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Firefighters Jon Slusar (left) of the Abingdon (Md.) Fire Department, and Francis Malta (back), of the Frederick (Md.) Fire Department, pull on a strap to hold a spike being hammered by Tim Sapp, of the Pooler (Ga.) Fire Department during a scenario at the ‘Big Lift U’ heavy load lifting training event June 13-14 at Central Carolina Community College’s Emergency Services Training Center in Sanford. The spike fastens a strut to the road surface so the strut can help stabilize a concrete drum that has fallen on a car in the simulated accident. Once stabilized, airbags are used to raise the drum off the car. In a real accident, the firefighters would then be able to rescue people in the car. During ‘Big Lift U’, these firefighters and 74 others from eight states and Germany learned how to safely and effectively respond in eight different accident scenarios involving smaller vehicles with large, heavy vehicles, such as tractor-trailers, buses, concrete trucks, and a train. For more information on ESTC emergency training programs, call (919) 776-5601.

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Dwayne Smith, recovery operator for Chatham County Alignment & Towing, checks the inflation on airbags that are raising a tractor-trailer overturned on a car during the ‘Big Lift U’ heavy load lifting training event June 13-14 at Central Carolina Community College’s Emergency Services Training Center in Sanford. Smith was one of the instructors for the event, which featured eight accident scenarios. Seventy-seven firefighters from eight states and Germany learned how to safely and effectively respond in accidents involving smaller vehicles with large, heavy vehicles, such as tractor-trailers, buses, concrete trucks, and a train. For more information on ESTC emergency training programs, call (919) 776-5601.

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Firefighter David Ranes (kneeling), of the Cary Fire Department, places a strut under a tractor-trailer atop a car in a ditch during an accident scenario at the ‘Big Lift U’ training Jun 13-14 at Central Carolina Community College’s Emergency Services Training Center. Also working to brace and stabilize the vehicle are firefighters and rescue workers from Abingdon, Md. (under truck), Cowpens, S.C. (right) and other fire departments. The accident scenario was one of eight in which 77 firefighters and rescue personnel from eight states and one foreign country learned how to safely and effectively respond to accidents involving smaller vehicles with large, heavy vehicles, such as tractor-trailers, buses, concrete trucks, and a train. Firefighters came from North Carolina, South Carolina, Connecticut, Florida, Georgia, Maryland, Michigan, Virginia, as well as Germany to attend the training. For more information on ESTC emergency training programs, call (919) 776-5601.

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Irakli West (center), captain of the Haar Fire Department in Bavaria, Germany, speaks with Kevin Cieciorka, of Pittsboro, owner of Chatham County Alignment & Towing and an instructor, at the ‘Big Lift U’ training June 13-14 at Central Carolina Community College’s Emergency Services Training Center. The event trained 77 firefighters from eight states and one foreign country to safely and effectively respond to accidents involving smaller vehicles with large, heavy vehicles, such as tractor-trailers, buses, concrete trucks, and a train. West came to learn more about extrication in these types of accidents. He also runs Germany’s largest online firefighters’ magazine, Feuerwehr im Netz, and has posted photographs and commentary there about his Big Lift experience (see fwnetz.de. For more information on ESTC emergency training programs, call (919) 776-5601.

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Firefighters from several states assess a multiple-vehicle collision scenario with a tractor-trailer on a passenger car in a ditch before acting to lift the larger vehicle from the smaller. The training scenario took place during the ‘Big Lift U’ heavy load accident training June 13-14 at Central Carolina Community College’s Emergency Services Training Center in Sanford. Instructor Billy Leach (gray shirt, left), a certified wreckmaster and developer of Big Rig Rescue training, provides pointers on how to stabilize and raise the tractor-trailer to reach accident victims in a real collision of this type. Leach organized the ‘Big Lift’ event, which attracted 77 firefighters from eight states, as well as Germany.  During the two-day hands-on training, firefighters worked hands-on with eight different accident scenarios involving smaller vehicles with tractor-trailers, bus, and train. For more information on ESTC emergency training programs, call (919) 776-5601.