The National Auto Body Council's (NABC's) First Responders
Emergency Extrication (FREE) program was conducted in 23
communities nationwide in 2010.
First responders - such as firemen -
constantly require the most current vehicle information
concurrent with demonstrations of the latest
extraction techniques. FREE provides this. The rapid onslaught
of advancements in vehicle design,
including high strength steels, passenger restraint systems,
multiple air bags and the growing popularity of high‐voltage
hybrid vehicles makes FREE more important than ever.
“I am proud of our efforts to get this program off the ground
and running so successfully,” says 2010 FREE Chairman
Michael Quinn of 911 Collision Centers. “I want to thank the
shops who hosted a FREE event, the insurers who donated
salvage vehicles, Lead Instructor Toby Chess, Holmatro Rescue
Equipment including Bob Brown, our
rescue equipment partner, and the NABC committee members with
whom I worked this year.”
Quinn will be passing the chairmanship torch to George
Avery of State Farm Insurance for next year’s
program. “I am excited to be part of another NABC program that
is a ‘win’ for everyone,” says Avery.
“Repairers and other stakeholders get the opportunity to give
back to their community; first responders
get the opportunity to perform extraction techniques on new
vehicles in a safe environment. The FREE
program, like Recycled Rides™, assists shops in creating
positive community awareness about collision
repairers.”
Chess lauds the teamwork FREE exemplifies. “Itʹs wonderful to
have the entire industry working
together to help ensure quality information gets delivered,ʺ he
states. “The collision industry sees first
hand the ramifications of new materials and design. It is
through programs like this that important
information gets back to the folks that need it first, our
first responders.”
For more information visit www.autobodycouncil.org.
