Amador County – Five local firefighting brigades learned Monday that their new extrication and traffic safety response equipment was ready for action to improve emergency response in Amador County after two Oakland technicians helped get the equipment fired up and operational. On Monday, L.N. Curtis & Sons workers Jim Colwell and Dave Anderson were at the Sutter Creek Fire Department helping service the equipment and get them running. Helping were Jackson Fire Captain Frank Tremain, Sutter Creek Chief Butch Martin and his firefighters, Aaron Watkins and bob Barghoorn Jr. The equipment was purchased by Sutter Creek Fire Protection District, lead agency in receiving and dispersing a $181,000 Dollar “Regional Extrication Improvement Program.” Sutter Creek Fire Captain and grant program director Dan Barnes said members of the local brigades will each get about $36,000 dollars worth of new extrication equipment from the grant, through the California Office of Traffic Safety and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. Barnes said Sutter Creek Fire District prepared the fully equipped extrication systems, and notified the 5 jurisdictions that they were ready to be picked up. Departments that will get the equipment are the Lockwood Fire Protection District, Jackson City Fire Department, Amador Fire Protection District Battalions 10 and 20, and the Sutter Creek Fire Department. Barnes said “additional training for the new equipment will also be provided to 40 firefighters in the region.” The program should be fully implemented by next September. He said on completion of the program, “responding agencies will have the same standard of equipment that is fully compatible with each other, and outdated equipment will be replaced, allowing for improved emergency medical service delivery in the region.” The package for each jurisdiction includes hydraulic Hurst extrication tools, heavy airbags, “Rescue 42” stabilization struts, portable lighting and a portable gasoline powered hydraulic power unit. The Hurst tools include a spreader, a cutter and a ram. The generator powers two Hurst tools at a time. Story by Jim Reece (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.).