varying obstacles during extrication operations. Just this aspect of automobiles presents more information that firefighters must know to be successful and safe with their operations. Fortunately, there are many resources available to fire departments, and access through the Internet allows each organization to gain the information it needs. What are not provided are the time and plans to use this information in a quality training program. Those are left up to departments to figure out.

The fuel a vehicle uses will affect responders’ decision-making processes. Generally speaking, there needs to be an initial assessment to determine if the fuel type will affect the operation and safety. In most cases, if the vehicle is powered by a liquid or gas and there is no leak, then extrication can proceed without immediate concern. Responders should constantly monitor and note any changes in conditions. If the vehicle is powered by electricity, there should be more consideration so that responders note any potential electrical issues that could cause harm to responders and the victims in the vehicle. Regarding this, organizations and their personnel should routinely review the challenges presented by electric and hybrid vehicles during extrication. These vehicles are not large in number compared to gasoline engines, so the frequency of events is low. This makes training more important than ever.

Safety Features

Automobile makers have added many safety features that have improved the survivability rate and lowered the injury rate of those involved in crashes. This is good but challenges the fire service to be even more competent in its skill level for extrication. To have a positive outcome, minimal extrication time is necessary so the injured can receive treatment as quickly as possible. Anything that contributes to a delay must be addressed to provide the best possible service. Vehicle construction knowledge is essential, and continual changes in the industry present new and unique challenges.

Vehicles have built-in safety features designed to restrain passengers and also keep the vehicle from collapsing, caving, or basically falling apart. The vehicles are constructed with better materials. The steel used is high strength, making cutting the steel more difficult. There must be better tools to address this and also better knowledge on the part of the firefighters so they know when they are likely to encounter these circumstances. They also need to explore training opportunities with cars of this vintage or at least consider practicing with scrap metal so they appreciate what they likely will face.

If you

By Raul A. Angulo

One of the best things about FDIC International 2016 was meeting new firefighters and vendors who help support the mission of the fire service with new tools and equipment.

There are so many great tools on the market that this year my mission was to walk the show floor to see what tools would stop me in my tracks. The newly unveiled P4 Rescue System by Power Hawk® was one of these tools.

The P4 is a fully self-contained battery-powered, interchangeable spreader, cutter, and combination rescue tool without hydraulics. Don’t let “battery-powered” fool you. We’re not talking about the Energizer bunny here or your battery-powered screw gun on the garage workbench that seems to lose it charge when you need it most. The Power Hawk P4 incorporates Electronic Direct Drive™ (EDD) technology by RESQTEC®-a worldwide manufacturer and provider of rescue extrication tools and aircraft recovery equipment-and uses a lithium ion battery as the direct power source to the motor, the gearing system, then directly to the output cutting and spreading force without hydraulic fluids, combustible fuel engines, pumps, hoses, valves, or seals. The actuation gearing system used to deliver the spreading and cutting forces is the muscle behind the tool. This gear system, which performs the functions of both a hinge and torque amplifier, has been transferred and applied to the P4’s design, allowing for a lightweight tool with high-output force.

International Partnership

Power Hawk Technologies, Inc., in Rockaway, New Jersey, manufactures and provides a variety of rescue systems and tools for fire and emergency services, law enforcement, the military, and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and is no stranger to aviation or battery-powered rescue tools. In fact, there is a company lineage that goes all the way back to Wilbur and Orville Wright, who made history with the first powered air flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903. In 1929, they partnered up with another aviation pioneer, Glenn H. Curtiss, and formed the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. It went on to become one of the largest aircraft and engine manufacturing companies in the world. In the decades to follow, Curtiss-Wright transformed some of its core propeller gear and motor technologies into lightweight, high-force, actuating systems.

In the early 1990s, William R. Hickerson, a Curtiss-Wright Flight Systems employee from the Fairfield, New Jersey, facility (who also happened to be a volunteer firefighter), invented the idea to use the Curtiss-Wright Power Hinge™ gear actuator to create a portable battery-powered rescue tool that eliminated hydraulics completely. In 1994, the 12-VDC-powered Power Hawk P-16 Rescue System was introduced at FDIC in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ten years later, the same employees who invented, developed, and managed the Power Hawk Rescue System product line purchased the business from Curtiss-Wright and formed a new company, Power Hawk Technologies, Inc.

1 The new P4 rescue tool from Power Hawk Technologies, Inc. debuted at FDIC International 2016. It is a fully self-contained standalone cutter/spreader rescue tool that uses Electronic Direct Drive (EDD) technology and a lithium ion battery for power and strength and eliminates hydraulics. (Photos Read more 429 0 Article rating: No rating Posted: Aug 1, 2016 The Power Hawk P4 Rescue Tool By Raul A. Angulo One of the best things about FDIC International 2016 was meeting new firefighters and vendors who help support the mission of the fire service with new tools and equipment. There are so many great tools on the market that this year my mission was to walk the show floor to see what tools would stop me in my tracks. The newly unveiled P4 Rescue System by Power Hawk® was one of these tools. The P4 is a fully self-contained battery-powered, interchangeable spreader, cutter, and combination rescue tool without hydraulics. Don’t let “battery-powered” fool you. We’re not talking about the Energizer bunny here or your battery-powered screw gun on the garage workbench that seems to lose it charge when you need it most. The Power Hawk P4 incorporates Electronic Direct Drive™ (EDD) technology by RESQTEC®-a worldwide manufacturer and provider of rescue extrication tools and aircraft recovery equipment-and uses a lithium ion battery as the direct power source to the motor, the gearing system, then directly to the output cutting and spreading force without hydraulic fluids, combustible fuel engines, pumps, hoses, valves, or seals. The actuation gearing system used to deliver the spreading and cutting forces is the muscle behind the tool. This gear system, which performs the functions of both a hinge and torque amplifier, has been transferred and applied to the P4’s design, allowing for a lightweight tool with high-output force. International Partnership Power Hawk Technologies, Inc., in Rockaway, New Jersey, manufactures and provides a variety of rescue systems and tools for fire and emergency services, law enforcement, the military, and explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) and is no stranger to aviation or battery-powered rescue tools. In fact, there is a company lineage that goes all the way back to Wilbur and Orville Wright, who made history with the first powered air flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina, in 1903. In 1929, they partnered up with another aviation pioneer, Glenn H. Curtiss, and formed the Curtiss-Wright Corporation. It went on to become one of the largest aircraft and engine manufacturing companies in the world. In the decades to follow, Curtiss-Wright transformed some of its core propeller gear and motor technologies into lightweight, high-force, actuating systems. In the early 1990s, William R. Hickerson, a Curtiss-Wright Flight Systems employee from the Fairfield, New Jersey, facility (who also happened to be a volunteer firefighter), invented the idea to use the Curtiss-Wright Power Hinge™ gear actuator to create a portable battery-powered rescue tool that eliminated hydraulics completely. In 1994, the 12-VDC-powered Power Hawk P-16 Rescue System was introduced at FDIC in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ten years later, the same employees who invented, developed, and managed the Power Hawk Rescue System product line purchased the business from Curtiss-Wright and formed a new company, Power Hawk Technologies, Inc. 1 The new P4 rescue tool from Power Hawk Technologies, Inc. debuted at FDIC International 2016. It is a fully self-contained standalone cutter/spreader rescue tool that uses Electronic Direct Drive (EDD) technology and a lithium ion battery for power and strength and eliminates hydraulics. (Photos Read more 357 0 Article rating: No rating RSS FirstPrevious4021402240234024402540264027402840294030NextLast Theme picker Section Quick Links   Fire Mechanics Documents EVT Discussion Forum Fire Mechanic Photo Gallery Training & Testing 2019 Scholarship Logo Wear Store Upcoming Events Theme picker Sponsors Fire Mechanics Section Board Chair Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Chair Elliot Courage North Whatcom Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Vice Chair Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Vice Chair Mike Smith  Pierce County Fire District #5 Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Secretary Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Secretary Greg Bach South Snohomish County Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #1 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #1 Doug Jones South Kitsap Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #2 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #2 Paul Spencer  Fire Fleet Maintenance LLC Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #3 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #3 Jim Morris Mountain View Fire Department Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #4 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #4 Arnie Kuchta Clark County Fire District 6 Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #6 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #6 Brett Annear Kitsap County Fire District 18 Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Director #5 Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Director #5 Jay Jacks Camano Island Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating Legislative Representative Posted: Oct 21, 2015 Legislative Representative TBD TBD Read more 3389 0 Article rating: No rating Immediate Past Chair Posted: Oct 20, 2015 Immediate Past Chair Brian Fortner Graham Fire & Rescue Read more 0 0 Article rating: No rating RSS Theme picker 2020 CAR SHOW Terms Of Use | Privacy Statement - Copyright 2025 by Washington Fire Chiefs Home Members About Us News Calendar Resources Documents Sections County Fire Chiefs FRWC WSAFM