Firefighters from the City of Traverse City Fire Department are practicing their extricating skills all week.
Every spring, the City Fire Department brings in cars from salvage yards to keep their skills sharp and to practice new techniques.
They put mannequins in the cars while the City Street Department smashes the vehicle to get the most realistic practice of pulling someone out after a crash.
Fire Chief Jim Tuller says this practice helps reach their goal of using less than 20 minutes to get someone out of the car and on their way to the hospital.
“Like any other skill, if you don’t use it you’re going to lose it,” said Chief Tuller. “You need to stay sharp on doing things the right way, the first time. We don’t get any do overs in the fire service or in emergency services as a whole.”
The training continues all week, so all firefighters can work on these skills.
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