Residents and visitors traveling in the southern areas of the Big Island became safer on Friday without even knowing it. The increased safety also extended to the first-responders of the Hawaii Fire Department. Hawaiian Paradise Park Fire Station received a Holmatro Pentheon Jaws of Life cutter, spreader and ram units from the Daniel R. Sayre Memorial Foundation, worth $44,297, in a gifting and blessing ceremony on April 7, 2023.
This life saving unit is designed to remove individuals trapped in vehicles that are either submerged in water, or by vehicle accidents. This equipment will replace existing Jaws of Life that are over 30 years old and are powered by compressed air, which is supplied by a compressor that requires electricity from a generator carried on the fire engine.
A unique quality about this state of the art technology is that it is operated by rechargeable battery packs. This enables the first responders to more efficiently remove a victim from the vehicle and provide the first responders with the ability to transport the Jaws of Life to the vehicle without the restrictions or danger of the hoses or power cords.
This is especially important if there is leaking gasoline. The new units will even allow the emergency personnel to enter the vehicle for safer and more efficient extrication of victims. The cutter generates over 300,000 pounds of force and will cut through any metal. The ram will displace a dashboard over 50 inches and has laser guides to ensure safety and maximum leverage.
Present for the donation were HFD Fire Chief Kazuo Todd, Deputy Chief Eric Moeller, Assistant Chief Darwin Okinaka, Fire Equipment Operator Neil Biddix, Fire Fighter Hunter Parker, Laura Mallery-Sayre and Frank Sayre as well as Bronson Pocock, of No Ka Oi Services who provided the 3-day training for the three essential devices that allow for cutting, spreading and pushing back a dashboard that may be pinning a passenger.
Each unit comes with two battery packs that can run for 90 minutes during extrication. This is the fourth Jaws of Life that has been donated to the Hawaii Fire Department by the Daniel Sayre Memorial Foundation. The funds were raised by contributions from Big Island community members.
Because of the vast size of the Big Island, and the distance between fire stations, the age and type of existing equipment, four more units are needed.
If you would like to help, please visit danielsayrefoundation.org.