VIDEO: When seconds matter, Forrest County volunteer firefighters are preparing for the calls that can mean the difference between life and death. Crews from the Macedonia and North Forrest volunteer fire departments put new, battery-operated โJaws of Lifeโ to the test during a joint training session Tuesday night.
โItโs a good opportunity to get some of our new members exposed to vehicle extrications and refresh the skillset for a lot of our older members, too,โ said Macedonia VFD Capt. Austin Extine. One donated vehicle was rolled on its side, allowing firefighters to use the extrication tools to cut off the roof. Another car was kept upright. โWe have encountered this a little more often, where the vehicle is on all four wheels, and the person might be trapped in where weโd have to remove the doors in order to gain access to them,โ said North Forrest VFD Capt. Justin Gleason.
Fire leaders said these two examples simulate the different challenges their crews can face. โWhen a vehicle crash happens, it almost is never in a convenient place, especially when extrication is involved,โ Extine said. โSo, we try to mock those bad situations up as much as we can.โ With major highways like Interstate 59 and Evelyn Gandy Parkway running through the county, responding to severe accidents isnโt rare for these two departments. โItโs very important to be equipped with this knowledge because of where weโre located with the major interstates that we service and in our area in the community,โ Gleason said. โTraffic accidents can happen all the time and at any time of the day.โ
Fire leaders also emphasized that drills like this donโt just sharpen skills, but they also build trust between departments that often respond side-by-side. โWhile we do function as separate departments, a lot of times weโre all working together,โ Extine said. โSo, this is a really, you know, a good opportunity to build those team-working skills to make sure that you know everybody knows what weโre doing.โ Extine said the new, battery-operated extrication tools were funded through grant money from the Firehouse Subs Foundation.
