Sutter County Fire to update outdated extrication tools thanks to grant

The Sutter County Fire Department was awarded a $117,000 grant by the California Office of Traffic Safety (OTS) for the purchase of new extrication equipment, according to a press release from the department.

According to the release, Sutter County Fire has needed to use extraction equipment in 36 of the 161 crashes the department has responded to so far this year. One of those tools, known as the “jaws of life,” is used to break apart a wrecked vehicle to extricate victims trapped inside and reduces the time it takes to rescue and treat victims.

“This newer equipment is lighter and easier to use, allowing us to rescue victims faster, which ultimately increases their chances of survival,” Sutter County Battalion Chief Rich Epperson said via the release. “In many cases, even minutes without treatment can be a matter of life and death, which is why it is important to have reliable equipment that allows first responders to provide care as quickly as possible.”

Epperson said the current extrication tools used by fire engines in Sutter County are 26 years old. The current tools cut with a force of 67,000 pounds per square inch, which was adequate to break apart cars from the 1990s. However, since 2008 more cars are being made with sturdier materials such as boron. The current tools in use by Sutter Fire are not able to cut through boron.

The new tools will be able to cut with a force of 317,000 pounds per square inch. One set is going to a special engine that does not carry water and that is specifically called in for extrication, which has the cutting power of 400,000 pounds per square inch.

Being able to get victims out of a vehicle as soon as possible is critical to trauma survivability which includes treating victims on the scene and getting them transported to a hospital promptly, the release said.

OTS is giving Sutter County Fire enough money for three sets of extrication tools. OTS typically gives out one set to a department in a grant, but Epperson said the amount of extrication Sutter County Fire does on a yearly basis led OTS to provide more sets.

OTS looked at data from 2013-2015 that tracked extrications in 58 counties in California and Sutter County ranked in the top 10 all three years, coming in at number one in 2013. Epperson said 17,000 people leave Yuba City everyday using highways 99, 20 and 113. He said there have been 23 fatalities in Sutter County in 2019.

Holmatro is the company currently manufacturing the tool sets that will be delivered to Sutter County Fire in two months, Epperson said.