Pueblo Fire Department goes through training to get people out of trapped cars, vehicle extrication calls on the rise

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) - On Tuesday, firefighters in Pueblo spent the day tearing a part cars.It's all part of an effort to keep their skills sharp when responding to a growing number of calls for people trapped in their cars after a crash.

 This was all in an effort to maximize their efficiency for a real-life scenario. Firefighters said it's helpful for learning about different cars and how to get into them quickly.They said they want to save more lives as car crashes are on the rise in southern Colorado.

The Pueblo Firefighter Department (PFD) removed 76 people trapped inside their cars in 2022. In 2023 that number jumped to almost 100. 

Tuesday, the PFD worked on cars that were mangled, tangled,  and twisted on top of each other as a way to simulate some of the worst accidents they have to deal with.

"Every day that we can get our hands on something that we can learn on, see something different is important to us so that when we are on a scene, we've kind of seen it before. and that's the hope is that we don't get there and see something we haven't seen before," said Tim Trujillo, Pueblo Fire Department.

Fire crews use spreaders, cutters and other heavy duty equipment to rip apart cars in order to get to get  inside as fast as possible. 

Firefighters said the training is critical for increasing a person's chance of surviving a car accident.