This document provides guidance on safety procedures for responding to road traffic accidents (RTAs). It emphasizes the importance of personal protective equipment and establishing safe zones around incidents. Crews are instructed to park in a position blocking traffic, lay out cones and beacons to delineate the scene, and use vehicles or other means to fully block the road if necessary. When extracting casualties, firefighters should stabilize the vehicle, manage glass carefully, examine for hidden safety systems, and avoid moving casualties unless absolutely necessary. Scene safety is the top priority throughout the response.

1. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
RTA SafetyUpdated for new
regulations
RTA SAFETY
KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher

2. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
YOUR FIRST LINE OF
DEFENCE
• Your PPE. As with all
calls, your first and
primary safety
procedure is to
•WEAR
YOUR
PPE
KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher

3. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
EXTRA PPE SPECIFICATIONS
Class 3
Class 3 defines the highest level of
visibility
As Class 2 but with sleeves with 2
horizontal circular bands on each sleeve
Fluorescent material > 0,8 m²
Retro reflective material > 0,20 m²
Hi Viz Jackets
TO BE WORN AT ALL ROAD BASED INCIDENTS UNLESS FIRE FIGHTING

4. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
AT ARRIVAL ON SCENE
PARK IN THE FEND OFF POSITION
IF NECESSARY BLOCK THE ROAD
KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
REMEMBER WHEN FENDING OFF OR BLOCKING THE ROAD TO LEAVE ROOM
FOR THE AMBULANCE OR GARDA CAR INSIDE THE SAFE ZONE. IF THE ROAD
IS BLOCKED THE APPLIANCE MAY HAVE TO MOVE TO LET THE AMBULANCE
GAIN ENTRY TO THE SAFE ZONE SO THE DRIVER MUST STAY WITH THE
APPLIANCE AT ALL TIMES EVEN WHEN FENDING OFF

5. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
WHEN POSSIBLE ALWAYS DISMOUNT INTO THE SAFE ZONE
SAFE ZONE
LAY A HOSEREEL FROM THE APPLIANCE TO THE RTA WITHIN THE SAFE ZONE
DISMOUNTING
AND FIRST ACTION
A WORKING ZONE OF TWO METRES
WORKING ZONE
SAFETY ZONE
PLUS A SAFETY ZONE OF ONE AND A HALF METRES MUST BE KEPT AT ALL
TIMES
KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher

6. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
ONE FIREFIGHTER SHOULD ALWAYS DETAILED TO DO THIS ON ARRIVAL
LAY CONES TO PROTECT THE SCENE
REMEMBERING THE WORKING AND SAFETY ZONES
WHEN LAYING CONES HOLD THE STACK ON YOUR OUTSIDE HAND AND WALK
BACKWARDS FACING THE TRAFFIC
DISPERSE BEACONS THROUGH THE CONES AT NIGHT
SCENE SAFETY
KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher

7. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
SCENE SAFETY
IF NECESSARY TO ACHIEVE THE SAFE AND WORKING
ZONES
THE APPLIANCE SHOULD BE USED TO BLOCK THE ROAD
KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher

8. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
200 to 400 MTS
PLACE THE ACCIDENT AHEAD SIGN 400 METRES FROM THE INCIDENT ON A
STRAIGHT ROAD
ON A ROAD WITH BENDS THE SIGN IS PUT AT WHAT EVER DISTANCE IS
REQUIRED TO GIVE SUFFICIENT WARNING TO ON-COMING TRAFFIC
EXTENDED SCENE SAFETY
KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher

9. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
THE ARGUMENT
Gardai may require the road to be opened
and may try and demand that it is opened.
Gardai are responsible for traffic flow and
the road itself not the health and safety of
anyone on scene nor are they in any way
responsible for the rescue.
Sole legal responsibility for the health and
safety of everyone on scene rests with the
Fire Service Incident Commander.

10. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
LEGISLATION
Section 27 of the 1981 Fire Services Act gives sole authority to the officer in charge
of the fire brigade attending the incident, or to a Garda in his absence:
Fire Services Act, 1981
Fire-fighting and emergencies.
25.—A fire authority may carry out or assist in any operations of an emergency
nature, whether or not a risk of fire is involved, and a fire authority may accordingly
make such provision for the rescue or safeguarding of persons and protection of
property as it considers necessary for the purposes of that function.
Ancillary powers.
28.—(1) The person in control at a fire or other emergency may, either personally or
by a member of a fire brigade present at the incident or by a member of the Garda
Síochána, or by such other person as he authorises, do (if necessary, by force) all
such things as are, in his opinion, necessary or expedient for the purpose of
extinguishing the fire or for protecting or rescuing persons or property

11. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
RESPONSABILITY
Along with the legislation giving the Fire Service Incident
Commander sole authority at the incident or a member
of An Garda Síochána in his/her absence it goes hand in
hand that he/she is legally responsible for the incident
and the health and safety of everyone attending the
incident including all other emergency service personnel.
If anything happens to someone at the incident it is the
Incident Commander who will end up answering
questions in the dock.

12. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
CROWD CONTROL
THE FIRE CREW MUST BE GIVEN A CLEAR AREA TO WORK IN
IF THE GARDAI ARE IN ATTENDANCE ASK THEM TO DO IT
IF THE GARDAI ARE NOT IN ATTENDANCE A FIREFIGHTER
SHOULD BE DETAILED TO DO CROWD CONTROL IF THE MAN-
POWER IS AVAILABLE
IF THE MAN-POWER IS NOT AVAILABLE THEN THE INCIDENT
COMMANDER MAY HAVE TO STEP IN
NEVER LET ANYONE SMOKE NEAR THE SCENE OF AN RTA
KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher

13. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
THE SYSTEM OF RTA
EXTRACTION
Scene safety
Scene Survey (Including perimeter search) the use of
the thermal imaging camera can be beneficial when
doing this.
Equipment dump
Stabilise (Chock the vehicle)
Glass management
Expose and Examine *
Extricate (Cut the vehicle)
Casualty handling (Remove the casualty) *

14. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
* EXPOSE AND EXAMINE
In modern vehicles exposing and examining the pillars and dash
before cutting has become even more important. Various occupant
safety systems are now hidden behind the plastics of vehicles which
if cut can cause harm to both fire fighters and casualties alike.
The B post can be the most dangerous of these areas as they can
contain seat belt pre tensioners, air bags and various other safety
equipment.
Before any cutting is done a fire fighter (usually the same firefighter
detailed to do glass management) should remove all plastics from
the areas to be cut and mark a safe cutting zone for the tool
operators.
Air bag restraint systems should be used if available and possible.
Sharp jagged areas should be covered after cutting

15. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
* CASUALTY HANDLING
For casualty handling we work under the PHECC Clinical Practice
Guidelines for Emergency First Responders
Stepping outside these guidelines can leave you open to being
sued.
The basics can all be covered by a simple rule. If you do not
absolutely need to remove a casualty from a vehicle before the
arrival of the Ambulance crew then don’t.
If a casualty is in immediate danger, blocking access to another
casualty or requires urgent medical intervention that cannot be done
in the vehicle then remove the casualty.
Remember that as EFR’s we cannot strap a casualty to a back
board without the OK from an EMT grade or above.
Not everyone needs to be collared.

16. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
AT THE RTA
WHEN DOING GLASS MANAGEMENT WEAR A DUST MASK
DO NOT STAND BETWEEN THE TOOL AND THE CAR
WHEN POSSIBLE COVER SHARP OBJECTS
BE AWARE OF WHAT THE VEHICLE MAY BE CARRYING
FIRE MAY OCCUR AT ANY STAGE
CHOCK THE VEHICLE, A STABLE PLATFORM IS A SAFE PLATFORM
KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher

17. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
TOOLS
DO NOT OVER-REACH
BE AWARE OF WHAT YOU ARE CUTTING
MAKE SURE OF YOUR CONNECTIONS
MAKE SURE OF YOUR FOOTING
KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher

18. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
THE CASUALTY
WEAR YOUR BARRIER GLOVES
BE AWARE OF WHERE YOU HOLD THE CASUALTY
BE MINDFUL OF THE CASUALTIES FAMILY AND FRIENDS
THEY ARE UPSET AND UNPREDICTEBLE
KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher

19. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
WATCH OUT FOR
• AIRBAGS
• SEATBELT
PRETENSIONERS
• LPG POWERED
VEHICLES
• THE NEW GAS
BUMPERS
• RINGED WHEELS
ON TRUCKS
KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher

20. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
CLEANING UP THE SCENE
BLOCK THE ROAD
WHEN THE SAFE ZONE NEEDS TO BE EXTENDED, i.e.: THE TOW
TRUCK IS PICKING UP THE CAR , THE AMBULANCE IS LOADING THE
CASUALTY, OR FOR ANY REASON A FIREFIGHTER WILL BE WORKING OUTSIDE
THE
ZONE PROVIDED BY THE FEND OFF POSITION, BLOCK THE ROAD, NOTHING
MOVES.
BE AWARE OF YOU SURROUNDINGS
SAFE ZONE
KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher

21. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
SUMMARY
WEAR YOUR PPE
USE YOUR VISOR
IF YOU NEED TO BLOCK THE ROAD, THEN
BLOCK IT
REMEMBER YOUR BASIC SCENE SAFETY
DON’T FORGET THE HIDDEN DANGERS
DO NOT STAND BETWEEN THE CAR
AND THE TOOL
KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher

22. KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
RTA SAFETY
BUILT BY BOLT
KERRY CO FIRE & RESCUE Shay Maher
ANY
QUESTIONS?