NYC Helicopter crash: Seat belt cutter/window smasher?

Ferfal,

Do you have any recommendations for a tool to cut a seat belt or smash through a window in case of a rollover accident?

Marvin

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Hello Marvin,

I’m not sure if you had this in mind but your email reminded me a lot of the recent helicopter accident in New York. The 5 passengers that died, they were all upside down, still with the harness on. All five died from accidental drowning. The helicopter was completely submerged and upside down (probably because of the location and weight of the rotor and engine).

This is just a huge reminder of the importance to have our basic EDC with us at all times (knife, light, multitool, gun if at all possible).

Mine includes two blades, a folder on my right pocket and a multittool on the left pocket. I’ve been doing this for nearly two decades and encourage everyone to at the very least keep a folding knife and flashlight with them at all times. They are useful and come handy daily but you may go a long time before you need it for a true emergency. Then all of a sudden in just a matter of months I ended up using my knife to help people in rather serious incidents. One was a baby girl that had her earing stuck to the clothes of her mother. They had twisted around trying to break her free only making it worse and hurting the baby worse. I had to cut the woman’s clothes to release the baby’s ear. The other was a kid in the mall who’s untied shoelace got stuck in the escalator.  You simply don’t know when these things can happen to yourself or the people around you.

As for the tool you have in mind, sounds like the Resqeme Tool. This is a small keychain tool that includes a hook for cutting through seatbelts. The tool also includes a spring loaded glass breaker. Just press it against the glass and it will strike the glass with enough force to break it.

This toll is small and cheap. It’s a good idea to keep one in your keychain or at least in your vehicle someplace handy to access in case of an emergency.

Another great tool is the Swiss Rescue tool. This is also a nice beefy Swiss Army knife but it includes a glass breaker and laminated glass cutter as well as a seatbelt cutter. I keep this tool in my car in the compartment between the two front seats.

FerFAL

Fernando “FerFAL” Aguirre is the author of “The Modern Survival Manual: Surviving the Economic Collapse” and “Bugging Out and Relocating: When Staying is not an Option”