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Cloverdale Fire gets ‘Jaws of Life’ in nick of time

KTVZ

When every second counts, tools like the “Jaws of Life” are critical to first responders.

And for Cloverdale firefighters the timing of their purchase of the extrication tool couldn’t have come at a better time.

“The timing was impeccable, for us getting it, to do what we had to do (Thursday) night,” volunteer firefighter Kristopher Saccurato said Friday.

The Cloverdale Rural Fire Protection District’s decades-old extraction tool broke more than a month ago.

And just days after firefighters scraped together enough money to buy a new one, there was a deadly crash just minutes from the fire station.

“We knew it was bad — there were three patients, both cars sustained heavy damage from the collision,” Cloverdale Fire Lt. Clinton Weaver said.

Responders were able to cut the victims out of the wreckage Thursday night. One was dead, but two were injured, trapped and waiting to be rescued.

“With the new tool, we were able to get them out of the car within a couple of minutes,” Weaver said. “Getting them advanced medical care is critical, and the sooner you can do it, the better their chances are of survival, and the less the injury will affect them in the future.”

Weaver said bad crashes happen in the area far too often.

“We have two major highways, Highway 126 and Highway 20, that run through our district,” Weaver said. “Without these tools, we would be dependent on waiting help — that can be a half hour or more.”

For years, the district operated with a very old, used extractor. It didn’t work on newer cars.

“There’s definitely a sense of pride in our department, that we don’t have to rely on another department to do our job for us,” Saccurato said.

The department purchased the tool used for a mere $7,200. Brand-new, the machines can run upwards of $30,000.

Half of the money was raised by the community.

“We held fund-raisers throughout the year, and people are always willing to give,” Weaver said. “The things that people do for others in this community amazes me to no end. And this is just one example of it.”

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