The Heavy Vehicles Factory (HVF),
Avadi, is located in proximity to
Chennai, Tamil
Nadu, India. HVF
was set up in the year 1965 when the Government of
India decided to manufacture heavy battlefield
equipments, including Vijayanta Tank and T-72s. Currently, HVF also produces military vehicles, including
India's main
battle tank the Arjun and the T-90's. A heavy rescue vehicle, often
referred to as a rescue company, rescue squad, heavy
rescue, or simply, fire engine is a type of specialty firefighting or EMS (Emergency Medical
Services) apparatus. Essentially oversized
toolboxes on wheels, they are
primarily designed for technical
rescue situations such as auto accidents, rope
rescues, swiftwater
rescues, or collapses [1]. On the fireground,
rescue squads may be responsible for truck company operations (such as
structure ventilation, ladder operations, or Rapid Intervention Team operations)
or search and rescue. They carry an
array of special equipment such as the Jaws of
life, wooden cribbing, generators, winches, hi-lift jacks, cutting
torches, saws and many other powerful and destructive tools. NFPA (National
Fire Protection Association in the
U.S.) regulation 1006 and 1670 give guidelines
and regulations for the operation of heavy rescue vehicles and also state that
all "rescuers" must have medical training to perform any technical rescue operation,
including cutting the vehicle itself [2][3]. Therefore, in most
all rescue environments, whether it is an EMS Department or Fire Department that
runs the rescue, the actual rescuers who cut the vehicle and run the extrication scene are Medical
First
Responders, Emergency Medical
Technicians, or Paramedics, as a motor vehicle
accident has a patient
involved. In addition to fire brigades and rescue
departments, e.g. tram or railway companies may have their own heavy rescue squads specialized to
tram or train accidents [4][5]. For example,
railway rescue squads may carry very specialized equipment for railway accidents
like hydraulic jacks with a lifting capacity of 160 metric
tons (approx. 176 short tons or 353,000 pounds) - or even more, equipment for moving locomotives horizontally, and
equipment for tank car accidents [6]. Rescue squads can also carry the necessary
equipment to respond to and deal with Haz-Mat incidents. These types of
apparatus may also be equipped with a pump and tank(s) for water and/or foam,
but at least they carry materials for decontamination, absorption of
chemicals, blocking up a leakage, and protective suits for firefighters