Inflatable jumping cushions

[Micael]

I’m curious what people think of these. I think that they’re more of a thing in Europe than in North America, but at a glance it seems that some departments in the US is using or has used them at some point in time.

From my point of view they’re one of those things that rarely saves anyone in practice, but the normal sized models don’t weigh too overly much, doesn’t cost much, and can be put in place and inflated by two firefighters in 30 seconds. So even though the saves made by them are rare, and removing people via an aerial is always preferrable, I think there’s an argument to be made in favor of having them around, though I’ve known some people to argue that they’re so rarely useful that there’s no point in carrying them around.

There was a save made here in Stockholm, Sweden in 2012. Firefighters arrived at a fire on the top floor of an apartment building. Woman hanging out of the window of the fire apartment, aerial couldn’t be positioned well enough immediately to get to her. So while they initiated an effort to reach the woman from the inside, they also threw out one of the cushions below ”just in case”. Fire got worse fast and she had to jump from about 65 feet up before the crew could reach her. Partially missed the cushion and got some injuries but survived. It’s the only example in recent years I know of here. But it’s one more life saved. Photos of the cushion and fire building below.

 

[Lebby]

NYPD ESU uses them for "Jumper Up" situations were people threaten to jump in attempts at suicide.

 

[Micael]

NYPD ESU uses them for "Jumper Up" situations were people threaten to jump in attempts at suicide.

Yeah that’s probably the most frequent situation they’re deployed in here as well. Though it’s the fire department that deploys them rather than the police.

 

[Capttomo]

They have their limitations such as maximum height from which one can jump. They take up so much space between the bag and the inflation fans. That’s why ESU transports them to scene in a smaller box type truck just for the purpose of carrying these bags.

 

[raybrag]

Used by movie crews a lot.

 

[Micael]

They have their limitations such as maximum height from which one can jump. They take up so much space between the bag and the inflation fans. That’s why ESU transports them to scene in a smaller box type truck just for the purpose of carrying these bags.

The ones I’ve seen in use here uses a compressed air bottle for inflation and then keeps its form for an extended duration and multiple (numerous) jumps. So no need for fans for those models. I had a look at a specific model now, uninflated it has a size of 35 x 22 x 12 inches and weighs about 110 lbs. Makes it easy to set up to, two firefighters drag it to where you want it, open a valve and then it’s ready.

 

[Micael]

Here’s a picture to give an idea of how much space it occupies when stored. This is a new ladder for the Halmstad FD in Sweden. They’ve opted to reintroduce the inflatable jumping cushion into their department after it having been gone for a long time, due to a perceived need.

They’ve opted to place it in the box with the diagonal sides and the red tarp over it here on top of the rig. It doesn’t take up a massive amount of space, and on the generally larger sized US style ladder trucks I suspect that it’d be possible to squeeze it in somewhere. If there was a perceived use for it of course, which I’m not saying that there necessarily is for everyone.

 

[Capttomo]

Interesting.....obviously a much smaller bag than what ESU is using. I would like to see a picture of it fully inflated. Here are a couple of photos from the internet of the NYPD ESU bags and the type of trucks that carry them. In the third photo you can see the hand truck by the bag that is used to wheel it into place prior to layout and inflation and you can also see the fan and ducting on the right - used to inflate the bag

 

[Micael]

Interesting.....obviously a much smaller bag than what ESU is using. I would like to see a picture of it fully inflated. Here are a couple of photos from the internet of the NYPD ESU bags and the type of trucks that carry them. In the third photo you can see the hand truck by the bag that is used to wheel it into place prior to layout and inflation and you can also see the fan and ducting on the right - used to inflate the bag View attachment 38426View attachment 38427View attachment 38428

Here you go, the measurements are about 11’6” by 11’6” by 5’7” when inflated.

This would be the smaller version for drops up to 53 feet, there’s a larger version for drops of up to 82 feet.

 

[Micael]

Here’s a short Facebook video clip that shows the cushion and how it inflates, speed and such:

Idag har vi övat på denna nyinköpta hoppkudde. Den ska vi använda då inga andra alternativ till personlivräddning finns. Det kan till exempel vara vid... | By Räddningstjänsten Karlstadsregionen | Facebook

Idag har vi övat på denna nyinköpta hoppkudde. Den ska vi använda då inga andra alternativ till personlivräddning finns. Det kan till exempel vara vid...

fb.watch

 

[Capttomo]

Here you go, the measurements are about 11’6” by 11’6” by 5’7” when inflated. View attachment 38436

This would be the smaller version for drops up to 53 feet, there’s a larger version for drops of up to 82 feet.

Thank you for the pics and information. Very interesting. I continue to learn at least one thing everyday. I can certainly see how this can be set up quickly with an scba cylinder and I can now see that it takes up so much less space than the ESU bags. The bag you show here is definitely about 1/4 to 1/5 the deployed size of the ESU bags, however, the ESU bags are primarily utilized for people attempting to take their lives hence the need for a larger footprint bag to contain the jumper who may intentionally try to avoid the bag when jumping- most jumpers are actually removed before jumping thank god. The bag you show has a much smaller footprint but is utilized primarily for a person attempting to SAVE their own life and jump towards the center of the target bag. Again using the right tool for the specific mission. Thanks for sharing.

 

[Capttomo]

Here’s a short Facebook video clip that shows the cushion and how it inflates, speed and such:

Idag har vi övat på denna nyinköpta hoppkudde. Den ska vi använda då inga andra alternativ till personlivräddning finns. Det kan till exempel vara vid... | By Räddningstjänsten Karlstadsregionen | Facebook

Idag har vi övat på denna nyinköpta hoppkudde. Den ska vi använda då inga andra alternativ till personlivräddning finns. Det kan till exempel vara vid...

fb.watch

Wow! Very impressive in the compactness and extremely rapid deployment time. I like it.

 

[Micael]

Yes exactly, hopefully a person that is trying to save their life will aim as best they can to land in the cushion.

I have an example of one being used in 2018 here. Fire in a seven story residential building, by the time the first due unit arrived one person had already jumped from the seventh floor onto a lawn (though seriously injured he survived). Three more were in immediate danger. Here’s a description of what happened:

”UNIQUE RESCUE EFFORT AT RÅSLÄTT​

2018-11-07
- It wasn’t any ordinary "party shouting". It was pure panic. I woke up quickly and I saw reflections in the windows of what I understood to be fire. Heavy fire, says Mia Blomkvist, who lives on the bottom floor in Råslätt's student area. It was early morning, 2:00 a.m. on Thursday, September 13th, and Mia quickly dressed to go out and see if she could help with anything.

The emergency services arrive quickly. Michael Simmeborn was the incident commander.
- When we arrive, a person has jumped from his apartment and is being taken care of by paramedics. We see from the front side of the building that there are people still in the apartment and send the ladder truck forward to evacuate them.

SCBA teams make their way up through the stairwell.
- I make my way around to the back of the building and then see a person who is ready to jump. I realize that we won't have time to get the ladder truck there, but with the assistance of the police we manage to get a jumping cushion in place. The person jumps and lands perfectly. A completely unique rescue operation that we have never seen before in Jönköping, says Simmeborn.”

The jumper suffered only some smoke inhalation injuries.

So I again stress that it shouldn’t be a first choice for rescuing someone as there’s always a risk that the jumpers will miss the cushion, but if you’re out of time and other options it’s a lot better to have a jumper land in a cushion than on the naked ground.

I can also mention that these cushions are the effective replacement for the life nets previously used by firefighters. Those obviously had major issues such as needing a whole bunch of people to hold, risking injuries to firefighters if the jumpers missed and so on. But those issues are largely removed by using these cushions instead.

 

[Capttomo]

Thanks again for enlightening us. Stay well