Fundamentals Of Vehicle Rescue And Extrication: Essential Skills for Technical Rescue Teams and First Responders

Are you ready to move from first-due engine company to a confident vehicle rescue and extrication technician, ready for whatever wrecked vehicles the dispatch board sends you?

Whether you're a new firefighter facing your first vehicle collision or a technical rescue candidate preparing for NFPA 1006 certification, Fundamentals of Vehicle Rescue and Extrication gives you a complete, sequential guide to modern vehicle rescue and extrication — from the moment you arrive on scene to the moment your patient is packaged and handed off to EMS and ambulances.

Written by Battalion Chief Daniel R. Kessler (Ret.), this vehicle rescue training manual is built on the same principles a real vehicle extrication incident actually follows, so you always know what comes next and why. Beginning with scene assessment, traffic incident management, and rescuer safety, the book walks you through the core principles of modern vehicle construction, covering every major vehicle component — from bumper and crash-structure design to the restraint system, unibody and body-on-frame platforms, and high-strength steel — before moving into vehicle stabilization, glass management, and hand and power tool extrication practice.

From there, you'll apply those principles to space-making and advanced dash and steering column displacement, and to the vehicle-specific hazards that trip up even experienced rescuers on hybrid and electric vehicle extrication calls: undeployed airbags and other supplemental restraint considerations.

Inside this vehicle rescue and extrication guide, you'll find:

• A chapter-by-chapter walk through the full extrication sequence, from roadside size-up through patient access, incident action planning, and extended operations
• Guidance on air bag lifting systems, cribbing, bumper-mount hazards, and other stabilization principles for heavy vehicles and machinery extrication
• Coverage of complex environment rescue — off-road, embankment, and water-adjacent — and incident command development for multi-agency rescue operations
• 360 worked examples and practice scenarios, plus practice-ready checklists, that translate rescue principles into practical, hands-on skill rather than abstract theory
• A breakdown of NFPA 1006 rescue qualification levels, from awareness through technician level, with considerations for small volunteer departments and career rescue crews alike
• A quick-reference library of appendices, a glossary, an abbreviations list, and pictures throughout so you can navigate to critical extrication information fast, mid-incident

This isn't a manual you read once and shelve. It's a practical guide covering the extrication essentials for readers who want to study alone before a certification exam, practice alone in drills between shifts, review it with a rescue crew during in-house training, or keep it on any vehicle as a working road reference. Every chapter builds on rescue principles from the one before it — real skill development instead of a scattered collection of tips — so your crew gains a genuine tactical advantage at every vehicle rescue and extrication call, from routine collisions to full-scale emergency operations.

If you're ready to bring order, speed, and safety to every vehicle your crew responds to, scroll up and get your copy of Fundamentals of Vehicle Rescue and Extrication today.