What is included in the extrication size-up?

What is included in the extrication size-up?

• A. Scene safety & assessment; Patient assessment; Vehicle assessment; Extrication assessment (Simple to Complex)
• B. Scene safety only
• C. Patient assessment only
• D. Vehicle assessment only

Answer: (A)

Extrication size-up is a four-part, ongoing assessment that guides how you approach a vehicle incident. First, scene safety and assessment means spotting hazards, establishing a safe working area, securing power sources, controlling traffic, and predicting secondary risks so rescuers and patients stay protected. Next, patient assessment focuses on immediate needs: consciousness, airway, breathing, circulation, visible injuries, and spinal precautions, plus counting how many patients and where they are to set priorities for treatment and extraction. Vehicle assessment looks at the car itself—stability, potential movement, door and window access, seat belts, airbags, fuel systems, and battery or fluid hazards—to determine how you’ll gain access and what hazards must be managed during removal. Finally, extrication assessment (ranging from simple to complex) decides the extraction plan: whether you can mitigate with minimal tools and movement, or need a staged approach with stabilization, cribbing, cutting, or vehicle disassembly, including the sequence, equipment, and personnel needed. Because this size-up is ongoing, you continually reevaluate each part as the scene changes and new information becomes available.

Extrication size-up is a four-part, ongoing assessment that guides how you approach a vehicle incident. First, scene safety and assessment means spotting hazards, establishing a safe working area, securing power sources, controlling traffic, and predicting secondary risks so rescuers and patients stay protected. Next, patient assessment focuses on immediate needs: consciousness, airway, breathing, circulation, visible injuries, and spinal precautions, plus counting how many patients and where they are to set priorities for treatment and extraction. Vehicle assessment looks at the car itself—stability, potential movement, door and window access, seat belts, airbags, fuel systems, and battery or fluid hazards—to determine how you’ll gain access and what hazards must be managed during removal. Finally, extrication assessment (ranging from simple to complex) decides the extraction plan: whether you can mitigate with minimal tools and movement, or need a staged approach with stabilization, cribbing, cutting, or vehicle disassembly, including the sequence, equipment, and personnel needed. Because this size-up is ongoing, you continually reevaluate each part as the scene changes and new information becomes available.