Euro NCAP develops app that promotes tertiary safety

These days, Euro NCAP, a European voluntary car safety performance assessment program, has been enhancing a new resource that concerns post-crash safety in Europe since vehicle safety is not just about protecting occupants and promoting driver assistant systems.

The safety organization is eyeing to improved tertiary safety by launching Euro Rescue for first responders in their country.

Pierre Castaing, President of Euro NCAP, said, “As planed in our 2020-2025 roadmap published in 2017, Euro NCAP has added tertiary (post-crash) safety in its 2020 rating. This Euro Rescue application, the result of joint work between manufacturers, Fire and Rescue Services and Euro NCAP, is the first visible result of the progress that can be made in terms of tertiary safety; others are to come.”

It has become more and more critical that first responders have an idea what they can and cannot do at the scene of an accident ever since vehicles have become stronger, more complicated, and alternatively in capacity.

Car manufacturers make the availability of the so-called “Rescue Sheets” and “Emergency Response Guides as the intervention within the golden hour is serious and rescuers need fast and precise information about the construction of a vehicle to help safely take away the persons from the accident. 

The inside of a Rescue sheet is a standardized summary page that contains all critical information that rescuers need to quickly and safely carry out occupants in need of help. It includes placements of components (e.g. airbags and pretensioners) and cables and batteries with high-voltage, which could be a warning to trapped passengers and to rescuers themselves. 

Manufacturer emergency response guides have complete instructions to educate and guide first responders during training and are extremely important for alternative fuel vehicles.

In partnership with The International Association of Fire & Rescue Services (Comité Technique International de prevention et d'extinction de Feu or CTIF), Euro NCAP has collected the manufacturers’ rescue sheets in the Euro Rescue app. This can be downloaded freely and is available on both iOS and Android.

The app may be used online or offline, making it easier for responders to call for help and rescuers to have access with information even when there is no internet connection at the area where the accident happened.

Euro NCAP will verify the content of all cars assessed from 2020 onwards and share ISO-compliant rescue sheets and emergency response guides for new energy vehicles using the new mobile application.

As of now, Euro Rescue is only available in four different languages: English, French, German and Spanish, but Euro NCAP aims for the app to be available in all European languages by 2023.

The app may also be used from a different continent other than Europe: the Australasian New Car Assessment Program, (ANCAP SAFETY), the region’s independent vehicle safety authority, also starts its application ‘ANCAP Rescue’ based on Euro Rescue today.

“The Euro Rescue phone app is an important milestone in the collaboration with Euro NCAP and the vehicle industry. For the first time, verified ISO compliant “Rescue Sheets and Emergency Response Guides” will be freely and easily accessible at one unique location. This will greatly help the rescue services & first responders for their vitally important work across Europe.” CTIF President Tore Eriksson stated.

Photo from Euro NCAP

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