The vehicle rescue squad from Fire District 3 is on the cutting edge of saving victims from cars in highway smash-ups. Fire District 3 has fielded a winning vehicle rescue team that is headed to a national competition next year.

Known as the Trans Emergency Rescue Committee, or TERC squad, these six South Whidbey volunteers have done very well in competitions against mostly paid fire departments, including Seattle.

So well, in fact, they have been invited to the national competition in October 2007 in Orlando, Fla.

They most recently finished third in a regional competition in Oregon that included departments from Washington, Idaho, Montana and California. In September they will compete in an international competition on Vancouver Island.

The volunteers are experts at cutting open wrecked cars and safely removing victims. To keep their skills sharp and to learn the latest in technique and tools, the South Whidbey TERC team competes when it can.

The team includes commander Chris Callahan, medic Jon Gabelein, Erick Unke, Paul Hunzaker, Bryce Lyshol and Pete Williams.

“Based on our performance at Dallas, Ore., and in Puyallup, the judges invited us to the national competition in Florida,” Gabelein said.

“The practice we gain through these performances allow us to keep our skills current and to learn new techniques from other departments,” he added.

The TERC Extrication Competition challenges rescue teams to safely remove victims from simulated automobile accidents.

Teams compete in timed scenarios with damaged vehicles that are positioned to simulate severe collisions. The scenarios allow teams to use tools like the “jaws of life” to cut open cars.

“This group has worked very hard,” said Assistant Fire Chief Paul Busch.

“Their performances — especially against larger, paid fire departments — is impressive. It is a result of their intense dedication and training,” Busch said.

“The competitions are hands-on conferences. What they learn, they bring back to the district to benefit the citizens of South Whidbey.”

Fire District 3’s vehicle rescue unit was formed in the early 1980s when district commissioners determined most of its calls were medical or rescue situations rather than fire responses.

Currently, all firefighters are trained in vehicle extrication techniques and each fire station in the district is equipped with extrication tools. The fire district has extrication tools available at all the stations.

“All firefighters are familiar with the techniques and tools used for extrication, but the TERC team takes it to the next level,” Gabelein said.