At a replacement cost of almost $1 million, the rescue squad truck is easily the most expensive piece of equipment that the Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad maintains. Essentially, it is a massive toolbox packed with rescue equipment, including powerful hydraulic tools and medical gear.

The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad owns two rescue squad trucks – "Rescue Squad 741" and "Rescue Squad 741B."    These trucks are staffed by firefighters who receive not only the same extensive fire training that every other firefighter receives, but also specialized training in a variety of special rescue operations.

All Rescue Squad members are also Emergency Medical Technicians trained to render emergency medical care on any incident--whether a vehicle collision, fire, or medical call.

Unwrapping Twisted Metal to Save a Life

At traffic crashes, the rescue squad stabilizes vehicles and extricates any patients who may be trapped. No matter how a car or truck lands after a collision, it is important to stabilize the vehicle to prevent sudden shifts or movements that may further injure trapped occupants or the emergency personnel helping them.

Often, a car is damaged to the point that it is impossible to open a door to get to an injured person. The rescue squad crew uses specialized hydraulic rescue tools to cut, pry, and rip the vehicle’s metal shell–essentially “unwrapping” it–to gain access to the patient inside. Sometimes it's a matter of simply popping open a jammed door.

Other times it is necessary to cut the entire roof off a vehicle, a task the squad crew trains to complete in a matter of minutes, so that a seriously injured collision victim can receive rapid treatment for life-threatening injuries.

Search and Rescue in Blinding Smoke

During a fire, the rescue squad crew's first responsibility is search and rescue – finding people who may have succumbed to heat and smoke and who need to be pulled out of a burning building.

The squad crew carries a thermal imager that allows them to see through blinding smoke. The imager helps the rescuers navigate through houses to find people and animals.

After the fire is knocked down, the squad crew uses tools, including the thermal imager, to check for fire extension in the walls and ceilings. The crew's goal is to prevent a fire from flaring up again after they leave the scene.

Specialized Rescues

The rescue squad also performs other specialized rescues. The squad crew is trained and equipped to make rescues during swift-water incidents, such as when someone needs help on the Potomac River or when a heavy rainstorm turns a major road into a river.

The squad crew is also prepared to perform what's called "technical rescue," which could involve setting up rope to rappel down the side of a building to make a rescue, or devising a pulley system to haul up people who may be trapped down an embankment.

In addition, the rescue squad personnel are trained for confined space rescues, such as a when a person is trapped inside a well or storm drain. Such situations can become a deadly environment because of the lack of oxygen or the presence of toxic fumes.

Staying Ahead of the Curve with Evolving Technology

The Bethesda-Chevy Chase Rescue Squad continues to adopt new technology in order to provide the most advanced emergency services.  The Squad has evolved  from rescue squads with personnel riding on the back-step to fully enclosed cabs of today; acquired state-of-the art rescue tools such as thermal imaging systems; created a confined space rescue team and a Bicycle Emergency Response Team; designed and acquired a mobile cascade system; and added a rescue air compressor trailer.  The Squad is well-poised to meet today's challenges.  In responding to more than 10,000 emergency calls per year, the Squad’s 150 dedicated and professionally-trained volunteers and staff let nothing get in the way of answering a call for help. 

The squad crew is trained to cut the roof off a car within minutes of arriving, so that the patient trapped inside can receive lifesaving medical care. 

A squad crew member demonstrates the use of hydraulic "spreaders." 

In this simulated extrication, the squad crew transfers the "patient" to a waiting ambulance for transport to a hospital.  The crew made short work of the vehicle in the foreground, having cut off the roof and removed the doors. 

The squad responds on a variety of fires, including high-rise building fires, and plays an critical role in rescuing victims trapped inside.

A squad crew trains in the use of a helmet-mounted thermal imager system.

A Rescue Squad member rappels down the side of a building to effect a high-angle rescue.