There is no doubt that when a vehicle leaves the roadway and plunges into the water, this would be an extremely frightening experience, especially during the winter months with cold water posing additional risks and hazards to the occupants. But, by rehearsing the emergency escape and survival procedures and having the rescue/escape tools readily available, occupants can rapidly self-extricate themselves from this situation before the vehicle begins to sink.
RESCUE
Public Safety and Rescue personnel should be appropriately trained, protected, and equipped to effectively and safely respond to vehicles in the water. Besides the availability of Personal Flotation Devices (PFDs), Wetsuits and/or Dry-Suits, rescue personnel should have the tools readily available to break or cut the vehicle's windows in order to rapidly extricate a victim or multiple victims from a vehicle in the water. Spring-loaded window punches (i.e. ResQMe) or life hammer type devices with seat-belt cutters provide the rescuer with the opportunity to gain immediate access to the victims and to cut away the victim's seat belt for their immediate extrication from the vehicle. However, these devices will not be effective on laminated glass and are only effective with tempered glass windows.
As standard protocol, whenever a rescue agency is dispatched to respond to a vehicle in the water, the dispatch of a wrecker should be automatic in every community and emergency response system. Upon arrival of the wrecker, it can be used to assist in the stabilization of the vehicle during and after the rescue of the vehicle occupants, as well as for the recovery of the vehicle.
RESCUE/ESCAPE TOOLS
We evaluated a number of rescue/escape tools. These tools are either hammer-type devices or spring-loaded window punch devices. Although both types of tools were effective in breaking side door windows, we found that the hammer-type devices were more dependable, yet spring-loaded window punches that are mounted on the key ring are more readily available and accessible during an emergency.
Each of the spring-loaded window punch devices we tested were effective in breaking the windows when they were first removed from their packaging. However, after several practice drills, the points on these devices became dull which resulted in their failure to work and break the windows. Therefore, we caution against using the spring-loaded window punches for any purpose other than for breaking the windows. Furthermore, using a spring-loaded window punch, without appropriate hand protection during training, increased the chance of suffering cuts on the hand than the use of the hammer-type device. Regardless, rescue personnel should always wear an appropriate water rescue, neoprene, or fire glove when using any type of device to break vehicle windows.
DISPATCHER PROTOCOLS
All emergency dispatchers should be trained in this subject and should be prepared to give self-rescue and escape instructions to the callers prior to the arrival of Fire and Rescue personnel. The instructions provided by the dispatcher should include:
SEATBELTS (off)
WINDOWS (open/break)
CHILDREN (removed)
GO (get out!)
LAMINATED VS. TEMPERED GLASS
Presently, most U.S. manufactured vehicles were constructed with tempered glass in the side doors, whereas, most European vehicles have been manufactured with laminated glass. However, there is a movement to begin manufacturing all vehicles in the U.S. with laminated, rather than tempered glass.
Beginning with a phase-in period beginning September 2013, with full compliance by 2017, automobile manufacturers will be required to comply with a test in which an impactor is propelled at up to four locations from inside the perimeter of the side windows in the first three rows of a test vehicle at two time intervals following deployment of the side airbag. The ejection mitigation safety system is required to prevent the impactor from moving more than a specified distance beyond the plane of a window.
The Final Rule, published in the Federal Register in January 2011, does not mandate laminated glass, but it does establish performance requirements, which may lead to a particular technology, namely, laminated glass.
If the manufacturers begin installing laminated, rather than tempered glass, although the number of incidents will not increase, the number of fatalities will certainly increase as hammer-type devices and spring-loaded window punches are NOT effective on laminated glass. This will make escape and self-rescue almost impossible, and will hinder efforts of rescue personnel to access the trapped occupants.
WCSH NEWS STORY (July 2013)
View the tragic story of a double-drowning incident that occurred in 2013 in Roque Bluffs, Maine. Access the video on YouTube at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=geVTxQXSeKc&feature=youtu.be
Other news stories include:
ABC WORLD NEWS REPORT WITH DIANE SAWYER
http://abcnews.go.com/WNT/video/car-sinking-water-seconds-react-18810014
NBC TODAY SHOW
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HGv3OP3yRlA
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PO-GO & SOS-GO
Prior to March 2013, Lifesaving Resources was advocating either PO-GO or SOS-GO, with the bottom line being to GET OUT of the vehicle as soon as possible. However, it was brought to our attention that these acronyms may not translate properly into other languages. So, for these reasons we've decided to phase out these protocols. However, we know these protocols work and they are basically the same as the new protocols described above.
PO-GO
Punch open the seatbelt
Open the window
GET OUT
SOS-GO
Stay call and Assess the situation
Open the window or door
Disengage the Seatbelt
GET OUT