Vehicle extrication is one of the many tasks that our brave firefighters are capable of. We have seen too many accidents in our lifetime to know that vehicle extrication is an imminent possibility whenever there’s an accident or wreckage.
In order to be equipped in these types of situations, firefighters need to practice. And Dearborn Fire Department might have the priciest practice vehicle for its vehicle extrication training – a 2020 Ford Mustang Shelby GT500.
Before
After
Posted over at the fire department’s Facebook page this week, a Rapid Red Shelby GT500 was cut up by the firefighters in training. It’s just a test mule, though, so the six-digit price tag for a fully-loaded Mustang Shelby GT500 doesn’t really apply here. But of course, we can’t help but notice that this one is even equipped with a Carbon Fiber Track Pack – an $18,500 option for those you can buy from the showroom.
The social media post came with a caption that reads:
Your Dearborn Firefighters train daily. This week we trained on vehicle extrication. It almost broke our hearts to cut up this 2020 Ford Shelby Cobra GT 500 test vehicle. Thank you to Dennis Lark and FoMoCo for the opportunity. Other training included special operations and equipment familiarization.
Vehicle extrication involves cutting away a vehicle from a trapped occupant to avoid injuries during a rescue operation. The process isn’t as easy as it looks, and having an actual vehicle during the training would help the firefighters learn the ropes of the difficult task.
Of note, Ford Motor Company donated the test mule to be used for this specific purpose. These pre-production vehicles don’t reach legal usage, so they often meet unceremonial ends. For this Shelby GT500, it’s for a very useful cause.
Time