Wednesday, November 26, 2003

no yang without yin

Earlier, I contended that for every hypothetical destructive/bad effect you can put forward, I can come up with a constructive/good one. No yang without yin. Implied in this idea, of course, is that it works both ways:

Automakers are packing cars and trucks with new devices to increase safety for motorists, such as air bags that can fire off twice or are located in doors or roofs, but the same equipment poses dangers to rescuers, who often aren't aware the hazards even exist.

"Pre-tensioning" seat belts, which use a charge of gunpowder to yank against an occupant during impact, can explode in the hands of a firefighter working to cut someone free. A retractable roll bar that springs up behind the seats in some convertibles can cause serious injuries to an unsuspecting paramedic. Metal detonators tucked into rooftops to inflate side curtain air bags can go off like missiles if cut into by rescuers, firing into the cabin of the vehicle.

Cars today are "a loaded bomb waiting to try to hurt us as responders," said Lt. Mark McKinney, a vehicle rescue specialist with the Howard County Department of Fire and Rescue.


Good Christ.

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