Once in awhile, you get that "big wind" that stirs you to the bones and makes you almost manic in your fervor for whatever...it is that way for me concerning racing safety. Most days I can get through the days without getting carried away...today is not one of those days!
Last Thursday, I met with a friend I have not seen for quite awhile...Mike Fedorcak of Yoder, IN...yep, he is THAT guy, who sold Tony Stewart one of his famed Munchkins midgets. Mike is a racer...through and through. I was there to consult with Mike about a racing safety project I am working on...we got talking about his near fatal fire of over 20 years ago...what went well and what did not...I will spare you the details now, perhaps another blog entry. Let me summarize with this... #1 using full containment seats prevent burns! #2 wearing a good firesuit matters! #3 using a water -based extinguishing agent, especially with an additive matters! #4 training and practice for safety teams matter! #5 what we do well, or do poorly, matters!
Mike was severely burned in a nasty crash...he has the scars to prove it...17 surgeries and a different perspective on a number of issues later, Mike still races occasionally and owns a fabricating business...and cares about the things I mentioned above.
WHAT WE DO IN RACING SAFETY MATTERS! NEVER DOUBT IT.
Monday, August 24, 2009
Wednesday, August 12, 2009
Tiered approach to fire suppression
Fire suppression in racing should be considered as being in layers of coverage and protection. The two most basic approaches involve the use of hand-held extinguishers and larger, vehicle-based systems.
I must confess, I have a prejudice toward water-based extinguishing agents. While it is the only water additive I have used recently, I have developed a great deal of confidence in Cold Fire. Mixed in various ratios with tap water, it dramatically increases water's ability to absorb heat and when dispersed on a fuel spill, it chemically interferes with the fuels ability to burn. I think that water-based agents decrease contamination, prevent re-ignition by removing heat sources, and in cases where the driver is actually involved in the fire, it can reduce burn injuries by using the agent to pull heat out of their uniform/clothing. I personally know of a driver who incurred additonal burns from rescuers unavoidable pressing his hot firesuit and FR underwear against his skin while removing him from his car...water would likely reduce if not eliminate that type injury. Water based agents also improve visibility and breathability...if you have been involved in discharging dry chemical, you know what I am talking about! I can not imagine using dry chem in a cockpit around a driver who likely is hypoxic and scared...I like breathing...breathing dry chemical is bad...been there, done that.
Whether your hand-helds are dry chemical or water-based, they are the backbone of your attack. Having hand-helds deployed around the track in non-vehicle responses can dramatically decrease response time to incidents. Getting folks to the scene quickly and, of course, safely, is huge. Decreasing the time from first ignition to first agent generally decreases the issues getting it extinguished. The longer it burns, the hotter it gets, the harder it is to get it out.
We need to also focus on training for responders with hand-held bottles. I believe there is no replacing live fire training. It does not need to be a conflagration...and it does need to use appropriate safety measures throughout. Annual skill training and periodic refreshers go a long way to make every bit of effort and resources meaningful.
The second layer of suppression, and I actually consider it as secondary, it a vehicle-based suppression system. This system is your "trump card"...what you go to when it gets tough. It does not mean that you do not think of deploying your "big gun" until it is beyond hope. On the contrary, I am a firm believer in pulling the hand line from your vehicle-based system any time you arrive at a crash scene and the driver is not out of the car or is not making his/her way out of the car. It is much easier to re-roll a line than to explain how a driver was endangered while you have a great fire system unused on your truck.
What should that vehicle-based system consist of...an interesting question...and one to be considered in another column. Any feedback you have on vehicle-based fire systems would be appreciated. Either leave it here or email to: racesafe@gmail.com.
I must confess, I have a prejudice toward water-based extinguishing agents. While it is the only water additive I have used recently, I have developed a great deal of confidence in Cold Fire. Mixed in various ratios with tap water, it dramatically increases water's ability to absorb heat and when dispersed on a fuel spill, it chemically interferes with the fuels ability to burn. I think that water-based agents decrease contamination, prevent re-ignition by removing heat sources, and in cases where the driver is actually involved in the fire, it can reduce burn injuries by using the agent to pull heat out of their uniform/clothing. I personally know of a driver who incurred additonal burns from rescuers unavoidable pressing his hot firesuit and FR underwear against his skin while removing him from his car...water would likely reduce if not eliminate that type injury. Water based agents also improve visibility and breathability...if you have been involved in discharging dry chemical, you know what I am talking about! I can not imagine using dry chem in a cockpit around a driver who likely is hypoxic and scared...I like breathing...breathing dry chemical is bad...been there, done that.
Whether your hand-helds are dry chemical or water-based, they are the backbone of your attack. Having hand-helds deployed around the track in non-vehicle responses can dramatically decrease response time to incidents. Getting folks to the scene quickly and, of course, safely, is huge. Decreasing the time from first ignition to first agent generally decreases the issues getting it extinguished. The longer it burns, the hotter it gets, the harder it is to get it out.
We need to also focus on training for responders with hand-held bottles. I believe there is no replacing live fire training. It does not need to be a conflagration...and it does need to use appropriate safety measures throughout. Annual skill training and periodic refreshers go a long way to make every bit of effort and resources meaningful.
The second layer of suppression, and I actually consider it as secondary, it a vehicle-based suppression system. This system is your "trump card"...what you go to when it gets tough. It does not mean that you do not think of deploying your "big gun" until it is beyond hope. On the contrary, I am a firm believer in pulling the hand line from your vehicle-based system any time you arrive at a crash scene and the driver is not out of the car or is not making his/her way out of the car. It is much easier to re-roll a line than to explain how a driver was endangered while you have a great fire system unused on your truck.
What should that vehicle-based system consist of...an interesting question...and one to be considered in another column. Any feedback you have on vehicle-based fire systems would be appreciated. Either leave it here or email to: racesafe@gmail.com.
Tuesday, July 14, 2009
Fire-related thoughts
Several weeks ago, a driver in Nebraska, Tony Linner, was involved in a crash that resulted in a fire and he was in the burning car for an estimated 5 minutes. There are lots of questions that result from this situation...let's take a positive slant on the situation...what can we learn?
Be interested in what kind of fire suppression equipment is available where you race. Ask questions of the safety team (yes, there should be one)...if you are using methanol, water-based extinguishers are much better than dry chemical. Are the team members wearing firesuits or other protective clothing? Is there an ambulance present? What are their medical capabilities (EMT, Advanced, Paramedic)? Do they transport or meet another unit in the parking lot? Does the safety team have hydraulic rescue tools or do they call the local FD/rescue squad? Either way is not awful...just good to know.
Another detail about this incident...apparently the driver removed his helmet before getting out of the car...before he could get out, the ruptured tailtank (no bladder) and resulting fuel spill ignited...it is probably a good idea to leave your helmet on until you are away from the car.
If you are not using a bladder in whatever kind of fuel tank you have, please reconsider that situation. Only 5 gallons of fuel makes one dandy fire that can seriously hurt you...if you do not have the money for a fuel cell....maybe...
How about your firesuit? Is it at least double layer? Is it clean and free of grease/oil stains? Are they areas that are torn, frayed, or worn thin? REPLACE IT.
I have visited burn units...I have had significant burns...I have taken care of severely burned patients...none of these was a particularly pleasant experience...and I was not the patient in the burn unit!
At the end of the day, everyone goes home standing up!
Be interested in what kind of fire suppression equipment is available where you race. Ask questions of the safety team (yes, there should be one)...if you are using methanol, water-based extinguishers are much better than dry chemical. Are the team members wearing firesuits or other protective clothing? Is there an ambulance present? What are their medical capabilities (EMT, Advanced, Paramedic)? Do they transport or meet another unit in the parking lot? Does the safety team have hydraulic rescue tools or do they call the local FD/rescue squad? Either way is not awful...just good to know.
Another detail about this incident...apparently the driver removed his helmet before getting out of the car...before he could get out, the ruptured tailtank (no bladder) and resulting fuel spill ignited...it is probably a good idea to leave your helmet on until you are away from the car.
If you are not using a bladder in whatever kind of fuel tank you have, please reconsider that situation. Only 5 gallons of fuel makes one dandy fire that can seriously hurt you...if you do not have the money for a fuel cell....maybe...
How about your firesuit? Is it at least double layer? Is it clean and free of grease/oil stains? Are they areas that are torn, frayed, or worn thin? REPLACE IT.
I have visited burn units...I have had significant burns...I have taken care of severely burned patients...none of these was a particularly pleasant experience...and I was not the patient in the burn unit!
At the end of the day, everyone goes home standing up!
Friday, June 5, 2009
Give 'em a way out!
It is important to think about how you and your team would approach a burning race car with the driver still on-board. Using your extinguishers and fire streams effectively to make a path of egress (exit) for the driver is critical.
An important concept to keep in mind is to work as much from the closest point to the driver and fight away from the car. When you watch videos carefully, you will often see rescuers pushing the fire toward the driver, not away from him/her. It is not always possible to use this tactic...the majority of the time it is. Think about putting yourself between the driver and the fire.
Remember that gravity can be your friend. Unless there is an unusual reason not to, fight the fire down the banking, not up. Often, this situation is totally compatible with tactic mentioned in the previous paragraphs. Trying to push the fire up the hill is not productive...and especially if you are using a liquid agent, the extinguishing will run down hill putting out the burning fuel/liquids.
This sounds perfectly obvious, and it still is worth mentioning, pay attention to the driver after he/she exit the car. I have seen several situations where a driver exits the car, on fire, and the safety team continues fighting the vehicle fire and does not go after the driver. That driver needs to think he/she needs swimming lessons!! They must get extremely wet (yeah, dry chemical or CO2 does not make it) very quickly, and that hot fire suit needs to come off PRONTO. Modesty has no place in this discussion. Leaving the hot material in place will aggravate any burns present and can cause new burns by simple contact with the skin. If you ever look at what I carry in my on-track holster, you will find 2 rather large and sharp scissors...the idea being if we have to remove a hot fire suit quickly, more is better.
Think it over before the need arises...look at videos on the Internet...critique yourself and others...we all get better when we do. Simply throwing water or powder at the fire is not good enough...we can be more effective when we give it some thought.
At the end of the day, everyone goes home standing up.
An important concept to keep in mind is to work as much from the closest point to the driver and fight away from the car. When you watch videos carefully, you will often see rescuers pushing the fire toward the driver, not away from him/her. It is not always possible to use this tactic...the majority of the time it is. Think about putting yourself between the driver and the fire.
Remember that gravity can be your friend. Unless there is an unusual reason not to, fight the fire down the banking, not up. Often, this situation is totally compatible with tactic mentioned in the previous paragraphs. Trying to push the fire up the hill is not productive...and especially if you are using a liquid agent, the extinguishing will run down hill putting out the burning fuel/liquids.
This sounds perfectly obvious, and it still is worth mentioning, pay attention to the driver after he/she exit the car. I have seen several situations where a driver exits the car, on fire, and the safety team continues fighting the vehicle fire and does not go after the driver. That driver needs to think he/she needs swimming lessons!! They must get extremely wet (yeah, dry chemical or CO2 does not make it) very quickly, and that hot fire suit needs to come off PRONTO. Modesty has no place in this discussion. Leaving the hot material in place will aggravate any burns present and can cause new burns by simple contact with the skin. If you ever look at what I carry in my on-track holster, you will find 2 rather large and sharp scissors...the idea being if we have to remove a hot fire suit quickly, more is better.
Think it over before the need arises...look at videos on the Internet...critique yourself and others...we all get better when we do. Simply throwing water or powder at the fire is not good enough...we can be more effective when we give it some thought.
At the end of the day, everyone goes home standing up.
Tuesday, June 2, 2009
Why we do what we do
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NAELVdoHmUE
Please take the minutes it takes to watch this video! It demonstrates any number of critical points about how drivers need to think about their protective clothing and equipment...how safety crews are equipped and trained for what we do...and why we do what we do. This situation can happen any night...at any track...in any class of car...with any type fuel.
Please...give this video some thought...how would you and your crew measure up?...how would your firesuit and accessories protect you in the same situation?...what would you want to see done differently?
Congratulations to the Hanford Safety Team on "getting it done!"
At the end of the day, everyone goes home standing up!
Please take the minutes it takes to watch this video! It demonstrates any number of critical points about how drivers need to think about their protective clothing and equipment...how safety crews are equipped and trained for what we do...and why we do what we do. This situation can happen any night...at any track...in any class of car...with any type fuel.
Please...give this video some thought...how would you and your crew measure up?...how would your firesuit and accessories protect you in the same situation?...what would you want to see done differently?
Congratulations to the Hanford Safety Team on "getting it done!"
At the end of the day, everyone goes home standing up!
Wednesday, May 6, 2009
Drag racing
Back in the day, I was offered numerous opportunities to work safety at IHRA National drag racing events while working with Professional Track Services (PTS). I steadfastly declined those offers...I just did not see the value of working a race that only lasted a few seconds and did not involve any turns (unless it involved a serious crash or simply turning off the end of the track). I finally relented and agreed to work an IHRA event at Milan Dragway, near Detroit. I was quickly hooked on drag racing.
While my EMS schedule at the time was not really conducive to making the longer road trips required to cover IHRA events further away from home, I had fallen for drag racing. I only worked a handful of events from the safety perspective...and have continued to enjoy the occasional drag race as a spectator with my sons and various other guests. There is no sensation like being near a nitromethane fueled engine when they hit the throttle! Between the sounds, the fragrance of the nitro fuel, and feeling the sounds in your body...it is hard to describe...And we have not even left the pit area yet! Experiencing a car making a 300 mph pass in the 3-4 second range is incredible. 8000 horsepower is impressive at the least.
I you have never been to a professional drag race, especially one with nitro cars, do it soon! While it is not the same as circle tracking, it is worthy of a serious race fan.
While my EMS schedule at the time was not really conducive to making the longer road trips required to cover IHRA events further away from home, I had fallen for drag racing. I only worked a handful of events from the safety perspective...and have continued to enjoy the occasional drag race as a spectator with my sons and various other guests. There is no sensation like being near a nitromethane fueled engine when they hit the throttle! Between the sounds, the fragrance of the nitro fuel, and feeling the sounds in your body...it is hard to describe...And we have not even left the pit area yet! Experiencing a car making a 300 mph pass in the 3-4 second range is incredible. 8000 horsepower is impressive at the least.
I you have never been to a professional drag race, especially one with nitro cars, do it soon! While it is not the same as circle tracking, it is worthy of a serious race fan.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Teamwork
Over the years, I have had the honor of working with several very successful racing safety teams. All of the organizations have had something in common...teamwork!
There is no better feeling than seeing your team work their way through a tough situation...with skill and proficiency...and doing everything that can be done for the person involved, driver, fan, or crew. Having a positive outcome makes it even better. Having well-defined roles and responsibilities are good starting points...we all know that some situations require adjusting on the fly...knowing the basics is critical.
A couple of weeks ago, after having worked a challenging situation that had a great outcome, I was struck by how important it was to be able to trust your teammates to protect each other. Our situation required me, as the person with responsibility for the driver, to have undivided attention on the driver. Later, I saw a photo that shows the other guys on my truck there with me, while another crew was arriving on the scene. The photo reminded me of the 2 layers of teamwork at work, as the guys on my truck were covering my sizable rear end... the other truck arrived, helping us finish off the situation. What a great feeling that not only did our team work well together, the driver did well after a very shaky initial assessment.
Constantly assess how your team is working together...makes sure everyone knows their role and responsibilities...debrief, however informally, after every "working" situation to see how others viewed things...encourage open and candid comments. Waiting until you face a critical event is not the time to deal with shortcomings in teamwork.
Everyone goes home standing up!
There is no better feeling than seeing your team work their way through a tough situation...with skill and proficiency...and doing everything that can be done for the person involved, driver, fan, or crew. Having a positive outcome makes it even better. Having well-defined roles and responsibilities are good starting points...we all know that some situations require adjusting on the fly...knowing the basics is critical.
A couple of weeks ago, after having worked a challenging situation that had a great outcome, I was struck by how important it was to be able to trust your teammates to protect each other. Our situation required me, as the person with responsibility for the driver, to have undivided attention on the driver. Later, I saw a photo that shows the other guys on my truck there with me, while another crew was arriving on the scene. The photo reminded me of the 2 layers of teamwork at work, as the guys on my truck were covering my sizable rear end... the other truck arrived, helping us finish off the situation. What a great feeling that not only did our team work well together, the driver did well after a very shaky initial assessment.
Constantly assess how your team is working together...makes sure everyone knows their role and responsibilities...debrief, however informally, after every "working" situation to see how others viewed things...encourage open and candid comments. Waiting until you face a critical event is not the time to deal with shortcomings in teamwork.
Everyone goes home standing up!
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