Tools for disaster – Eastside fire prepares for the worst | Photos
Published 10:34 am Thursday, March 29, 2012
Eastside Fire and Rescue proved the advantage of having such a large fire agency when it trained with new equipment for saving people from collapsed buildings Tuesday.
In one challenge, the firefighters cut through two cars stacked on one another and a concrete barrier to rescue a dummy. The scenario simulated what could happen if a highway overpass collapses.
FEMA and Homeland Security sent millions in equipment to the region, which is a sensitive spot for large earthquakes and weapons of mass destruction. Seattle Fire, who doled out the equipment, decided to grant EFR $115,000 in tools.
The bulk of the grant was jack hammers and saws that can cut through slabs of concrete. They also got a number of come alongs, a hoist mechanism that allows one person to move up to 6,000 pounds.
The grant was practical for disaster situations, inlcuding a blow torch that rusn on gasoline, which would be easier to find.
At Tuesdays training, firefighters practiced their wood shop skills by framing a doorway that would allow passage through a partially collapsed building.
Imagine if a serious earthquake took out the Issaquah Highlands park and ride garage, posed Cpt. Pete Brummel, who organized the grant. “Now we have the tools to effectively make a rescue.”
Tom Tull, right, and Brian Hill carry heavy equipment used for saving people from structural collapses, such as the simulated overpass collapse behind. BY CELESTE GRACEY
Firefighter Tom Tull uses a board to help wrench a door up through another car in a simulated highway overpass collapse. BY CELESTE GRACEY
Firefighters finish up a simulation overpass collapse March 27 during a special training day using new tools from a federal grant to help in disaster relief.
