CRESTVIEW — The Crestview Fire Department’s Hurst Jaws of Life is nearing the end of its expected lifetime, and the firefighters’ union wants to raise nearly $20,000 to replace it.
“If the unit breaks, we may not be able to get replacement parts for it anymore,” Fire Chief Joe Traylor said. “We need to replace it before we find ourselves in a situation where it’s broke and now we can’t use it."
Traylor said his firefighters regularly use the 40-year-old hydraulic equipment to extract people from inside mangled vehicles, primarily for rescue operations on Interstate 10 and State Road 85.
“A lot of times, people don’t realize that a car doesn’t have to be a tangled mess to make it hard to get somebody out of,” Traylor said. “Cars are so lightweight nowadays and the frames buckle. You have to have some way to get in the car when you can’t just open the door.”
SAVING LIVES SINCE 1977
The department purchased its existing Jaws of Life for $5,000 in 1977 following a fundraising effort with the business community, former Crestview IAFF Local 2680 president Jody Smallwood stated in a letter.
The system was built in 1975, requires two people to operate and “is also extremely heavy,” Traylor said.
“I weigh 130 pounds and the equipment weighs 88,” firefighter Kelly Thomas, a fundraising committee member, said. “I can use it but afterward you’re exhausted.
Thomas said even the biggest firefighters get the moon-shaped "Hurst bruise" on their thigh from supporting the machine during use."The new equipment is so much lighter, but it’s made out of more durable and stronger materials,” she said.
A replacement system from TNT Rescue Products will cost $19,863, Smallwood’s letter stated.
SPREAD, CUT AND PUNCH
The new system includes a spreader, cutter and ram, a 6.5-horsepower power unit to operate them, and 30 feet of hydraulic line to connect the equipment to the motor.
Smallwood stated the union is also applying for several grants to help raise funds to buy the system.
“We’re getting a lot of support from the community,” Thomas said. “We’ve raised $2,800 since we started the fundraiser on May 7.”
The union hopes it can receive similar support from the community that last year helped the Crestview Police Department raise $30,000 to reconstitute its K9 unit.
Traylor said once the new Jaws of Life is purchased, the department will retain the current unit as a back-up until it becomes unserviceable.
WANT TO HELP?
To help the Crestview Fire Department IAFF Local 2680 firefighters raise $20,000 to purchase a new Jaws of Life system, contact Rescue Equipment Fundraiser chairman Jody Smallwood, 585-7887 or 682-6121.
Fundraisers include:
• Casbah Coffee, Main Street, donates $1 from every bag of coffee sold
• June 7: Fundraiser at Applebee’s. Bring the Crestview Fire Department flier, available on the CFD Facebook page or at any fire station, and the firefighters receive 10 percent of that sale
• June 13: Pancake breakfast at Applebee’s, $7 per person
Email News Bulletin Staff Writer Brian Hughes, follow him on Twitter or call 850-682-6524.
This article originally appeared on Crestview News Bulletin: Crestview firefighters launch $20K fundraiser for new Jaws of Life