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Our rescue airbag being used in Syria is making a huge impact to save lives. So far eight (8) people have been saved, and many move lives will be spared because of this critical device. This is a perspective from one of the rescue workers who used our innovation:
"On July 1, 2017 we were informed about an explosion of a car bomb next to a hospital in Idlib. There was extreme destruction to the hospital and the surrounding residential buildings with people trapped under the rubble.
In a matter of seconds our rescue teams and ambulances moved to the site of the explosion. With smoke and dust filling the air, our teams immediately began to extinguish the burning fire in the car and surrounding area. We transferred the injured civilians to receive medical attention.
We were told that a family of four (father, mother, two children, a 9-year-old boy and a 5-year-old gir) were still trapped under the rubble and in the same room at the house. As the rescue team was heading to the building, we noticed that the walls of the house completely collapsed and the roof fell in a triangle trapping the family. Through our communication with the family, we learned that the little girl was suspended under a large piece of the collapsed ceiling. The sound of her crying and whining provoked her parents to forget their own pain and made us work faster to try and get them out. We had to work very hard to get the poor family out of the rubble because any unthinkable action could cause the entire roof to fully collapse.
We started to build a safe road for the team within the building, by removing the huge debris that obstructs our access to the walls of the building. It took us about an hour and then we put the airbag under one corner of the house and it started lifting it up. We supported the collapsed roof and took the family out of the rubble and carried them to the ambulance.
The family had sustained injuries, the boy was injured from the flying glass and the little girl who sustained the worst injury had a broken leg. After we pulled them from the rubble, we took them to a hospital; where they were treated and the girl underwent surgery for her leg.
We were reassured that the family and their health was alright, especially the girl who was recovering from surgery and could stand on her legs."
- Director of Area Search and Rescue Team