A white SUV had been headed north but is now perched precariously nosed against a tree in a steep ditch. Three women are entrapped, two in the front, one in the back. The SUV is full-sized, but only has two doors. This is going to take some work. As the officers scramble to assess the scene, Mark and Angela begin staging the rescue equipment. They lay a tarp on the ground close to the vehicle and place the Hurst tools, also known as the Jaws of Life, stabizer jacks, hand tools, and cribbing.
Stabilizing the vehicle is of utmost importance. One wrong move and it will continue its journey down the hillside. The driver is in and out of consciousness, the front passenger is in pain, and the lady in the back is stuck due to the much larger women in front of her. As they begin to work, Angela nervously shifts her weight from side to side waiting for direction.
"Psshsst" the glass of the rear window is shattered, The lady in the back seat nimbly climbs out and is helped down by the Assistant Chief, John. The lanky man motions for Mark to come help her to the waiting ambulance to be checked out. John then turns his attention to Angela. "Fire up the Hurst, I need the spreaders and cutters down here on the passenger side."
"I'm on it!" she could feel the 'thump-thump, thump-thump of herheartbeat in her ears as the nervous anxiety tried to flip her stomach. 'Start the pump. You've done this plenty of times,' she thought to herself. Switch to "On," check. Choke pulled out, check. Gas is on, check. Okay pulled the cord! The hydraulic pump roared to life making the hoses jump a little.
Popping up she grabbed the cutters and carefully navigated the steep ditch. Coming around to the passenger side, she realized the tree was actually suspending the SUV. The floor board was at her chest level. She handed off the cutters to John and scrambled back for the lines and spreaders. Seconds were ebbing away. Extrication is always a race against time. Reaching the passenger side again she deftly connected the hydraulic lines to the cutter. John wasted no time working the door open.
Much to our dismay the vehicle's lean made it impossible for the passenger to stay seated and her weight was thrown against the open door. Only her seatbelt and her still trapped foot held her in. Another officer, Mathew had just arrived and used his body to help support her. Matt is a middle aged gentleman, but shorter than Angela's 5' 6" frame. The weight seemed to surprise him as much as it calmed the passenger. John turned to Angela, "I need you and Mark to hook up the winch on 1220, then get some webbing over here to help hold her in." She nodded affirmative and scurries back up the hillside, catching Mark explaining the plan.
Stopping in her tracks, Angela felt the anxious nausea creeping up again. "Mark! I just completely forgot where the winch cable is. . . " Her mind was drawing a total blank.
"I got you, back cabinet, middle shelf, on the right." She envied his calm confidence. He jogged over and efficiently opened the doors. As she peered inside, a strange crunching noise came from her left. The fire truck was angled and blocking both lanes of traffic. It acts as a warning beacon for attentive motorist and shield to protect the first responders when the motorists are not attentive. Looking up she was stunned to see a small car attempting to drive thru the ditch and around the fire truck. Had she or Mark needed something from the back, they may have been hit. While her brain attempted to process what her eyes were seeing, a short and firey female cop flew in from nowhere, jumping in front of the car.