Every day, people find new and creative ways to use things that were actually made to do something else. Such is the case with vacuum trucks, those big tank carrying vehicles that were originally designed to pump septic systems, remove wastewater, and handle other messy jobs that have since become important in other industries such as fire and rescue. The way in which these vehicles can help perform rescues is reassuring and suggests that more emergency teams should consider looking into adding one of these vehicles to their emergency fleet.
Work Site Rescues
Vacuum trucks make great trenchers, digging deeply into dirt and removing loosened soil to keep a job site clean and visible. So it only makes sense that this vehicle would be an excellent choice for situations where someone or something has become trapped in a trench, hole, or some other deep, open area. Construction sites and private property can be dangerous when digging trenches to locate utility lines, bury utilities, or many other reasons. Since backhoes and heavy equipment risk digging through buried lines resulting in service disruption, many companies use customary digging equipment to dig part of the way and then continue by hand. Under such conditions, it is possible for trench walls to collapse, partially or completely burying any worker in the trench. Then comes the real problem how to rescue that person? Enter the vacuum truck to save the day and the worker!
By vacuuming away dirt that has filled holes and trenches, rescuers can rapidly uncover and reach victims and move them to safety. This is especially important and useful when the holes are deep enough to begin taking in groundwater or when the sides of the trench collapse, creating even more challenges for rescuers. Best of all, because vacuum trucks remove debris and water, it is very unlikely to further injure a victim during rescue operations, something that is always a risk when attempting to handle all of this by hand.
Planning Work Site Rescues
Regular works as well as rescue efforts are extremely different from each other and those differences must be recognized when considering the use of vacuum power for rescue work. One big point of difference is that workers must plan ahead a way to communicate and a method in which to tackle the problem at hand. Running practice drill with crews like fire and rescue do is a very good idea to see how it all fits into the whole event. There will undoubtedly be many people at the rescue site, all working on different things at the same time; so organization and communication are essential for a good and safe rescue. Vacuum truck operators must rely on instructions from rescue personnel, so practice is never a bad idea and may be required in some cases. Having all of that done ahead of time it critical; if not, injury and other problems with the rescue could occur.
While this is only one example of how vacuum trucks are useful in seemingly uncommon roles, it is an excellent one that strongly suggests rescue crews consider looking into the idea. It is not really lucrative for emergency departments to buy a vacuum truck for such limited use; however, being able to train both personnel and truck operators who might work at a rescue attempt could be very useful if and when such occasions should arise. It would create a safer, faster, and less expensive rescue environment than without it. In any case, those who do own vacuum trucks and are experienced with hydro and air excavation could check with local emergency departments to see if these trucks could be used under certain rescue conditions. The benefits to be gained from such an alliance are priceless!
Work Site Rescues
Vacuum trucks make great trenchers, digging deeply into dirt and removing loosened soil to keep a job site clean and visible. So it only makes sense that this vehicle would be an excellent choice for situations where someone or something has become trapped in a trench, hole, or some other deep, open area. Construction sites and private property can be dangerous when digging trenches to locate utility lines, bury utilities, or many other reasons. Since backhoes and heavy equipment risk digging through buried lines resulting in service disruption, many companies use customary digging equipment to dig part of the way and then continue by hand. Under such conditions, it is possible for trench walls to collapse, partially or completely burying any worker in the trench. Then comes the real problem how to rescue that person? Enter the vacuum truck to save the day and the worker!
By vacuuming away dirt that has filled holes and trenches, rescuers can rapidly uncover and reach victims and move them to safety. This is especially important and useful when the holes are deep enough to begin taking in groundwater or when the sides of the trench collapse, creating even more challenges for rescuers. Best of all, because vacuum trucks remove debris and water, it is very unlikely to further injure a victim during rescue operations, something that is always a risk when attempting to handle all of this by hand.
Planning Work Site Rescues
Regular works as well as rescue efforts are extremely different from each other and those differences must be recognized when considering the use of vacuum power for rescue work. One big point of difference is that workers must plan ahead a way to communicate and a method in which to tackle the problem at hand. Running practice drill with crews like fire and rescue do is a very good idea to see how it all fits into the whole event. There will undoubtedly be many people at the rescue site, all working on different things at the same time; so organization and communication are essential for a good and safe rescue. Vacuum truck operators must rely on instructions from rescue personnel, so practice is never a bad idea and may be required in some cases. Having all of that done ahead of time it critical; if not, injury and other problems with the rescue could occur.
While this is only one example of how vacuum trucks are useful in seemingly uncommon roles, it is an excellent one that strongly suggests rescue crews consider looking into the idea. It is not really lucrative for emergency departments to buy a vacuum truck for such limited use; however, being able to train both personnel and truck operators who might work at a rescue attempt could be very useful if and when such occasions should arise. It would create a safer, faster, and less expensive rescue environment than without it. In any case, those who do own vacuum trucks and are experienced with hydro and air excavation could check with local emergency departments to see if these trucks could be used under certain rescue conditions. The benefits to be gained from such an alliance are priceless!