FORT KENT, Maine — The Fort Kent Fire Department purchased two life-saving pieces of equipment thanks to a $25,000 grant from the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation.
These tools — a “Jaws of Life” cutter and spreader — are by far the most reliable way to rescue people trapped in their cars, Fort Kent Fire Chief Cole Pelletier said. If the department did not have these tools, its only alternative would be to reach out to the nearest department that does.
The purchases will allow emergency responders to cut through vehicles and rescue people who are trapped after a crash more quickly. The new tools are portable, battery powered, and can be carried by a single person.
The department’s old Jaws of Life equipment is hydraulic and connected by hoses to a large compartment in the back of a fire truck containing a motor and hydraulic pump. Pelletier said this limits how far firefighters are able to go from the fire truck to rescue someone.
“If a car is really down a bank or off the road, we may not be able to get it because of the limited length of hose that we have,” he said of the old tools. “But with the battery-operated tools, obviously we can carry them wherever we need to go.”
The department received the equipment on Sept. 30 and it used the tools to extract someone from a vehicle in St. Francis about three weeks ago, Pelletier said. It was also used during a recent mock exercise held at the local high school that simulated an OUI crash.
For now, the department is planning to continue using the hydraulic equipment as a backup in case it runs into any issues with the batteries. So far, it has not had any issues with battery life.
The department provides assistance to several neighboring communities, and occasionally travels across the Canadian border. Pelletier said it once used its old Jaws of Life equipment in Canada to rescue a man trapped in a logging truck that rolled over.
The department made the grant request to the Stephen and Tabitha King Foundation because the Jaws of Life equipment is not considered a high priority under FEMA, the organization through which it receives much of its grant funding, Pelletier said.
FEMA places a higher priority on items such as fire engines, protective outfits worn by firefighters and bunker gear, the chief said.
The department previously received a grant for a rescue boat from the foundation, he added.
“We’ve always had success with them, so we reached out to them and put it in the grant, and we got the money,” he said.
The grant was written by Captain Zachary Voisine.
The department also purchased a battery-powered Jaws of Life Combi Tool that has both spreading and cutting capabilities with money raised through the fire department’s association. The tool is worth roughly $13,000.
The association is separate from the department, Pelletier said, and it raises money through events such as barbecues and raffles to purchase smaller pieces of equipment.
“We don’t affect the taxpayers when we purchase that kind of equipment, because that’s all money we’ve raised.”
