First on the scene, firefighters use a set of tools, the "Jaws of Life," to sometimes get auto accident victims out of the wreck for medical attention. Time can be the worst enemy of rescuers in this situation, but the vehicle itself is also posing more problems than before.

"One of the things we look at on scene is the golden hour. The faster we can get the patient out of the vehicle the faster we can get them transported to the hospital for medical treatment," says Omaha Fire Battalion Chief Shane Hunter.

Firefighters are finding it increasingly harder to get patients out as quickly as they used to, as vehicle manufacturers strive for that coveted top safety rating.

An important difference between cars 10-15 years ago and the cars of today is the metal their made out of.

Cars are made with stronger steel and more exotic metals, just one thing that could slow firefighters up. Another, says Bellevue firefighter Andreas Bierauer, is airbags, because of the increased number put in cars today. "When we have to try to extricate somebody out of the car it may turn out to be a safety problem for us because they can ignite or go off and injure the emergency responders."

Or further injure the passenger, making training more important than ever. The thing is, training is hard to come by in the area.

That's why CARSTAR partnered with the National Auto Body Council and held "F.R.E.E." training in Omaha Tuesday night. "F.R.E.E." stands for First Responders Emergency Education.

Using "Jaws of Life" tools, area firefighters were given a hands-on lesson on where to cut to extricate someone the fastest. Also, what to watch out for in hybrids and other newer vehicles.

"There's lots of different things that are in there that are safety hazards. Hybrid vehicles have high electric voltage in them, because that's how they work, and so we're trying to share some of the challenges we have with the firefighters to say hey, you guys need to be aware of this too," says CARSTAR co-owner Bob Keith.

The training was even more important to area firefighters because newer vehicles, with the stronger steel and different metals, are hard to get a hold of to train on. Tonight, four later model vehicles were donated for practice.

There will be another class at CARSTAR in Lincoln Wednesday, as well as one in Ralston on Thursday. This is the first year for this type of class. The training is offered for free.