How one Southern Utah fire department is defying the odds to save lives with powerful new equipment
ST. GEORGE — The Hildale-Colorado City Fire Department unveiled new, state-of-the-art equipment designed to assist in extricating the injured from crushed vehicles or confined spaces, thanks to a grant from the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety.
Time is key in surviving a vehicle crash, and having the tools needed to rapidly remove an occupant from a destroyed vehicle is critical. Proper equipment allows injured patients to be “quickly on their way to a trauma center by ambulance, or even by medical helicopter, if necessary,” Hildale-Colorado City Fire Chief Kevin Barlow said.
To that aim, the Fire Department is now sporting new battery-operated extrication tools after Arizona’s Highway Safety Director Alberto Gutier presented the department with a grant award of more than $11,800.
The highway funds released in October were recently combined with roughly $25,000 in district funds approved by the department’s governing board, Barlow said, which allowed them to purchase the complete set of rescue tools for just over $37,200.
“The $11,800 was used to purchase the hydraulic spreader,” Barlow said, “and we used the funding from the district to purchase battery operated cutters and a ram, so we now have the compete set.”
Barlow said new vehicle technology has created the need for more advanced tools. He explained that the materials used in modern automobile manufacturing have enhanced safety but can also present challenges for rescuers if a person becomes trapped beneath the twisted metal.
“These powerful tools are designed to match the high-strength metals used in modern vehicles,” Barlow said.
The battery-operated equipment will enable firefighters to cut rescue time spent at the scene, as the tools are not tethered by a power cord, which enhances maneuverability and increases safety, a priority in operations that involve rollovers or severe car crashes where space is at a minimum.
Saving time is particularly important for Hildale and Colorado City, Arizona, where crashes typically take place in remote areas that require more time for emergency crews to arrive and subsequently transport patients.
Many times rescue crews are more than 50 miles from the nearest hospital, a lengthy ride for crash victims who are transported from the Hildale area to Dixie Regional Medical Center in St. George.
Barlow said the Fire Department has seen some “horrific crashes” on Highway 389.
“This equipment will make a big difference in our ability to help,” he said.
Hildale-Colorado City firefighters are well-trained in auto extrication techniques. Several are certified vehicle entrapment technicians with training that Barlow said will come in handy when using the equipment that “is already mounted on our fire engine and ready to go to work when needed.”
Fire departments are always looking for ways to cut rescue times without jeopardizing the safety of civilians or crews on the way to the scene.
Speed can create risks, Barlow said, explaining that the grant the department received came from Federal 402 highway safety funds aimed at increasing road safety by reducing rescue times at the scene, which leaves more time for emergency vehicles to get there and out.
The goal is to reduce the number of crashes involving emergency vehicles, an issue that impacts communities nationwide.
Saving lives is a combined effort. With the advanced equipment, a well-trained crew of firefighters and the expertise of trauma teams at the hospital, Barlow said “we can greatly increase survivability rates, and that’s the end goal.”
Email: cblowers@stgnews.com
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