What is disentanglement?

• A. The cutting of a vehicle away from trapped or injured patients
• B. The removal of trapped patients from vehicle or machinery
• C. The stabilization of a vehicle at a crash scene
• D. The safe containment of hazards at a scene

Answer: (A)

Disentanglement is the phase of vehicle rescue focused on freeing a trapped person who is entangled in the vehicle’s structure. The goal is to create space and remove the person from the vehicle by cutting away or separating parts of the vehicle that are pinning or constraining them, doing so in a way that minimizes further injury.

This step follows scene safety and stabilization and is specifically about freeing the patient from the vehicle, not simply moving them out or addressing other hazards. Tools like cutters, spreaders, or saws are used to release the patient rather than to lift or transport them.

So, the action described is cutting the vehicle away from trapped or injured patients. Removing trapped patients is a broader extrication task, stabilization is about preventing movement of the vehicle, and containment of hazards is about scene safety and hazard control.