Ledger-Dispatch

By Scott Thomas Anderson (sanderson@ledger-dispatch.c= om)=20

On Saturday and Sunday, firefighters = from=20 throughout the county shredded dozens of vehicles to pieces while = on a=20 mission to perfect their emergency auto extraction = skills.

Photo by: Scott Thomas=20 Anderson

Federal grant money from December was = put toward=20 the 16-hour state fire marshal certification class on an open = field by=20 Highway 49.

Photo by: Scott Thomas=20 Anderson

Personnel from the Jackson and Sutter = Creek fire=20 departments, as well as the Jackson Rancheria's fire squad and = Amador Fire=20 Protection District's Battalion 10 and 20, took part in the = weekend=20 exercises.

Photo by: Scott Thomas=20 Anderson
Pounding sledge hammers and the=20 steel-mashing chomp of the "jaws of life" rang over South Jackson all = last=20 weekend as firefighters obliterated dozens of cars in a training = exercise meant=20 to save lives.

The 16-hour state fire marshal certification class = for=20 auto extraction, which volunteer firefighters took part in Saturday and = Sunday=20 in an open field off Highway 49, had its roots in federal grant money = that came=20 to Amador fire agencies in December.

For months before that, = there was=20 concern among the various chiefs and captains that their gear for = rescuing=20 people trapped in burning vehicles wasn't uniform throughout the = departments -=20 or new enough.

Sutter Creek's firefighters took the lead in = requesting=20 help from the National Highway Safety Administration, which eventually = handed=20 over $181,000 to buy up-to-date, universally compatible rescue equipment = for=20 five departments in the county, including the Lockwood Fire Protection = District,=20 Jackson City Fire Department, Sutter Creek Fire Department and Amador = Fire=20 Protection District. The grant also provided funds for training all of = those=20 departments on how to use the new gear.

After a four-hour = classroom=20 demonstration early Saturday, put on by instructors from LN Curtis and = Son,=20 local firefighters hit a field full of would-be traffic accident victims = and=20 went to work prying doors, rolling dashboards and cutting through = frames. The=20 afternoon's training exercises focused on placing cars on stabilizers = and=20 lifting them with air bags. Sunday's outing was aimed at perfecting the = use of=20 cutters, spreaders and RAM hydraulic tools.

For Jackson fire = Capt. Franck=20 Tremaine, the hands-on training with real vehicles will go a long way in = protecting the lives of accident victims in the future.

"This is = a great=20 opportunity," he said Sunday. "It allows us to refine our skills at auto = extraction and get our new people certified. It also allows all of the=20 departments to get a chance to work together and speak the same = language, so=20 when we back each other up we can work fast and = effectively."

Tremaine=20 gave a great deal of credit for the day's success to local auto shops = and=20 companies that donated cars for destruction, as well as other services. = These=20 businesses included the U.N.A.U.K. Corporation, Rory's Towing, Amador = Towing and=20 Recovery, Foothill Auto Wreckers, Jack's Chevron, Zoom's Smog and Auto, = Lynch's=20 Automotive, Meek's Lumber and Podesta and Son Co. The city of Jackson = and Amador=20 County agencies also lent their support.

"It was because of = everyone who=20 contributed to this project that we're able to make people in the = community=20 safer with a day like today," Tremaine said of the firefighters' = supporters.=20 "For example, Lynch's Automotive brought 10 cars here on their own = Friday night=20 from Calaveras County. I showed up in the dark as the truck was pulling = in here=20 and watched them unload a literal wall of cars. All the help we got made = for a=20 great time."

Jackson fire Chief Mark Morton was also satisfied = with how=20 the weekend went. "I think what's most important is that all of the = firefighters=20 who participated in this over the last two days from our different = departments=20 and battalions will receive both continuing education certificates, as = well as a=20 certificate from the state fire marshal for auto extraction," Morton = observed.=20 "We deal with so many car accidents here in the foothills. Honestly, = when it=20 comes to how crucial this type of training is on a scale from one to 10 = - this=20 is a 10."

Scott Thomas = Anderson