New Tools for the North Shore Fire Department

The has received a $6,000 grant for new tools to replace the well-known, but now outdated, Jaws for Life, used to free victims trapped after a car accident.

The grant comes from Robertson Ryan & Associates, an insurance company with offices in the Milwaukee area, and Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company.  The grant will be used to purchase cutters and a new hydraulic pump to give the tools more power.

“We bought the original equipment because it was user friendly," said Fire Chief Robert Whitaker. "The new hydraulics increases the power of the cutters.  Cars are now made with tougher metals like boron.  Now we can cut through the metals to rescue people.” 

In an emergency situation, proper equipment can make the difference in saving lives. Car manufacturers have made vehicles with tougher metals, like boron, whose durability better protects drivers and passengers. However, while the new metals keep people safer during a crash, they are now so strong that it becomes more difficult for rescue workers to free trapped victims.

"It's frustrating to know that your normal means of taking care of your job aren't working and you need to turn to alternative means, sometimes creative means. It's not working, but you still need to get those people out," Whitaker said. 

In 2010, NSFD had 11 incidents where they needed to physically extricate people from a damaged vehicle. "We actually had to cut into a car 11 times," Whitaker said.

And when older tools, like Jaws for Life, take much longer to free victims, that cuts down on the golden hour, the one-hour time-frame emergency responders have to get victims to a trauma center like Froedert Hospital.

"The longer you have to wait, the more creative you have to get," Whitaker said. "In the worst case scenario, you have complicated extrication and that cuts into that time."

But upgrading this equipment isn't like replacing an old smart phone or computer. These extrication tools are built to last 10 to 15 years, so while car manufacturers are making advances all the time with tougher metals, the fire departments don't always have the funds to upgrade their equipment. That's where Robertson Ryan & Associates comes in.

Robertson Ryan & Associates have given grants to firefighters in the North Shore on several occasions.  In the past five years, the company has donated more than $24,000 for the purchase of new equipment or to upgrade equipment. 

“In these difficult economic times, it’s especially difficult to find the resources to purchase new equipment," Whitaker said. "With the upgraded extrication equipment, we hope to better protect the lives of people in our community.”

Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company also has made grants nationwide.  The company’s program is designed to provide essential equipment, training and educational tools to fire departments throughout the United States.  It has given independent brokers and insurance agencies, like Robertson Ryan & Associates, over $27 million to help more than 1,700 fire departments.