Junior expert Petko Varbin, team commander at the Fire and Rescue Department - Kremikovtsi, spoke about the actions of the firefighters minutes after the serious accident on Chelopeshko Shose between two cars and a bus, in which four people died. According to him, the team's quick reaction prevented an even greater tragedy.
„We were at the accident itself for less than half a minute. Because this accident is very close to our service. And we almost witnessed what happened“, said Verbin, quoted by bTV.
He explained that the firefighters heard the loud bang and immediately came out of the garage.
„We saw the overturned bus with a car stuck in it and smoking. From there we immediately reported what had happened to the operations center. In short, we were ahead of the signal“, he pointed out.
According to him, the team immediately headed to the scene of the incident, while simultaneously maintaining contact with the operations center.
„Upon arrival at the scene, we found a very difficult situation. An overturned bus, a car had crashed into it, which was already on fire. There were people inside, approximately 7-8 people, maybe 9, and everyone wanted to be helped. They were shouting, screaming“, said Verbin.
He specified that the bus driver and two women had already managed to get out on their own.
The first task of the firefighters was to control the fire.
“The first thing we did was to make a fire extinguishing line to extinguish the burning vehicle. After that, we began evacuating the people from the bus“, said the team commander.
Since the bus was turned on its side, the evacuation was carried out through the vehicle's hatches.
“We were extinguishing the fire through one, and evacuating through the other. When we finished extinguishing the fire, we started to pull people out through the two hatches,“ he explained.
According to Verbin, the consequences could have been even more severe if the accident had happened further away from the fire department.
“If this had happened further away from our department, there might have been a burned bus with burned passengers,“ he said.
The firefighter emphasized how important it is to act quickly in such incidents.
“In a car accident, in most cases the fire starts in the engine compartment and then spreads to the passenger compartment. There are synthetic fabrics, upholstery, seats. Aided by spilled fuel and oil, the fire grows very quickly. That is why it is necessary to take quick action“, he said.
Verbin also gave advice on how citizens should react if they witness a serious accident.
“The first thing they should do is call 112. Then maintain constant contact with the dispatcher and report the exact location of the accident“, he explained.
According to him, the place should be secured with a reflective triangle, and if there is a fire extinguisher available and the fire is in its early stages, an attempt can be made to extinguish it.
“If it is in the engine compartment, the fire is smaller and can be treated with a fire extinguisher. "Once the car is on fire, the fire spreads quickly and is risky," he warned.
The team commander also spoke about the tense situation at the scene of the accident.
"Yes, there was aggression from one of the drivers - from the "Audi" that broke down at the bus stop. The driver wanted to fight the bus driver. He was aggressive towards him, accusing him of being at fault," said Verbin.
According to him, this happened at a time when firefighters were trying to save the victims.
"There were no police yet." Then the police came, he added.
Verbin also explained that firefighters are trained to provide first aid until the medical teams arrive.
“In our fire trucks we have first aid kits, we have medical gloves. Also, colleagues are taking a course in first aid. And we can provide first aid, which is of great importance“, he said.
As an example, he pointed out the actions in case of nosebleeds.
“A person should not be lying down, but in a sitting, stable position, slightly leaning forward, pressing both nostrils with one hand,“, explained Verbin.
He added that in case of arterial bleeding, the most important thing is to press the area firmly until medical help arrives.