A total of $165,000 in grant funding is being made available through the Office of Traffic Safety, going to several San Joaquin County fire departments, including Escalon Fire.

The money will be used by the departments to purchase new extrication equipment.

Along with Escalon, those sharing in the funding are the French Camp Fire District/Mountain House Fire, Ripon Fire District, and Montezuma Fire District.

Known as the ‘Jaws of Life,’ the special extrication tool is one that first responders use to safely rescue crash victims trapped inside a vehicle. The grant funds will allow the departments to purchase the latest, state-of-the-art extrication tools as well as provide training for department members in their use.

According to National Fire Incident Reporting System data, in 2022, more than 55,000 crashes across the country involved vehicle extrication. Post-crash care is vital in preventing serious injuries from potentially turning deadly. Delays in providing expedient care impacts survival chances.

“Reducing the time it takes to get to the patient, treating what can be treated, and transporting the patient to the hospital can be the difference between life and death,” the OTS noted in its announcement of the grant funding.

Federal data indicates that 42 percent of people who were killed in car crashes were alive when first responders arrived. The new Jaws of Life hydraulic rescue tools will help first responders, including those with Escalon Fire, to deliver life-saving measures for patients trapped in vehicles, significantly increasing chances of survival.

Funding for this program was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.