Procedures for emergency responders

Safety system

Note: Basic knowledge of safety systems is required before studying this document.

There are two different potential dangers associated with safety systems such as airbags, seatbelt pretensioners and automatic rollover protection systems. The first is the accidental activation of these devices, which can be very dangerous if someone is in the deployment path. People that are not positioned properly in front of the airbag are in danger to get hurt (so called 'Out Of Position'). The second danger is, to damage parts of the pyrotechnic or pressurized inflator modules, which can result in unexpected activation of the device, possibly resulting in parts flying around the scene.

Some basic rules of thumb, in conjunction with some knowledge about the safety devices used in the particular vehicle involved in the crash can minimize the associated risks.

These basic rules of thumb are:

1. Maintain safety distances
2. Perform electrical shutdown
3. Component awareness

These rules of thumb will be explained in the section below.

Questions?

Any questions about the procedures for safety systems?