Farm equipment entrapment

[firedoc5]

I figured you were going this way after that last one. No Need to amputate. At least if I am envisioning this in my head properly. Header Augers are surprisingly flimsy, with proper leverage it can be bent up with a pry bar releasing the individual from that area, then the feeder belt can be cut and the pulley turned in reverse to permit the legs to come back out.

Now....if you were to change your scenario so that the farmer was unloading the combine and went into the tank to kick grain down into the auger and slipped...you might have a more difficult extrication, but by that time, it's no longer an amputation for EMS to do, the auger has already done it for you.

That's what I was thinking. The legs are probably very close to already being dismembered. Might just have to cut some muscle and tendons. The bones you may not have to cut. I think everyone else has already said all that you can do for him.

I grew up playing on and around farm equipment, and operating them. My best friend's father was a farmer of many, many acres of diverse crops. So I was able to see how combines worked. And other types of augers.

There are Farm Machinery Extrication classes around. At one time it was like a next step as an ERT. It's a class that I would recommend. Also Heavy Equipment classes if you are in a rural setting on near an Interstate.

[p3medic]

I wouldn't know a combine if I tripped over it.

[rat115]

I figured you were going this way after that last one. No Need to amputate. At least if I am envisioning this in my head properly. Header Augers are surprisingly flimsy, with proper leverage it can be bent up with a pry bar releasing the individual from that area, then the feeder belt can be cut and the pulley turned in reverse to permit the legs to come back out.

Now....if you were to change your scenario so that the farmer was unloading the combine and went into the tank to kick grain down into the auger and slipped...you might have a more difficult extrication, but by that time, it's no longer an amputation for EMS to do, the auger has already done it for you.

I'm with Arctickat so far. I'd also get someone on Fire to get on the phone with the Coop. They can tell us how to pull this apart. They might even know a farmer in the area or have a staff member in the area that has the equipment to pull it .....Fast. (Of course, one of our FD guys here works for the Coop, so he'd be the one that'd be tagged for that job.)

Do we have bleeding stopped? Let's get the Lifepack set up next to the pt and set it to take vitals every 3-5 minutes. This will help us to keep an eye on that while we work on extracation. Watch the fluid levels. Because of the MOI, I want him on a NRB at 15 LPM. It may be about 87 in the shade, but let's get a blanket to at least partially cover the pt. That's still cool enough to have to worry about hypothermia with the amount of blood loss we're looking at.

As for a field amputation.....No paramedics on our crew, so we couldn't get away with that anyway. If the doc wants that, we're getting a 2nd amb en route with the doc on board so HE can do it. If the doc's coming out anyway, let's find out if the family knows his blood type and get blood brought out with the doc so that can be started to give him a better chance at survival.

[firedoc5]

I wouldn't know a combine if I tripped over it.

It's the big thing you see at harvest time. They usually have a "paddle wheel" on the front end for grains, or a wide forked like thingy for corn. :wink:

[Chief1C]

Chopper! No, not the kind that flies. You should expect no less than five augers on Combines, gives you can idea of where to look for limbs, entanglement, etc. There are also several different kinds of Combines, some are even tiny, some have 8, 6' wheels; four on the front, four on the back. Similar to a dump truck at a strip mine. Farms always yield the nastiest calls. Had the power not gone out, and I got to post earlier.. I'd have said "FAIL".

Remember your scene safety. Don't go near the patient until the machine is disabled, assuming it can't do anything because you turned it off, will possibly cause your legs to be lopped off too.. You cut the power, but the gears freely go to their resting place. Always, always, always crib farm machinery. Immobilize the machine and all it's parts. Chock the wheels, crib the cutter bar in place, sides and along side the patient. If it has a reel, crib that too. Jam wedges in the teeth, lock out what can be locked out, put hydrant wrenches through any large chains. Then, pull the cable free of the spark plug; never cut unless you know 100% how it works, in case you need it to run again. If possible, get other farmers who know the machines, they can usually be more help.

Ag. rescues are very much, back to the basics, you'll need it all. Rescue tools, jacks, cribbing, lift bags, porta-power, and several tool boxes. The older the farm machine, the more likely it is to have exposed workings.. and there are lots of things sitting around that can rip a human to shreds.

Oh.. and the MAST.

This is the only picture of a Combine that I have. This farm incident had no injuries, the motor caught fire. Typical with machines that collect a lot of grain dust, which is extremely flammable.

[Arctickat]

I wouldn't know a combine if I tripped over it.

I konw he's joking, but there may be some who have never seen one up close. I will add some pics of a combine on my personal pics page and research for some pics of entrapment.

Edit:

Whoops, seems like great minds think alike. lol

[Chief1C]

National Farmedic Training Program

http://www.farmedic.com/

Farm Medic.

[spenac]

Medical control said amputate I amputate. Guy is dead if not maybe will anyway but at least give the guy a chance.