In the movie classic "Ferris Bueller's Day Off," Matthew Broderick makes the observation, "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in awhile, you could miss it."

I have always regarded this statement as a profound truth, never more so than when I attended the Fire Department Instructors Conference (FDIC) in Atlantic City, N.J., the first week of October.

My job in Atlantic City was to attend hands-on and classroom training dealing with vehicle extrication procedures and first response to accidents involving advanced technology vehicles. During my two days at the conference I had the privilege of witnessing an entirely different perspective toward automotive technology. It is a perspective that, had I not taken the time to look around, I would have missed.

For a car person, we are living in one of the most exciting times in the history of the automobile. The parallel developments of global communications and corporate partnerships coupled with engineering advances in computer-aided design and information technology have combined to produce vehicles such as the Honda FCV (fuel cell vehicle), which is as different from a new Ford Mustang as that same Mustang is to a Model T! Most of us in the training and service business are excited by all of this new technology. We see the advent of new vehicle drive systems such as hybrid drives, CNG, and hydrogen and new safety systems including curtain bags, side impact airbags, and "smart" airbags as wonderful advances in automotive technology. We do not see a downside to any of these innovations. We do not see a downside unless we are first responders!

When an advanced technology vehicle enters the shop for repair or maintenance, we can take as much time as we need to familiarize ourselves with the vehicle. We can consult a service manual or diagnostic tree and create a work plan to accomplish the needed tasks. Replacement of a cracked dash pad, for example, may require removal of the steering wheel and dash airbags, but we can do this in accordance with the factory service manual and following all safety procedures. Once at work on the vehicle we may want to beat flat rate, but otherwise time is not a significant issue. This is the perspective of the technician.

Now let's consider the viewpoint of the first responder! The mission of the responder is not to fix the vehicle; their mission is to get the passengers out of the vehicle following an accident. They need to do so as quickly as possible. They need to do so without causing any further harm or suffering to someone who has been injured. The responder has been trained to consider the vehicle's occupants as their patients. Why is this so? Because until they are extricated and passed off to medical personnel, the vehicle's occupants are in the sole care of the responders at the accident scene.

In a serious crash, especially with today's unibody vehicles, the passengers are often trapped in the vehicle. Doors are usually deformed beyond the point where they can be opened.

As cars have gotten smaller, the front seat often sits behind the B post. Following a severe crash, the B post may interfere with the job of extricating the driver or passenger. This maneuver is known as the "5th door." The rear door latch is forced open, the B post is cut through at top and bottom, and the entire assembly is then swung out of the way. Note the placement of blocks to stabilize the vehicle while rescue operations are performed.

Dashboards are forced downward which tends to trap the feet and legs of the driver or front passenger. The dashboard will actually need to be forced back up to allow safe removal of the occupants in a maneuver known as the "dash roll."

In these situations, extrication will usually require a rapid cut through the vehicle's structural members. Often the roof is removed by simply cutting through the A, B, and C posts with a hydraulic shear ("Jaws of Life").

Removal of the vehicle roof to assist with patient extrication is a task made far more hazardous and time consuming for the first responder team since the addition of airbags, curtain bags, and high strength structural members. Even the gas struts that support the rear hatch have caused injuries to emergency personnel.

The hydraulic shear, or "Jaws of Life," can apply more than 10,000 PSI of cutting force to the blades. Modern unibody structural members may contain titanium or other hardened alloys which could make this tool ineffective.

Doors are removed by slicing through hinges, the spring loaded retainer strap, and wiring harness with the same tool. The "dash roll" requires that a hydraulic spreader be used to create a pinch in the fender support rail just to the rear of the front wheelhouse. This pinch will serve as a pivot point for the dashboard and firewall assembly. After the pinch is made, the shear is used to cut the A pillar just above the dash and again at the base just above the door sill. The spreader is then placed between the sill and the outer edge of the dash assembly, and pressure is applied. The entire dash will pivot at the pinch in the fender, moving upward and literally rolling away from the footwell and passenger space. The victim can then be extricated.

The "Dash Roll." The pinch has already been placed in the fender with the hydraulic spreader (bottom foreground). A responder is cutting the A pillar with the hydraulic shear.

The A post is cut again above the sill. Following this step, a ram will be inserted into the gap left by the shear cut and expanded. The firewall and dash will pivot at the pinch point and literally roll upward, out of the way of the driver's feet and legs. Note the blocking that stabilizes the vehicle and will also transfer much of the lifting force to the ground.

This is a routine procedure in a conventional vehicle. It can be done by a trained response crew in under a minute.

But, as Ferris said, life moves pretty fast-and so does technology. A wrecked 2005 vehicle presents a whole new set of hazards to the first responder. There is likely a pressurized gas canister in the A post for the curtain bag. There may be pyrotechnic devices under the dash and in the seats. The increased use of foam as a filler in structural members means that as the shear cuts through, the blades will rub against the foam and develop a static electrical charge. If the blade is also cutting through an airbag squib wire at the same time---a bad thing may happen.The vehicle may have Zenon headlights, which can have an 85 volt electrical system and a high voltage ignitor. That Zenon lighting unit may be pushed back into the firewall! A hybrid vehicle presents even more hazards including cables that routinely carry more than 200 volts and connections to drive motors that can carry up to 600 volts.

This rescue team is about to enter the passenger compartment through the rear window after the vehicle is stabilized by cribbing and an airbag. What additional procedures should be followed it if were a hybrid with a 260 volt battery pack in the trunk floor?

Every time I pointed out the safeguards designed into these systems I was reminded that following a serious collision, systems and safeguards do not always work as intended. Are you willing to bet your life that those contactor relays went open according to plan in the hybrid battery pack after the vehicle struck a bridge abutment at 70 MPH??

Consider the possible hazards lurking in this Toyota Highlander Hybrid dash through the eyes of a first responder. They will likely never see it looking like this!

In conclusion, as technicians and trainers we have the luxury of time, access to information, and an unmolested vehicle when we work with advanced technologies. We can enjoy them. The first responder has none of these things. When extricating their patient, time is of the essence, and a human life often hangs in the balance. There is no time to look up the location of a high voltage cable or a pressurized gas cylinder, and the damage to the vehicle may have caused any number of things to go wrong with system safeguards. This is the world in which the first responder lives. They work with the same vehicles and the same technologies we do, but in a completely different world! Most of them I met view these technologies with concern, apprehension, and a tremendous need for knowledge and training. We need to look into their world, understand it, and then do all we can to support these magnificent men and women.

America's corps of emergency personnel deserves our full support in learning to safely deal with advanced automotive technologies