Logan Fire Department purchases extrication tools
Firehouse Subs grant used to buy three new devices
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Using a $35,800 grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation, the Logan Township United Fire Department recently purchased three Amkus tools designed for tearing apart vehicles to free trapped occupants.
The jaws of life, cutter and ram are battery-powered and will replace United's set of hydraulic tools, which rely on a separate, gasoline-fueled power plant that connects to those tools with hoses, according to department President Jeff Blake, who participated in a news conference Monday.
The new tools can help improve outcomes for victims because they require no setup and are thus faster to deploy than the old ones, which are a challenge to bring to bear, especially when a vehicle has gone over an embankment and there isn't a level surface nearby on which to set the power plant, according to Blake and United Chief Rusty Shoenfelt.
The jaws of life can be inserted into a narrow opening to pry, the cutter can be used to slice and the ram can be inserted into a wide opening to spread it farther.
The Amkus tools are powered by 60-volt DeWalt batteries.
They'll be kept on a fire engine in a state of readiness, with backup batteries also on the truck, Blake said.
Department protocol calls for checking on such equipment periodically to ensure that the batteries in the tools will be operational when needed, Blake said.
The tools will be available to all the fire departments in the township, including Greenwood, Lakemont and Newburg.
"Just a phone call away," said township Supervisors Chairman Jim Patterson.
Firefighters will be trained on use of the new equipment.
In addition to vehicle accidents, the tools can be useful in other applications, including problems encountered in buildings, according to Patterson.
The department obtained the grant by applying to the foundation.
Department leaders watch for grant opportunities, Blake said.
The department had previously applied for a Firehouse grant for the battery tools without success, Blake said.
The foundation has distributed $83 million nationally for equipment to help firefighters and other first responders do their jobs, according to the foundation website and Altoona Firehouse Subs franchise owner Missy Kreutzberger, who, with her husband Kelly, also owns a store in Johnstown.
Since the Kreutzbergers started the Johnstown franchise in 2015, the foundation has distributed $225,000 locally, she said.
Kreutzberger said customers in the local stores can donate to the foundation by rounding up their bills to the nearest dollar, buying empty pickle buckets and by placing cash in jars on the counters.
The 501(c)(3) foundation was created in 2005 in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina by Firehouse Subs founders Chris and Robin Sorensen.
Mirror Staff Writer William Kibler is at 814-949-7038.