One of the most important knives you can have for a combat environment

[SPXTrader]

From experience, I witnessed an accident right in front of me. An older lady stepped on the gas instead of the brake, crashed thru a guardrail, off a 10 ft. embankment and nosed into a creek. She must have been doing about 40 when she hit. The airbag went off, and that saved her. She wasn't against the seat belt, but I couldn't get the latch to release. Only after the FD arrived and used a seat belt cutter were they able to extract her from the car.

So, based upon one personal experience, yes, they can jam.

 

[Cougar Allen]

I've been a Police Officer for 24 years and I've been to hundreds, if not thousands, of accident scenes. In all that time I've never seen anyone who needed to be cut out of a seatbelt. We either unbuckle them, or they weren't wearing the belt in the first place. In fact, I only know of one Officer in my department who has ever cut a seatbelt, and he said he only did it because he'd heard about it and thought it would be cool. Have you guys really encountered seatbelts that jam in accidents, or is it perhaps an urban legend? I'm not trying to be a wiseguy, I'd really just like to know.

Are you really a cop?

When you're trying to get the injured out of a wrecked vehicle you don't try to crawl into the wreckage and feel around for seat belt buckles to see if you can get them to work. You just cut the belts.

 

[ss Dragonfly]

I am an EMT and in most situations the belts will unbuckle but in the event I can't reach it or whatever Spyderco's Assist2 is in my pocket. It works well, has a glass breaker, whistle, and can be used to pry because of the overbuilt spine. An all around trusty tool.

 

[OldPhysics]

OP, the EMT shears have a big rounded front, not something sharp and pointy. This gives the user the ability to cut (usually clothing) extremely fast, without worrying about cutting the person they're working on. They are standard equipment in all ambulances and ER's.

Ah! That makes perfect sense -- thank you!!

 

[Pointshoot777]

View of Gerber Rescue knife for those shopping around for this type of tool - - Notice oversized thumb studs and handle designed to easily be used with gloves, serrated blade with blunted tip, seatbelt cutter, glass breaker. On back side of handle is slot to use as wrench for valve on oxygen tanks. Blade done in 440A steel for maximum corrosion resistance from exposure to water, blood, etc. Also selected over more exotic steels in order to be affordable to anyone needing one. - Tools below knife come with knife and fit in separate pocket on knife sheath.

 

[flipe8]

The overall design of that knife is pretty well thought out, but I found the liner lock to be fairly unreliable. It's designed in such a way thet it can be unlocked from the outside, but I found it jammed on me a few times as the liner is bent in the opposite direction of a traditional lock. It wants to bend to the "unlock" position and I found this out on the training grounds one day at work. As result, I lost all faith in it and ended up getting rid of it. I honestly think the design flaw is serious enough that I wouldn't suggest it be used in times of emergency.

 

[Pointshoot777]

The overall design of that knife is pretty well thought out, but I found the liner lock to be fairly unreliable. It's designed in such a way thet it can be unlocked from the outside, but I found it jammed on me a few times as the liner is bent in the opposite direction of a traditional lock. It wants to bend to the "unlock" position and I found this out on the training grounds one day at work. As result, I lost all faith in it and ended up getting rid of it. I honestly think the design flaw is serious enough that I wouldn't suggest it be used in times of emergency.

Thanks for the input. I haven't put it through its paces yet, but will keep an eye out for what you mentioned. If its a problem - - its going back. Did the knife actually unlock on you while in use, or was it that you couldn't unlock the blade when you wanted ? Regards, - -

 

[Confederate]

I've never tried using a seat belt cutter, but are they really as fast and as clean to use as a good knife blade? Many rescue tools come with small prying utilities as well as windshield punches. If I were in a vehicle where time is of the essence, I want whatever is the fastest. (I have a friend who helped the driver out of a burning car once, but didn't have time to rescue anyone else. He said the sound of their screams and the sight of their fists hitting the windows with all the fire engulfing the vehicle is something he still has nightmares over. In his case, I don't think anything would have helped the man's wife and three kids.)

Also selected over more exotic steels in order to be affordable to anyone needing one.

Ummm...yep, 440A (for Gerber) is now premium steel!

.

 

[leopardprey]

Chris, understand your point of veiw, as I used to be a career Firefighter for a couple of years before going back in the Army and then subsequent PSD work is Iraq. Easier to unlatch the seatbelt in a civlian setting accident, though there are times due to the accident configuration where a seat belt cutter came in handy. In a war zone, you may not be able to access certain angles of the vehicle due to gunfire, and also IEDs can really tear up a vehicles, so a Seat belt cutter may be needed. Also, you may have to use one yourself to get out. As the seatbelt latch can be damaged in the accident or explosion and team members from the other vehicles in your convoy are occupied with other tasks at the moment. Most IEDs also bring about fire damage as well, especially EFPs. Plus weapons, tactical wen gear and body armor have a way of getting tangled up in seat belts. Our SOP was to always wear Seatbelts, though some did not like, it personnally saved my life in an incident I was involved in, in Iraq. Had the armored F350 I was in get flipped over several times and thrown into a ditch. (not due to an IED, but to a non-detonating suspected VBIED ramming my vehicle) Many times in an IED explosion, it was not the blast that killed personnel, but the subsequent rollover of the vehicle and accident that the IED blast caused.

The EMT shears are great for cutting off webbing, gear, clothing. And also cut through seat belts pretty good.

 

[Cobalt]

View of Gerber Rescue knife for those shopping around for this type of tool - - Notice oversized thumb studs and handle designed to easily be used with gloves, serrated blade with blunted tip, seatbelt cutter, glass breaker. On back side of handle is slot to use as wrench for valve on oxygen tanks. Blade done in 440A steel for maximum corrosion resistance from exposure to water, blood, etc. Also selected over more exotic steels in order to be affordable to anyone needing one. - Tools below knife come with knife and fit in separate pocket on knife sheath.

very nice. Nice little utility blade for every day use and act as an emergency tool.:thumbup:

 

[dulleddown]

I don't understand specifically why seatbelt cutters are so important when a serrated knife or a knife with a sawback or other such devise will do the job just as well.

They're an improvement over folding knives in that they can be deployed and used one-handed, and quickly, without regard for tip location. If seconds were to matter, something specifically designed to cut nylon webbing is going to be able to get on the seatbelt and cut it faster than opening a knife and being careful not to poke or cut someone with it while doing the cutting.

Also, if using it on yourself to extricate from a vehicle, consider that you may only have use of one arm, and if your knife is not a one-handed opener, that would be a problem.

Also, Blackwind and others... consider having the seatbelt cutter actually clipped to your seatbelt if it's not already. A knife, seatbelt cutter, or other tool in your centre console compartment with the lid shut is likely going to be in the backseat or somewhere out of reach after a wreck. I've seen them even come off their seatbelt clips, but having it there is the safest place. Still, having been an EMA for 15 years, I've never seen anyone use one on themselves after an accident. Not to say they're not good tools though....

 

[dulleddown]

Just to add to the above... we've never had to cut anyone out of their seatbelt as if that's required it's all been done by the time we are involved. It would be the Fire Department or first responders that may do that. The Fire Dept has heavy duty shears like the ones we'd use for cutting clothes. I expect they'd be the best tool for the job if required.

 

[VTguy]

I'm buying my sister a spyderco assist for christmas. She does alot of horseback riding and wanted something to cut leather straps and need be. I thought of the assist because it has a blunt tip made to protect the victim of an accident, or rescue. I believe that these could function well as seat belt cutters. I was however, wondering if any other knife companies utilize this blunt tip feature: where the tip actually protrudes out infront of the edge like the spyderco model? They seem to me about the ideal rescue knife, I think I might get one for my self as well.

 

[GarageBoy]

That Hinderer designed Gerber works pretty well. Have a buddy whos FDNY, who has used it to cut away coaxial cable that gets tangled on masks. (The cable guys attach the cable to the ceiling with plastic clips, which melt and come off)

 

[Lorien]

now that thread got derailed but quick!

 

[Chris Meyer]

Are you really a cop?
When you're trying to get the injured out of a wrecked vehicle you don't try to crawl into the wreckage and feel around for seat belt buckles to see if you can get them to work. You just cut the belts.

Yes. Since April of 1984, so I guess it's really just 23 years and 8 months. What purpose would be served by lying about my occupation??
Of course you get into the car with them. You can't just cut the belt and yank them out the window, someone's got to go in and get them. If you have to extricate them (the FD, of course, is usually the ones to actually accomplish this, but we often help), they generally go out on a backboard with a neck collar. Now, if the vehicle is flipped over, I can see where you'd have a problem getting a seatbelt off. I've just never seen a buckle actually jam. I'm not saying they don't, just that I haven't seen it. That's why I asked.

leopardprey, I recognize that in a combat environment you are much more likely to have catastrophic equipment damage, fires, etc., so I can see why you'd want the seatbelt cutter. My question was really directed at those who are stateside and find the need for a dedicated seatbelt cutter. Stay safe, and thanks for helping to protect and defend our country. Semper Fi. :thumbup:

 

[Chris Meyer]

You know, about 15yrs ago one of our guys was chasing a car for speeding, lost control of his cruiser, and actually flipped it over sideways into the Podunk River in South Windsor, CT. Right after that, the department rushed out and bought a bunch of Life Hammers and installed them in all of our cars. They never got used, except by the meatheads who used them to put dents in our fake woodgrain dashboards and to tear up the steering wheels when they were bored. Eventually, the department gave up and removed all of the hammers.

That company's still in business. This what their product looks like today.

ps: Please not, I'm not recommending or endorsing this product. I always thought it was kind of silly, but they have been selling them for years...

 

[leopardprey]

And Chris, thank you for undertaking the most dangerous job and hardworking job of a Police Officer. In many ways, your job is just as dangerous, or even more so, than working in Iraq. All the crackheads and dopers you have to deal with and never knowing what is at stake when you pull that person over to the side of the road in the middle of the night. God Speed.

 

[Esav Benyamin]

That company's still in business. This what their product looks like today.

The small item to the left is the ResQMe, which is a better tool for breaking glass and cutting seat belts. I used to carry a Spyderco Assist on me (I still keep it handy) but now I carry a ResQMe on my keychain. Not the biggest and best? But it's always available.

 

[Khalnath]

There was an episode of Mythbusters about freeing yourself from a submerged car. They found that using your bare hands was basically impossible, but that a glass breaking hammer much like the one pictured was *extremely* effective.

My father poked a hole in his finger playing with one of the spring-loaded glass breakers. A physician friend of his had it on his keyring. Boy was that ever hilarious. I'm sure they would be equally (if not more) effective.

Oh, and I really really want a Spyderco Assist. It's so cool how the glass breaker only protrudes when you squeeze the blade into the handle.