Shelby, NC – The first rescue utilizing Hurst’s new line of electro-hydraulic tools, eDRAULIC, was made on September 2, 2010 by Lake Country Fire and Rescue. The eDRAULIC line of rescue tools features the same impressive forces of standard hydraulics in a self-contained rescue tool. These tools are powerful enough to stand alone as a complete rescue set, or used as a supplement to add portability to any existing rescue tool system, as it was in this rescue situation. The initial offering in the product line includes a spreader, two cutters, and a ram. The Lake Country Fire and Rescue department, serving Chenequa, Nashotah, and Delafield, WI, was dispatched to the scene of a one-vehicle MVA involving two patients, in which one patient was pinned and unconscious. The vehicle, broadside vs. tree, presented severe damage and required extensive extrication.
Lt. Peter Walker of Lake Country Fire and Rescue, who is also a sales rep for the Hurst Jaws of Life distributor 5 Alarm Fire and Safety, had recently placed the SP300E eDRAULIC spreader in his vehicle for demonstrations at local departments. Lt. Walker was the first to arrive on scene and with only 50% battery life remaining, deployed the tool during this rescue to supplement the truck hydraulics.
The spreader performed door removal, fender crush, dash lift, and sidewall spread techniques to ultimately free the trapped patient performed simultaneously with roof removal operations and cross-ramming maneuvers. “The Hurst SP300E was an excellent complement to the selector-valve power unit, which would have otherwise limited operation to one tool at a time,” states Fire Chief Jack Edwards with Lake Country Fire and Rescue. “With no need for additional hydraulic lines, the spreader integrated seamlessly into the existing system, making the spreader a valuable asset that reduced the overall patient removal time.”
For more information about this revolutionary product line please visit www.jawsoflife.com.
About Hurst Jaws of Life ®
Hurst Jaws of Life is a division of Hale Products Inc. Hale Products Inc. is a world leading provider of emergency service products in applications such as defense, rescue, firefighting, and industry, and is one of the largest manufacturers of products to the emergency services worldwide. Hale Products Inc. is a unit of IDEX Corporation, an applied solutions provider.
