Staying in place, not panicking keys if your vehicle rolls over

CTV Ottawa: Life or death training CTV's Matt Skube takes part in a rollover rescue, and learns lessons on how to survive.

Many people call it the most terrifying experience of their lives - being in a car crash.

In the most serious crashes, some vehicles flip once or multiple times, ending up on their side or on their roof. In cases like that, the most important thing to remember is to stay in the car.

"If you pop your seat belt off or people who are there kind of get in a panic and they try and remove you, you can cause serious injury to someone because they're dropping to the bottom of the car," explains Scott Deugo, a firefighter at station 43 in Ottawa and an extrication specialist.

The only exception is if you see flames, but that's a rare occurrence.

"It's unlikely that a vehicle is going to catch fire post-accident, but it does happen," says Shaun Hunt, who's also part of the Ottawa Fire extrication team. "Everybody wants to help, but they need to be aware of their own safety as well."

So if you're involved in a crash, or you come across one before emergency crews arrive, what do you do?

If you're trapped inside your car, Ottawa Fire says to do your best to remain calm. Try to take deep breaths. Put your car in park and turn it off if you're able. Call 911 if you can and give as much information as possible to the dispatcher. Don't panic if you see something that looks like smoke. It's usually the dust from airbags.

"That (dust) is to make sure the airbags deploy properly," says Deugo. "That's not smoke, so people mistake it for smoke and then it creates panic."

If you come across a crash, put your four-way hazard lights on stay far enough away so that firefighters and emergency crews can access the scene. Be careful getting out of your vehicle. Many good Samaritans who stop to help are hurt because they don't consider their own safety.

If you get to the car, be aware of your surroundings, like the possibility of gas leaking into the ground. If the car is on its side or roof, don't stand in a spot where the vehicle can fall on you. Don't try to remove anyone from the vehicle. Instead, gather as much information as you can, like how many people in the car, where exactly are you, what side of the highway you're on, how is the vehicle situated - is it on its side or on its roof. The more information that can be provided to 911 dispatchers, the better chance of accurate resources being deployed.

Again, don't try to take anyone out of the vehicle unless there's a fire. The best thing to do is talk to them.

"You don't have to be a first responder like us with all this training and experience," says Deugo. "You can make a difference by just talking to someone. Help is on the way, I'm on the phone."

The Ottawa Fire extrication crew is specially trained to handle situations like that. They use special tools and gear to free people from all kinds of crashes, and do it as efficiently as possible to get someone to the hospital. Many emergency responders talk about the golden hour.

"It's from the time of the incident to being on a surgeon's table within an hour's time because there could be some internal things going on and that's how we can make a difference," Deugo says.

They have a competitive team that travels across the continent and the world not only to compete, but to learn different techniques. No matter what situation it is, the extrication team always has one focus.

"We're working against the clock. There's always a clock and we have to get you quick."