Local firefighters hone rescue skills playing ‘Hydraulic Jenga’

Sometimes it takes a delicate touch with heavy equipment to perform rescue efforts and Whatcom County Fire District 7 firefighters have found a great way to hone those skills.

Firefighters use wood cribbing to build a giant tower as would be done playing the table game, Jenga. Cribbing is normally used to stabilize and shore up vehicles and other unstable objects to protect victims. They then take turns using a hydraulic rescue tool known as the “Jaws of Life” to remove a single wood piece without toppling the tower. As a bystander can be heard pointing out in the video, once a piece has been removed, it then must be placed on the top of the tower.