The Pontiac North Fire Department, which covers the Municipalities of Thorne and Otter Lake, recently acquired several hydraulic rescue tools (known as jaws of life) from nearby departments, in an effort to expand the capacity of their first-responders.

Randy Richard, a lieutenant with Pontiac North, explained that they acquired a hand-me-down combination tool from the Pontiac Ouest Fire Department, as well as purchasing another tool from the Renfrew Fire Department. One of their new volunteers is a member of the Ottawa Fire Department, and with his help they were able to secure the donation of another second-hand tool from the city's department.

Hydraulic rescue tools are used to quickly pry and cut open vehicles to access the occupants inside. Pontiac North currently has to call for support from the closest departments with these tools, either Campbell's Bay-Litchfield or Shawville-Clarendon, when responding to motor-vehicle collisions on the various highways that traverse their sprawling territory. In an emergency situation, every minute counts and reducing the response time is a priority.

Now that the tools have been acquired, the next step is to have members of the department certified to use them, a process that Richard hoped would take place this November over the course of a couple weekend sessions. He said the goal would be to have 8 to 10 firefighters certified in the initial cohort, but "the more the merrier".

Richard said that down the road they would be looking at purchasing an equipment truck to house their newly acquired tools.

The full interview with Richard is available below: