New equipment to improve rescues in CoE

The City of Ekurhuleni (CoE) recently procured a Specialised Rescue Vacuum Unit to assist with trench rescues.

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The equipment will be used to rescue victims trapped in trenches on construction sites, excavation areas or during similar emergencies.

CoE’s DEMS media liaison officer, William Ntladi, said the unit can move soil far more quickly than more traditional rescue methods.

Ntladi said trench collapses are nothing new, but what has changed is the technology in dealing with them.

The unit comes equipped with an air knife to loosen soil, special nozzles to ensure safe vacuuming around the patient and a rescue shield to protect the patient against further cave-ins.

The pressure equipment is driven from a built-in compressor on the rescue unit or a mobile compressor.

He said historically, trench rescue instruction advises rescue personnel to expect one hour of manual excavation time for each vertical foot of soil to be excavated.

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Traditional methods of uncovering a collapsed trench involve the use of shovels and a bucket brigade.

“In the event of a buried or partially buried worker, this method takes up precious time and is very labour intensive,” said Ntladi.

“For a victim suffering from trauma, restricted breathing or blood flow, time is of the essence.”

Although time is of the essence, Ntladi said the use of heavy equipment, when conducting trench rescues, should be avoided.

Ntladi said when heavy machinery is used, they pose further risks to the victim.

“Tragically, some rescuers attempt to move the soil using backhoes or excavators to save a victim in time, resulting in severely injuring or killing the victim.”

Besides injuring the victim when using heavy machinery, Ntladi said the more personnel at a scene the greater the risk to everyone involved.

He highlighted that the vacuum truck will play a critical role.

Once this unit is determined as the best option to ensure rescuer and victim safety, the rescue team proceeds with standard trench rescue site preparation.

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Ntladi said this includes setting safety zones, shoring the trench and limiting destabilising influences like traffic.
On arrival, the unit is positioned on the scene where the vacuum and pressure hoses are extended to the critical area

“After determining the victim’s position, rescuers identify the best place to excavate a sump, into which water and soil are washed away and vacuumed up within a few seconds,” explained Ntladi.

This eliminates water pooling or seepage into the soil.

The rescue personnel activate the vacuum and pressure-jetting systems and begin to hydro-excavate the soil from atop the excavation.

“When sufficient soil is removed to allow for the extraction of the victim, technician vacuum up the residual water and wet soil,” said Ntladi.

“Rescue personnel then enter the trench to remove the victim, using the appropriate means and methods.”

Ntladi said the vehicle will be deployed for operations once final registration is completed, it is licensed as a fire and emergency services vehicle and the operators receive the necessary training.

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