The 26th Annual North American Vehicle Extrication Challenge held in Calgary put teams from Canada, the United States, Britain, and Sweden to the test with multiple types of extrications, including simulated accident scenes involving a tanker truck and a cement truck.
Seventeen Canadian teams participated, joined by seven U.S. teams, two teams from Britain, and a Swedish team. Seven U.S. teams were unable to attend.
The Transportation Emergency Rescue Committee of Canada, an organization of emergency services workers, also was involved. TERC says local challenges held in Canada and the United States allow firefighters to take part in and witness extremely complicated extrications. Top teams in regional TERC judging qualified to compete at the North American Vehicle Rescue Challenge, which featured more than 90 extrications and the expo of extrication equipment
Challenge Overview
- Vehicle Extrication Symposiums and Challenges are held throughout Canada, the United States, and the world. This challenge invites teams (regional and national winners) from all over North America, Europe, and the world to learn, share and teach their acquired knowledge, skills, and abilities in vehicle resuce and compete in a friendly yet competitive environment.
These challenges allow firefighters and medical personal to take part in and witness complicated extrications. Members of an extrication team will have the opportunity to be involved with over 90 extrications including the learning symposium in this one challenge alone. All fire services, as a result learning symposiums and challenges have added new techniques and tools to their services auto extrication programs and pre-hospital care management.
The top placing teams in each challenge pit, as determined by the Transport Emergency Rescue Committee (T.E.R.C.) Assessors, have qualified to compete in the NAVRC.
The Calgary Fire Department has hosted sanctioned extrication challenges and learning symposiums events in the past; the Western Canadian Extrication Challenge at the Olympic Oval in 1995 and the Alberta Regional Extrication Challenge and Learning Symposium in 2005 and 2008.
We intend to provide the emergency services community with an opportunity to come together and share techniques and ideas in the field of vehicle rescue, by attending the 7 day 2010 North American Vehicle Rescue Challenge & Learning Symposium, this will ensure emergency services personnel are exposed to rescuer and patient safety considerations, the latest extrication techniques, new innovations in extrication tools, and critical up to date information on new vehicle technology and how it affects us as rescuers. We strive to be the leading authority in vehicle rescue through education, hands on training and sharing of ideas.