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Posted on 1st Reponder by Richard Huff. Photo by Richard Huff.  LINCOLN PARK, NJ – More than 225 firefighters and EMTs spent a recent weekend training to save people trapped in overturned cars, cars on top of each other, and the unthinkable, a car crushed by a construction dumpster.
A lot next to the Lincoln Park Hose Company #2 was turned into a car crash playland for the emergency responders, who came from New Jersey, New York, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Connecticut to train at the two-day Res-Q-Jack Stabilization University.
The free event, co-sponsored by Lincoln Park Fire Department and Mid-Atlantic Rescue Systems, Inc., the local Res-Q-Jack dealer , let first responders utilize the tools in a controlled environment representing the worst they may find in highway wrecks and accidents.
“We didn’t care if the students were using our equipment or our competitors, we just wanted to show folks there is more to stabilization then just throwing a strut under a vehicle on its side” said Mid-Atlantic owner Bill Lynch.
Participants at the Oct 23-24 event were broken down into smaller groups and then rotated through 10 different stations, each presenting different stabilization challenges. Emergency workers then used the Res-Q-Jack systems on hand to lift, separate and secure the wrecked vehicles. One such scenario had a 2,000-lb tree crushing a car, while another had multiple vehicles arranged in a wreck.
“The seminar was an eye-opener,” said Richard Huff, chief of the Atlantic Highlands First Aid & Safety Squad. “Over the course of the day, we were presented scenarios we never considered. We all walked away having learned many invaluable tricks and techniques, which will come in handy when responding to crashes in our communities.”
Mid-Atlantic Rescue instructors were on hand, as well as representatives from the manufacturer, and the system's creator Cris Pasto.
“This was an opportunity for people from all over to get a chance to work with and learn from each other,” said Lincoln Park Host Company #2 Deputy Chief Dave Koldyk.
“Fantastic class, easily one of the best classes I have taken,” said Pete Callahan of the Connecticut Air National Guard in Hamden.
In appreciation for hosting the event, Res-Q-Jack donated more than $5,000 worth of equipment to Lincoln Park Hose Company #2.
“These tools and training will allow us to work safer, quicker and more confidently in the field,” said Koldyk.
The Res-Q-Jack company presents a dozen of the Stabilization University sessions each year, with one being hosted by Mid-Atlantic, according to Lynch. Indeed, planning for next year's event is already underway and is expected to be in the Somerset County area. (For information log onto www.mid-atlanticrescue.com)
“Mid-Atlantic Rescue provided an informative and hands-on experience that demonstrated the versatility of the Res-Q-Jack system,” said Tom Hayden, 1st Lieutenant of the Atlantic Highlands First Aid & Safety Squad. “The scenarios really showed that this system can stabilize and lift a car quickly and safely in almost any way imaginable.”
Indeed, says Lynch, that’s why the seminar was held. He said the goal was to provide “the training folks need to take on the tough wrecks. Our equipment will take care of simple to sophisticated incidents.”
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