Fire Department Equipment - The Wise Choice of Obtaining Hydraulic Rescue Tools Part I

Is your fire department active in vehicle and accident rescue? If so, you might consider requesting rescue tools from the Assistance to Firefighters Grant in 2012.

An excellent set of equipment in this category should consist of all hydraulic rescue tools. Be sure to include at least a 28" spreader with no less than 57,000 pounds of spread force. A good set should also include a very large cutter with 121,000 pounds of force. Additionally, it should have a mini-cutter with at least a 1.5" opening, a ram set, a pulling and lifting accessory kit, and multiple sections of color coded extension hose. Do not forget to request all mounting brackets so that your department can properly affix the equipment inside of your vehicles. You will also need to purchase a power unit or generator.

Your department should budget about $32,000 for the equipment and about $11,000 for the power unit or generator.

Why would you consider purchasing this equipment? There are many possible reasons for the request, but first and foremost would be the improved safety offered to entrapped victims. The second reason would be for the safety of firefighters responsible for freeing victims at accident scenes.

Let's start with the tools' ability to free victims. If your department has no such tools and uses sledge hammers and crow bars, then these may have worked for you in the past. Certainly they did not make rescues easy, but they sufficed if that is all you had. Today this is not a possibility. Why? The high grade steel used for automobile manufacturing today is not able to be plied open with crow bars. The cage construction will not allow such tools to effectively get to a victim for medical care. They are not easily extricated from vehicles. Within an entrapment a victim cannot be properly treated, and there is always the potential for fire. The longer the victim remains untreated or only with partial medical care, then the greater the chance for complication.

Now for firefighter safety. Every minute that a firefighter spends on a roadway, there is danger of being hit by a passing car or truck. Every time a firefighter operates equipment, there is strain on muscle and back; this can lead to injury. So herein lies the argument for good equipment. It is lightweight and easy to operate. Many older hydraulic tools require two firefighters to operate. These two firefighters must attend to the victim. If the space is confined no one can help the victim while the entrapment is being resolved. Treatment time is lost.

Most older units weigh well over 100 lbs. Injury to rescuers is always a concern and we will have firefighters end up with major back injuries. Certainly, many have already had minor ones on many occasions and this could lead to greater issues.

The bottom line is - get the new equipment as soon as you can. It will help both rescuers and victims.

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EU leaders reach Greek rescue deal

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou took part in the bailout talks in Brussels on Thursday.NEW: Bailout for Greece to be funded by the European Union and the International Monetary FundNEW: Deal will save the country 54 billion euros over three yearsPlans were thrashed out by France's Nicolas Sarkozy and Germany's Angela Merkel

(CNN) -- European leaders agreed on Thursday to provide a second bailout package for Greece and drastically expand rescue funds to prevent financial crisis spreading through the eurozone.

European Union president Herman Van Rompuy said the rescue deal would be financed by both the EU and the International Monetary Fund.

European governments and the IMF will contribute a total of 109 billion euros. The private sector's share will amount to 49.6 billion euros.

The deal was reached following an emergency summit of the 17 eurozone nations in Brussels.

The plan is believed to have been thrashed out at a seven-hour meeting on Wednesday between French President Nicolas Sarkozy and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who buried sharp differences about involving the private sector in the bailout.

According to a draft proposal, obtained by several media organizations earlier on Thursday, the European Union will provide additional loans with longer pay back periods "to decisively improve the debt sustainability and refinancing profile of Greece."

Unless the eurozone finds a way to bring Greece back from the brink of defaulting on part of its $500 billion debts, it is feared that other countries exposed to the debt will begin to experience problems.

Weaker economies such as Italy and Spain -- seen as too big to bail out -- could falter, tearing apart the eurozone, and hurting other nations exposed to the debt take.

Under the draft proposals, loans made by the European Financial Stability Fund, funded by bonds backed by EU members, will now mature in 15 years instead of the current seven-and-a-half. The loans will be available to Ireland and Portugal, which have already been bailed out.

Interest rates will be as low as 3.5%, it said.

The draft dropped earlier plans for a bank tax to raise bailout funds, but revived German calls for private sector involvement -- a move that could risk a Greek default.

The eurozone will use its expanded crisis funds as a short-term guarantee to Greek bonds to prevent wider collapse in the event of a partial debt default in order to prevent wider collapse, diplomats told Agence France-Presse earlier on Thursday.

The euro rose sharply and U.S. and European markets were broadly up following reported details of the draft.

"If this is correct it all looks pretty sensible at first glance," said Gary Jenkins, head of fixed income research with Evolution Securities.

Greece's government is estimated to need more than $200 billion to in addition to a $157 billion rescue package agreed last year to sustain it over the next few years.

EU governments have been at loggerheads about what shape the bailout will take, with some leaders insisting banks and private sector investors should take some of the burden.

Greece has been forced to impose harsh austerity measures, provoking violent scenes of protest, in an attempt to cut its debts. Taxes have been raised and public sector jobs cut. It is also selling off numerous assets.

CNNMoney's Ben Rooney contributed to this story.

Quoting : CNN