During some training we found that the use of a cordless Impact Wrench enabled us to remove the doors the tailgate and the rear seats within minutes.
This technique also removed the need for hard protection, no sharp edges where left and also the risk of accidental Airbag activation was greatly reduced.
This technique will not be the best method for some crash damaged vehicles, but with good vehicle knowledge the use of this type of tool can prove invaluable.
With limited funds this may be a Tool that a lot of Rescue services may not be able to afford, but it would be worth having a go with one to at least experience how effective it can be.
A video will be added soon to demonstrate the difference when using hydraulic cutters against undoing the bolts with this tool.
Metal Shears
These are nothing new I just didn't think to post about them here.
The use of metal shears or in old money Zip Guns powered by air. Today these tools are now cordless which makes their use at incidents a lot easier and less cumbersome.
Some area's we have found them to be of use is for the roof flap, by using the shear to to cut across the first roof skin this takes away a lot of the structural strength which makes flapping the roof a lot easier, with less brute strength needed. Obviously some vehicles may have 2 skins, in this case you can leave the inner skin as this will not hinder the flap that much, as we have already removed a lot of its integral strength. Again as with everything, the situation will dictate what you do or use.
If the roof only has one skin you could use the shear to completely cut off the roof by cutting across the entire roof, this could also be done with a reciprocating saw, a benefit of the shear is there is very little noise or vibration.
Another very useful way in which we can use this tool is to assist with flapping the roof down on a vehicle resting on its side. In the above pictures you can see we have started to cut across the roof parallel to the upper side rail, once we have completely cut across the roof, we can then deal with the inner skin if there is one with the reciprocating saw or repeat the above from the inside if you can, depending on what the roof lining is like. Again you will have to deal with that on the outcome of your assessment.By using this technique to flap the roof we are removing any need to manage the upper door glass, we do not need to cut the A-B-C posts which will remove a lot of the risk of impeding on side SRS systems, however we must still carry out our peel and reveal protocols.
One point to think about is that any reinforcing or obstructions under the metal skin your are cutting can stop the tool, with practice you will see this and see how you can work around these problems, secondly and creasing in the metal will hinder the tool at times and creasing will as we know effect the flapping of the metal.
As always we welcome any feedback on experience you may have had with this tool or any problems you may have found. New or old techniques.