CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — TxDOT reports a car crash happens every minute, and some collision are more severe than others.
In the case that a car is mangled, first responders pull out the Jaws of Life to save the people trapped inside.
"Sometimes they just t-bone each other and it crushes the one side so you can't get the door open. If we are unable to open the opposite doors, then we'll bring in the jaws and remove the doors," ESD 2 fire chief, Dale Scott said.
The jaws Scott is referring to are a set of high powered tools with 200,000 pounds of cutting force that is secured to the side of fire engines.
"You have a spreader, you have a cutter, a ram, and a cutter," deputy fire chief JP Hominick said.
ESD 2 practices using the equipment monthly. Hominick is in charge of the rescue training.
According to Hominick, as cars become more advanced, so do the tactics used to save the lives in them.
"All our older vehicles that once were made out of steel which all of these can cut just fine," Hominick said. "They now being made out of a whole bunch of new stronger lighter weight aloids. So which we need to learn where our cut-points are going to be, where or how our push points are going to be."
Before beginning, the firefighters cover the victims in the car to shield them from debris and explain what's about to happen.
In a matter of minutes, a team of firefighters can free a victim from their car.
"We always try to work off what is safe, what's efficient, and then we work on fast. You know, fast will come later, but if we can be efficient and safe in what we're doing, then we're good," Hominick said.
In 2019, ESD #2 had nearly 40 auto rescues.