Rescue Teams
Introduction
Hydraulic rescue tools are used to assist in the extraction of victims from a vehicle that has been involved in a car accident, as well as from other small spaces. Among the tools are shears, expanders, rams (telescopic rams). They are popularly known as "Jaws of life" which is a brand of IDEX Corporation.[1].
Hydraulic rescue tools are powered by a hydraulic pump which can be manual or powered by a motor or by the tool itself. These tools can be single acting where hydraulic pressure is provided in a single direction, and return to the initial position is achieved through a system of springs and a relief valve. They can also be double acting where hydraulic pressure is used to open or close the cylinder system.
History
Previously, rescuers frequently used circular saws to extract victims with some drawbacks. The saws could generate sparks, which could start a fire, the noise generated by the work of the tools increased the victim's level of stress, coupled with the fact that the work was too slow. Alternatively, rescuers attempted to open the vehicle using a kickstand or halligan bar, but this compromised the stability of the vehicle or could injure the victim or unintentionally activate the airbags.
In comparison, hydraulic shear separators are faster, quieter and more versatile: they can cut, open and even lift a car. Life Jaws is a registered trademark of a line of tools developed by Hurst Performance for initial use in auto racing. The life jaws owe their name to Jack Allen Watson, one of their co-inventors, since when he sent the drawings of the tools he signed his initials J.A.W. In an improvised way the name "Jaws" began to be commonly used, some time later it would be officially defined as "Jaws of life". The hydraulic separator was originally developed in 1972 by Hurst. Some time later he would develop a shear and then a piston. When an occupant is pinned - trapped - the tool is used to open, cut the body and extract them, this takes on average 2 minutes when cutting the roof of a car.
Tool types
Shears
The shear, scissors or commonly called "parakeet" is a hydraulic tool that is designed to cut metal pieces. It consists of a pair of hydraulically powered scissors. It is often called the jaws of life, due to the shape and configuration of its blades.