Cordless ‘jaws of life’ save precious minutes

By Melinda L. Lucas

The Albany Volunteer Fire Department recently  upgraded its “jaws of life” super powers with new equipment provided by donated funds.

“We’ve taken delivery of a new set of cordless extrication tools,” said AVFD captain Joel Viertel. “We received a set of cutters as well as a set of spreaders (jaws of life), with extra batteries and charger.”

For quite a few years, the department has been using a set of gasoline-powered hydraulic tools that, according to Viertel, are still effective but can be difficult to start and time consuming to operate.

“With the low number of volunteers we have, it takes time to run the hydraulic lines, hook up individual tools, and complete set up,” Viertel said. “It is not unusual to burn 10 to 12 minutes to get them operational, if they start. This is extremely critical when someone is either in a crush situation, trapped in a burning car, or bleeding out.”

The new cordless tools allow firefighters to unload and be operational in less than two minutes.

“We simply grab the tool, flip a switch, and a firefighter can immediately begin removing the trapped victim,” said the AVFD captain.

The funds that were used to purchase the new life saving equipment were 100 percent donated monies from private citizens, donated specifically for Albany Volunteer Fire Department use.

City manager Billy Holson said that the City of Albany has a special account just for such donations, providing checks and balances through the city council to insure the responsible use of the funds.

“All of us here at the Albany department thank you for your generous contributions and your continued support,” said Viertel. “Your donations help save lives and property, as well as help protect your local volunteer firefighters.”