K21 Provides Emergency Gear To County Fire Departments
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Jen [email protected]
A $63,000 grant awarded by the K21 Foundation was used to purchase 14 Composite TeleCrib® stabilization systems for the fire departments in the county.
"All fire trucks in the county will have the same equipment," said Pierceton Fire Chief Gordon Baker. "That lends to interoperability for the departments."[[In-content Ad]]The equipment, which consists of a set of telescoping struts, ratchet straps and jacks, is used to stabilize vehicles in an accident to make working around the wreckage safer for both the emergency workers and the accident victims. The stabilizers also can be used to secure walls during rescue efforts in situations such as a tornado or building collapse.
"The equipment stabilizes the vehicle, making extrication quicker and more efficient," Baker said. "That makes it safer for the rescuer and the victim."
The grant request, written last fall, originally asked for the funds to buy equipment for the Pierceton Fire Department with the option of funding stabilization systems for the entire county. The K21 Foundation opted to fund the grant for all departments in the county.
Saturday, firefighters from all over the county gathered at Reichert & Knepp LLC, Warsaw, for a training exercise with the new equipment.
Representatives from 5-Alarm Distributors led the training Saturday, helping local firemen set up the systems in three different scenarios.
The first scenario had a single car on its side that needed to be secure to prevent it from toppling over. The second scenario had one vehicle's rear end on top of another car's hood/windshield area. The third situation had a car rolled onto its top.
Each stabilization set, which is manufactured by Rescue 42 out of Chico, Calif., includes two long bars, two short bars, jacks and extra hardware such as ratchet straps.
"It should cover just about any situation we would encounter," Baker said.
The idea to purchase the equipment was born about two years ago. After working an accident on U.S. 30 where one vehicle went airborne and landed on top of another vehicle, difficult weather conditions and the instability of the vehicles made the extrication of injured people difficult.
"That accident showed the need for such equipment," said Baker. "There have been several accidents since then that we could have used this equipment as well."
Once training is complete and the departments become familiar with the equipment, it could take as little as three minutes to stabilize a vehicle. The faster the vehicle is stabilized, the faster victims can be extricated and treated for injuries.
After Saturday's training, all 14 county departments will install the equipment in their trucks.
"K21 has been a phenomenal source for county fire departments," Baker said. "Over the years they have provided a lot of equipment to county fire departments: automatic defibrillators, thermal imaging equipment, gas detection system meters and more."
A $63,000 grant awarded by the K21 Foundation was used to purchase 14 Composite TeleCrib® stabilization systems for the fire departments in the county.
"All fire trucks in the county will have the same equipment," said Pierceton Fire Chief Gordon Baker. "That lends to interoperability for the departments."[[In-content Ad]]The equipment, which consists of a set of telescoping struts, ratchet straps and jacks, is used to stabilize vehicles in an accident to make working around the wreckage safer for both the emergency workers and the accident victims. The stabilizers also can be used to secure walls during rescue efforts in situations such as a tornado or building collapse.
"The equipment stabilizes the vehicle, making extrication quicker and more efficient," Baker said. "That makes it safer for the rescuer and the victim."
The grant request, written last fall, originally asked for the funds to buy equipment for the Pierceton Fire Department with the option of funding stabilization systems for the entire county. The K21 Foundation opted to fund the grant for all departments in the county.
Saturday, firefighters from all over the county gathered at Reichert & Knepp LLC, Warsaw, for a training exercise with the new equipment.
Representatives from 5-Alarm Distributors led the training Saturday, helping local firemen set up the systems in three different scenarios.
The first scenario had a single car on its side that needed to be secure to prevent it from toppling over. The second scenario had one vehicle's rear end on top of another car's hood/windshield area. The third situation had a car rolled onto its top.
Each stabilization set, which is manufactured by Rescue 42 out of Chico, Calif., includes two long bars, two short bars, jacks and extra hardware such as ratchet straps.
"It should cover just about any situation we would encounter," Baker said.
The idea to purchase the equipment was born about two years ago. After working an accident on U.S. 30 where one vehicle went airborne and landed on top of another vehicle, difficult weather conditions and the instability of the vehicles made the extrication of injured people difficult.
"That accident showed the need for such equipment," said Baker. "There have been several accidents since then that we could have used this equipment as well."
Once training is complete and the departments become familiar with the equipment, it could take as little as three minutes to stabilize a vehicle. The faster the vehicle is stabilized, the faster victims can be extricated and treated for injuries.
After Saturday's training, all 14 county departments will install the equipment in their trucks.
"K21 has been a phenomenal source for county fire departments," Baker said. "Over the years they have provided a lot of equipment to county fire departments: automatic defibrillators, thermal imaging equipment, gas detection system meters and more."
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