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Res-Q-Jack: Vehicle Stabilization Struts, Lifting Rescue
We just bought a set of these and they seem to be a great tool and we're working with them a lot but we found out that for right now its much easier to use them just for stabilization and leave the lifting part to our air bags. Do any of you have them and what do you think of them and what all do you use them for. Thanks
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by sfrescue on
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Not all lifting struts are created equal. Once you are properly trained & fully understand how to use them, many opinions will turn to the fact that when lifting struts are the right tool for a specific application (such as most passenger vehicle operations), they simply can't be beat in performing an effective lift.
As Rescue1 states, it is COMPRESSED BUTTRESS & TENSIONED RESTRAINT STABILIZATION/LIFTING.
Restraint tension management is a KEY factor in performing lifts. If you don't pick up on this & have a simple means of dealing with it, you need to stay with lift bags. Once you catch on to the several simple concepts that make for effective use of lifting struts, you will open up to a whole new realm of possibilities. It usually only takes a few hours of qualified instruction for people to gain the simple knowledge necessary for effective lifting & a few more hours under qualified supervision to get it down from a hands-on standpoint. There are many out there teaching with struts, however that does not necessarily mean they should be if they themselves don't definitively know how to use them.
One of the great points in lifting with struts is the fact that you do not have to be under the object or at the bottom. Struts typically allow you to engage above the vehicle center of weight and attach your restraints down below creating a simple triangle between strut,vehicle, &restraint. You need to see the big 3-D picture and retsrain motion in all directions. If lifting, you need to maintain tension in the restraint so that you avoid over-tensioning your restraint. this is a simple procedure & there are multiple ways to do this. one way is the use of dual restraints such as ratchet straps where you alternate tightening & loosening the other to maintain stability. There are other very simple ways as well.
If you are having problems with it, I would be happy to help. I think you can send me a private message, but not sure?
I've seen many "experts" write opinion pieces on stabilization struts & lifting. Often, I need only read a few words before i realize that the author has little knowledge & little experience, but they have some false sense of authority on the subject or an alternative motive that motivates them to write the article. The funny thing is that they may never realize that they are wrong. The personality of the "expert" may never permit them to learn from someone they view as less then them. its a shame as it will not only stunt their abilities, but it may limit the victim's chances as well. Its great to be open to learning. It seems that often time i am teaching a program, I learn something from the students in return.
You are invited to attend one of the FREE Roll-EX Stabiliztion University Programs held around the country. Its great to see the eyes of our students open up to these great options. They typically make a statement to the effect that it is much easier than they thought, much safer than they thought, and definitely the way to go.
I don't profess to be an expert, but I know a bit about struts and how simple & quick they can be at lifting in the appropriate application.
here's a few bullet points in my program:
COMPRESSED BUTTRESS & TENSIONED RESTRAINT (not tensioned buttress)
TRIANGLES
OPPOSING FORCES
3-D STABILIZATION
TENSION MANAGEMENT WHEN LIFTING
CRIBBING
MULTI-VEHICLE MARRIAGE
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Permalink Reply by Shaun Hansen on
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I stand corrected. Sorry, cant argue with this.. Insert foot in mouth
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Permalink Reply by Ben Waller on
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sfrescue, Your points don't address any of the issues with how strut systems transmit forces to the patient. I've been to lots of strut training by a lot of factory reps and others, and I've taught extrication including those involving all kinds of struts for well over 20 years, and I have yet to see the manufacturer of any specific rescue device a) stress what their system/tool does to the patient as opposed to what it does to the vehicle and b) avoid a sales pitch during the training. I've also worked busy heavy rescues that used strut systems on many MVCs per year, in a variety of circumstances. In that time, I've never seen a situation in which lifting a vehicle or other heavy object with struts and straps/chains was safer for the patient than was a seperate strut stabilization job combined with an air bag lift.
I don't claim to be an expert, but I do have the ability to reverse-engineer the basic physics involved, as well as to analyze what happens in both the junkyard and real MVCs.
As for not being in the load's fall zone during a lift, that's not possible if you crib as you lift. That risk is inherent with any lift that is cribbed as you go. Using that arguement against air bag lifts frankly doesn't make sense. After all, placing the air bags takes about 5 seconds of fall zone exposure, with the load already stabilized by the struts.
If you check out some basic engineering texts, you'll find out that any buttress that relies on a tension device to keep the lower end of the buttress from kicking out is termed a "tensioned buttress". (the engineers' term, not mine) These are derivatives of the flying buttresses in Gothic cathedrals. An example is here Figure 13b. The extrication strut version uses tension between two compression elements (the car and the strut) to create a temporary truss, but the lower element (the strap) is certainly in tension.
If you're teaching something else, would you please explain how it is different from this?
My other question is "Do you have any financial interest in either selling a specific strut brand or in teaching strut classes?"
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In a training enviroment i would say yes use them to see what they can do. Like what you all did in the picture. But honestly would you feel comfortable enough lifting a vehicle with a victim inside using that method. Or would you work on the side of caution and use the air bags. Truely it depends on your departments SOP's...In a real scenario, I myself and my department would use the air bags for lifting. But love the picture, How long did that take from set up to final stage?
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Permalink Reply by FETC on
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I am not sure as it was found on bing.com. We own these too and have lifted with them. Not as high as this, but they are fairly quick and stable if used correctly. The manufacturer sells them for use of vehicle stabilization and LIFTING.
Granted this photo is extreme lifting, but your air bag is not gonna lift em that high either. As stated by someone else, there are a bunch of different ways to lift and stabilize vehicles, many different types of equipment and every guy here thinks their specific tool is the best around. Some of which are better than others in certain scenarios but having an open mind, and fully understand what the equipment can do makes us a better rescuer.
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Given that most under-vehicle entrapments require a lift of 8 inches or less, why lift it farther? That just unnecessarily raises the center of gravity and makes the whole pile less stable.
I have a very open mind and I believe in having a lot of different tools in the toolbox. I'm just wondering why you'd need a lift larger than the size of the human body you're removing from under the pin.
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Ben, I said I didn't lift the car in that picture. I am on the same page as you. You only need to lift enough to remove from pinned victim.
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Yeah, I know you didn't move it...just wondering how far you liked to lift 'em.
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I am really curious once you get them that high though, how do you get them back down safely without injury or equipment damage???
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another air bag advantage...
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Permalink Reply by Rescue 1 on
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Air bags will let the the object down but looking at the photo's the one looks like it was in a training setting and the other also. I know that when we have used them to lift in either real world or training there has been ways to lower them with out hurting any one or damageing the equipment. If you are on a scene you can have the tow truck hold it up and then remove the jacks so it is controled. Not a real big issue. In a training setting you have many ways to do it. Once again the local dealer or the factory can show you the ways to do this. Lifting with the struts is safe and easy to do if you have the training to go along with them. I highly incourage people to talk to the factory about it.
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