Presenters: Casey Grant, Fire Protection Research Foundation; David Anderson, Steel Market Development Institute       

Over the last 15 years, the automotive steel industry has successfully introduced and applied a new family of advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) for vehicle applications. Although the new steels have significantly improved occupant protection in the event of an accident, they have posed a unique challenge for fire and rescue personnel. Powered rescue tools are used by emergency first responders to extricate trapped victims. A common function of these tools involves rescuing victims from crashed motor vehicles, and a large inventory of these tools exists throughout today’s emergency response community. The Fire Protection Research Foundation has initiated a project that identifies and provides an assessment of current and future extrication scenarios, especially those involving motor vehicles that use AHSS alloys and composite materials that are resistant to the performance of the present generation of powered rescue tools.