First thing to
consider; are you inside the truck or outside?
If you're
outside the vehicle: How many people do you have? If more than 2,
position someone downstream of the vehicle with a throwbag to rescue
rescuers.
Determine if
the vehicle is stable. If it's not, stabilize it. If it's deeper than
1/4 down from the top of the tires, it may wash away while you're trying
to stabilize it. Beware of this. The stronger the current the more
likely it is that the vehicle will break loose from the bottom and roll.
See the note on rolling, below.
If there is
current against a window, don't break that window. You'll probably drown
the victim. Breaking a window of a sealed passenger compartment will
sometimes result in the other windows breaking -- the other windows can
be partially supported by the air in the passenger compartment. It's not
uncommon to have 2-3lbs of pressure inside the cab, and to have the cab
or passenger compartment violently flood after a window has been broken.
Be aware of this and have a plan to deal with it.
When you are
removing passengers, be aware that you are changing the center of
gravity for the entire vehicle. Replace the weight removed with a like
amount of mass (rocks or sandbags work well) to help guard against the
vehicle rolling.
If the vehicle
starts to roll in the current while there are still people in it it is
unlikely that they will be rescued. They'll be recovered; but not
rescued. Encourage the occupants to get out ASAP if the vehicle starts
to roll.
If you are
inside a vehicle that goes into the water: If it's deep water (deeper
than the car is tall) GET OUT! GET OUT! The car will descend to the
bottom and hit the bottom with the end that is closest to the engine.
That is, most vehicles will hit in the front, but VW bugs will hit
backwards. It will then fall so that the roof is down, and if there is
anything but a hard bottom (like sand, mud, silt...) the roof of the
passenger compartment will be completely buried, entombing the
passengers. If you are inside the vehicle and can't use the doors, kick
out a window or the windshield. If you do not succeed you will probably
not survive. [SRT Rescue Technician 1 course gets this description from
examining accident reports and from having driving 20 cars and trucks of
all models into a lake from a pier. They ALL acted this way]
If it's
shallow water, open a door on the upstream side and be prepared to
abandon ship. If the water is higher than the center of the wheels and
there is a current it is probable that you will roll. If you don't get
the door open before you get completely down you will not be able to
open the door -- the current will hold it shut. Do NOT try to exit on
the downstream side -- you're risking the vehicle rolling and pinning
you or having the vehicle hit a downstream obstacle and pinning you.
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