By Terry Witt – Spotlight Senior Reporter
Bronson Town Council members saw their fire department’s new $35,500 rechargeable battery-operated Jaws of Life tools demonstrated at the most recent council meeting.
The Jaws of Life tools were purchased using a Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation grant requested by the Bronson Volunteer Fire Department. The equipment arrived on Nov. 18.
Training Captain and Firefighter II Officer Gail Foote said the grant program is popular with fire departments around the country and it usually takes two or three applications before funding is approved.
The Jaws of Life consists of three hydraulic rescue tools for removing accident victims from their vehicles by cutting through doors, spreading crushed metal, and using the ram to widen openings for trapped passengers to escape.
The fire department formerly used a Jaws of Life system operated by a gas engine with hoses.
“It can be time-consuming to set up, very cumbersome with the hoses in the dark and it’s leaking oil and fluid,” Foote said.
The Hurst Corporation invented the Jaws of Life.
The new battery-operated system can function in saltwater or freshwater 10 feet below the surface.
“It is exciting and encouraging that the Bronson Volunteer Fire Department is using the equipment to improve our response and service to Bronson, Levy County, and the traveling public,” Foote said.
More than 70 percent of the funds came from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation and the generosity of Firehouse Subs customers and the Firehouse Subs brand.
“We thank Firehouse Subs for their generosity and ask everyone to consider supporting Firehouse Subs restaurants,” Foote said.
Foote noted that a former member of the Bronson Volunteer Fire Department, Paul Anderson, did the groundwork for a number of department grants, including the Jaws of Life, the city’s new $1.9 million firehouse built with a state legislative appropriation, and a diesel smoke removal system for the firehouse.
“I used some of the information he accumulated a few years ago for this grant and we will be able to utilize it for future endeavors as well,” Foote said. “Though no longer a member, Paul Anderson’s hard work is still providing an essential benefit for the town.”
Former State Sen. Rob Bradley and State. Rep. Charlie Stone were instrumental in securing funding in the Florida Legislature for the $1.9 million Bronson firehouse.
Fire Chief Dennis Russell said the well that will supply the new firehouse is coming closer to being a reality. The drilling company has hit water but is waiting for the pump and tank to arrive.
The city can’t use its existing public water supply system for the firehouse because it can’t supply enough water pressure for the building’s fire suppression system. The new well, 12 inches in diameter, can supply the necessary water pressure.
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Town of Bronson regular meeting December 19, 2022; Posted December 28, 2022
