Osler Fire Chief Jason Pauls and his crew are often among the first to arrive on the scene of horrific motor vehicle crashes.
And they’ve got the hardest job in the world to do when they get there: safely extricate patients from the tangled wreckage as quickly as possible while also providing immediate medical attention to the injured. If a collision happens on a busy highway during a blizzard on a dark winter night, that makes it even more challenging.
When lives are on the line, every second counts.
And now, thanks to the recent delivery of a set of high-tech, state-of-the-art vehicle extrication tools courtesy of SGI’s Transportation Rescue Extrication (TREX) Program, these trained first responders will be able to do their job safer and more efficiently.
The Osler Fire Department (OFD) applied for the tools last year after the SGI-funded TREX program was announced by the Saskatchewan Public Safety Agency (SPSA) SGI. The OFD was approved for $70,000 worth of equipment, the maximum for a department under the program.
The new extrication tools will also benefit the region as a whole if the OFD is called to assist neighbouring fire departments in North Corman Park under a long-standing mutual assistance agreement.
The TREX program aims to enhance the capacity of fire departments across Saskatchewan to respond to motor vehicle collisions (MVCs) by providing equipment and training. It was developed in collaboration with the Saskatchewan Volunteer Fire Fighters Association, the Saskatchewan Association of Fire Chiefs and the Provincial Training Standards Committee.
Osler firefighters are already knowledgeable and experienced in vehicle extrication, so the training component of the program wasn’t applicable; but the new tools will really make a big difference, according to Pauls.
“These will supplement what we’ve already got,” said Pauls. “We have extrication equipment, but they’re all corded tools; they’re heavy and more complicated. These new ones are much lighter and easier to use.
“Not every firefighter is six-foot four and 220 pounds,” Pauls added. “We have some females in our crew that are smaller, and these are tools they will be able to handle on their own with ease. It really broadens our horizons, because like all volunteer fire departments, you never know who’s going to be available when a 911 call comes in. This gives us the ability to provide the service we need to provide when we’re called on.”
Mike Beamish with Seahawk Service, the company supplying the new extrication equipment, said the tools are versatile and designed to function under adverse conditions.
“There’s a set of air-lift bags that are inflated using compressed air,” said Beamish. “They’re capable of lifting 27 tons, which would be a large truck or combine. The guys can actually use the air bottles on their self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) to inflate the bags if they’re in the middle of a field, for example, and they don’t have access to an air compressor.”
Beamish, who conducts training courses for firefighters on how to use the equipment, said the lightweight, lithium-ion battery-powered saws are capable of cutting through advanced metals that are becoming more common on new vehicles.
There are also two combination tools that function as both a cutting tool and a spreading tool. These tools have built-in LED lights to illuminate the immediate work area for the operator.
“The tools have a smart battery management system built in; the charger keeps the tool charged on the truck, so it’s always ready when the guys go to work,” said Beamish. “They don’t have to worry about swapping batteries back and forth. It’s all automatic with this system.
“The batteries are also very long-lasting.”
Beamish said the V-struts are lightweight tools designed to stabilize a vehicle quickly.
“Seconds count in an emergency,” said Beamish. “One of the things I do when teaching a course is I preach efficiency for firefighters, so if we can make it a little bit more efficient, that saves a few seconds; and that helps them get tthe patient to the hospital that much sooner.”