There were three accident victims who needed help — one in a car and two in a bus.  The school bus was on top of the car and the Claremont Rescue Squad had to figure out how to get them all out safely in a situation where every second counts.

The rescue squad won first place in the Technical Rescue Competition held in Hickory, part of the annual convention of North Carolina Association of Rescue and Emergency Medical Services.

Armed with an equipment list and training, the Claremont Rescue Squad had no idea what to expect, only what to bring, Claremont Rescue Squad Chief Jason Crooks said.

“Just like pulling up to the scene, you had no idea what you had,” Crooks said.

The team has competed every year since 2005, Crooks said, always earning third place, “which is good, but it’s nice getting that first-place trophy,” Crooks said.

He said typically Alexander County Rescue Squad takes the honor.

When the team arrived to compete, they were handed a scenario to study for 10 minutes before the competition began.  The scenario they were given involved a car that become trapped underneath a school bus during a rear-end collision.  The team had 30 minutes to assess the situation, remove a car from underneath a school bus and help the accident victims.

The team was required to use every piece of equipment on the list provided prior to the competition date and the Jaws of Life could only be used one time.

“It’s more of a game at first,” Crooks said.

The Claremont team competed first, using a low-pressure air bag to lift the bus off the car.  Crooks said the team then used a device called a “come-along,” which is a hand-driven wench to manually pull the car out from underneath the bus.  From there, the team used the hydraulic-powered Jaws of Life to cut the roof off the car to reach the injured person.

Crooks and his teammates rescued the victim from the car, a bus driver another patient from the back of the bus that wasn’t visible during the beginning of the challenge.

“It was a good learning experience,” Claremont Rescue Technician James Austin said.  “We got to use a lot of different skills and training we don’t use on a regular basis.”

He said the hardest part for him was removing the 180-pound dummies from the vehicles.

Departments are judged based on whether they use every piece of equipment on the list provided, how safely it’s used and that it’s used correctly.  The crews communication between squad members and the judge are also factored into the score, as well as the completion of the scenario in the allotted time.

Crooks said the Claremont Rescue Squad has used the heavy lifting technique three times already this year when vehicles have driven into buildings.  Three years ago, the department also attempted to rescue a Newton man when his tractor fell on top of him in the Jacob Fork River.

Claremont Rescue Squad is one of three rescue squads sin Catawba County certified in heavy lifting rescue.  The others are Hickory and Sherrills Ford.  Claremont was the first of the three to receive the heavy lifting certification in 2002.

Crooks said the range of specialties and experience among the team members made them strong competitors this year.

“It was a relief to see the team work that well together,” Crooks said.

“In my opinion, we’re the best in the county,” he added.

Crooks said the Claremont Rescue Squad was the only squad to complete the scenario.

“I’m hoping it will make us work harder to get that first place trophy back (next year),” Crooks said.