In the most serious and dramatic traffic accidents, it is very likely that firefighters will have to extricate the occupants who have been trapped in the passenger compartment. And they have to do it as quickly as possible, since the first sixty minutes after an accident occurs are key to the survival of the people involved. In that “golden hour” the victims must receive the necessary medical assistance to keep them alive (75% of those killed in an accident die in such a short and critical period of time).
The difficulty that emergency services must face is knowing how they can access the interior of the car in the safest way, since cars are not all the same in terms of their design, structure, mechanics and equipment. For example, the solutions to reinforce the bodywork are different, the number of airbags differs from one model to another and the location of the main switch to cut off the electricity of an electric car may vary. That is why it is so important that firefighters know all the specifications of the damaged vehicle. And this is included in the so-called “Rescue Sheet”.
This document brings together the detailed technical information of the car (reinforcements in the cabin, fuel tank, battery, airbags, gas generators, control units…) so that specialists can quickly identify the most suitable cutting area. to remove and treat those affected as soon as possible.
In the case of hybrid and electric vehicles, the rescue sheet is even more relevant so that emergency teams have key information about the location of the high-voltage batteries, the route of the cables and the disconnect switch for the batteries. batteries.
Despite being so important, most drivers are unaware of its existence and, therefore, do not carry it in their car. According to a study carried out by the CEA Foundation and Asitur, 77% of Spanish drivers do not know what the rescue sheet is and 8% have heard of it but do not remember what it is about. On the other hand, of those who know its functionality, only 15% stated that they had it in the vehicle and 82% of drivers who did not have the document did not know where to request it. Likewise, more than half (55%) do not know where to place it.
The protocol establishes that the rescue sheet be placed printed in color on the sun visor of the driver’s seat. Furthermore, so that fire crews know that the vehicle has it on board, it is advisable to place an identification sticker on the lower right part of the front window of the car. This simple gesture can reduce possible complications by 63% when freeing the injured.
Automobile clubs, with the support of the International Automobile Federation (FIA), encourage drivers to always carry this document, which can be found on their own websites. To do so you just have to search for the manufacturer and model of the car and download it online. Likewise, the offices of these clubs also offer identification stickers.
The European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP) has launched, in association with the CTIF and the International Association of Fire and Rescue Services, the free Euro Rescue mobile application where the Rescue Sheets of the vehicles that use them are compiled. manufacturers provide.
For their part, the CEA Foundation and Asitur ask manufacturers to deliver the recovery sheet along with the vehicle manual at the time of sale, to the Ministry of Industry to create a free public website where drivers can download the document. , and to the traffic authorities (DGT, Servei Català de Trànsit and Traffic Directorate of the Basque Government) to disseminate awareness campaigns about the importance and usefulness of this document.
In fact, 93% of the drivers surveyed for the study considered it useful for assistance teams to have technical information about the characteristics of the vehicles.
