With New "Jaws" Pugwash Fire is Back in Service
Pugwash Fire Department (PFD) is back in service when it comes to responding to mangled vehicle mishaps, thanks to a provincial program that supports emergency services.
PFD was one of the successful fire departments to receive an emergency services grant that allowed the replacement of their specialized hydraulic tools, often called the “jaws of life.”
Pugwash Firefighters squeezed as long as they could to keep responding to vehicle extrication calls with a set of tools long past their prime. The department was atop the county’s list for purchase of the tool set for more than five years but each year passed with no purchase and no explanation.
This year, the department applied for funding from the province’s Emergency Services Provider Fund and with success the rest, as they say, is history.
The new tools arrived and firefighters were quick to explore their new “toys for big boys.”
While the latest gear is appreciably smaller than the instruments they replaced, there is only a modest reduction in weight.
The set of hydraulic tools are much more than “the jaws.” While there are jaw like cutters, the set also includes spreaders, a ram, and the gas powered pump that allows them to operate on the go.
The photo shows—from left to right—Kenny Casey with the ram, Robert Carter Junior bending down with the pump, Alex Mundle holds the cutters (jaws), while Craig Mundle handles the spreaders.
The tool set allows firefighters to cut through mangled steel at an accident scene to quickly gain access to victims, either to provide first aid or extract them from confinement.
There were times within the last year when the Pugwash department deferred to other nearby departments to handle vehicle extrication emergencies as they were concerned about the capacity or efficacy of their old toolset.
Pugwash remains one of the busiest fire departments in the county, responding this year to a record number of calls, now past one hundred and counting.
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