Scania cabs get the chop

It’s a sad fact that despite the latest active and passive safety technology, trucks will still be involved in accidents. And rescue services therefore need to know the best ways to help the driver.

In Norway, a significant Scania market, the Ålesund Fire Department has offered crews heavy vehicle rescue training since 2010. Over the past six months, trainees have been practising using cab prototypes donated by Scania.

“The ball started rolling in 2010 when four of us from the Ålesund Fire Department were on a course in Sweden to learn about rescue in connection with heavy vehicle accidents,” says firefighter Geir Egil Haug.

Haug is the training co-ordinator for heavy vehicle rescue at Ålesund Fire Department and plays a key role in nationwide heavy vehicle rescue training.

“We got in touch with Jimmy Säfström at Heavy Rescue Sweden, who is an important figure in this area internationally. We saw how they were working with complete cabs and how this made for top-quality training,” he added.

“Freeing trapped casualties from a cab is very demanding and requires understanding, competence and the correct tools. It’s about being prepared for the tasks we might have to take on.”

“The challenge has been getting hold of cabs to practise with. It’s difficult to get them, and we’ve often had to use cab shells without interiors.”

Now however, Ålesund Fire Department has been given access to prototype cabs manufactured by Scania which assists immensely in the training of fire crews across Norway.

“It’s not just about heavy vehicle rescue and the challenges involved in this, but also about what equipment you need to make rescue operations as efficient as possible,” Haug concluded.