RIO GRANDE — Thanks to the Commissioners of Middle Township Fire District No. 2, the men and women who fight fires and respond to accidents here, as well as those they protect, can rest a little easier now knowing they’re safer.
The commissioners recently authorized the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment that will increase safety when firefighters respond to motor vehicle accidents and fires in the district’s commercial structures.
The equipment included laptop computers mounted into two of the company’s six fire vehicles as well as software packages to help in vehicle emergencies and commercial building fires. The cost was approximately $10,000 for the computers and $575 per year for the software packages.
“We can’t thank the commissioners enough for understanding that the safety of the firefighters and public is our number one priority,” said Walt Belles, chief of Rio Grande Fire Company, Station 72. “They understand the tight budget constraints we’re under, and support us when they can.”
Belles, who took over as chief for his brother Jim on Jan. 1, brought up the purchase at a commissioners meeting several months ago after he heard about the system from another firefighter.
“When we (commissioners) heard that this cutting-edge equipment would make it safer for our guys and the public, we agreed to pay for it right away,” said Salvatore DeSimone, chairman of the commissioners. “It was a no-brainer.”
The software:
• The Hurst Crash Recovery System, Belles explained, is a database of car model diagrams with their vital electrical and safety restraint components. It uses touch-screen technology to highlight danger zones within the cars.
“These systems can make it more difficult to rescue an accident victim trapped in a car and can be dangerous for the rescuers,” Belles said. “When cutting a roof away with the Jaws of Life to remove a victim, for instance, a firefighter could slice through a high-voltage line and be injured.”
Each different car make and model has different locations for their wiring and other system components, he said.
“Now a firefighter on the scene of an accident can bring up the model of car involved and know where these systems are and how to safely extricate a crash victim,” Belles said.
Rio Grande is the first fire company in Cape May County to purchase this software package, he said, and only the second in New Jersey.
• According to Belles, the fire company is also working on compiling data into its pre-planning software for use in the mobile computers.
This database, he explained, would list the commercial structures in the district with diagrams listing each site’s important information such as water sources, access points, building contacts, firefighting strategies and more.
“When we get a call to a commercial structure, while on route we can call up the information we have on it and know what to expect,” Belles said. “We’ll be more prepared and safer.”
Belles and DeSimone noted that the explosion of commercial development in Rio Grande and the surrounding areas has made pre-planning a priority for the company.
DeSimone, a life-member of Rio Grande, said the company always looks for the latest technology to improve the safety of its firefighters and those they serve.
“We were the first along with Woodbine and Avalon to get the Jaws of Life tool in 1973,” he said, obviously proud of the company. “We were also the first to use thermal imaging technology.”
The company purchased its latest fire engine, a customized Pierce rescue pumper No. 7298, last year for $670,000. The new computers were installed in 7298 and 7254, the company’s ladder truck.
The company plans to purchase a new ladder truck in 2011.
The Rio Grande Fire Company, which dates back to 1927, has 40 active members who responded to 248 calls last year. The company covers Route 47 from the George Redding Bridge to the Wildwood Water Works and Route 9 from Church Street to Indian Trail Road and North Wildwood Boulevard in the sections of Burleigh, Rio Grande and Whitesboro.
“Today, we are proud of our modern equipment, capabilities and outstanding record of service,” according to the company’s history on its Web site. “We look forward to the future and work hard to maintain the highest level of service in the ever-changing fire service.”
For more information, visit www.riograndefire.com.
Contact Hart at (609) 886-8600 Ext 35 or at: jhart@cmcherald.com
Sea Isle City – Why are we paying two construction officials hundreds of thousands of salaries and they can’t even have buildings that are destroyed by a fire demolished in a timely manner. It’s been 7 months. We…
