A pair of recent acquisitions by volunteer fire departments within Allen County have enhanced the ability to respond to emergency calls.
Last March, the Elsmore/Savonburg Fire Department acquired its own set of “Jaws of LIfe” equipment, a hydraulic apparatus designed to cut or pry its way into a wrecked vehicle in order to free those trapped inside.
The Iola and Humboldt fire departments have had such a device for years. Adding one to the arsenal of the east side of the county allows for quicker responses to accidents located there.
“We’ve already used it four or five times,” noted Jay Jackman, Elsmore/Savonburg fire chief.
Each of the dozen volunteers spent several months training on how to use the equipment and work to keep their skills sharp, Jackman said.
The idea for acquiring the equipment came from Jackman after a long-standing effort to develop a countywide network of first-responders slowed.
“I figured it was a way we could provide a needed service to this part of the county,” Jackman said.
Although the department’s service area covers only the far southeast part of the county, the Jaws now can be sent into the Moran Fire District as well, where the U.S. 54-59 intersection has seen its share of major traffic accidents.
The apparatus is stored on an old Allen County Sheriff’s Department patrol vehicle that was taken out of use by the sheriff’s department.
“It’s a case of one agency assisting another,” Jackman said.
MEANWHILE, the LaHarpe Rural Volunteer Fire Department has acquired an old ambulance from the Allen County Emergency Medical Service for use as a mobile support unit.
Since Jan. 1, the vehicle has been available for dispatch anywhere emergency personnel are sent during large-scale disasters, such as storms, major fires or multi-vehicle accidents.
Crews can use it as a shelter from the weather or as a place to rest up a bit.
“We know what it’s like to nearly freeze to death fighting a fire in the winter, or deal with the summer heat,” LaHarpe Fire Chief Marc Waggoner said. “This is a place to give those guys a break.”