Fire Department receives new equipment

The Ponca City Fire Department unveiled several new pieces of rescue equipment Monday evening at the City Commission meeting.

Fire Chief Butch Herring and Fire Division Chief Gary Wilson showed commissioners the latest in tools from Hurst Jaws of Life equipment.

The new extrication equipment comes with the latest in battery technology, allowing as much as 40 to 50 minutes of continuous battery life per battery. Each of the tools includes two spare batteries. Herring said that in use, the equipment is not in continuous use and the active life is longer.

With the improved battery life, the spreaders — shown in the photo with Wilson — can lift 74 tons per square foot.

“Currently, we use hydraulic equipment tethered by hoses,” Herring said. “This is much more mobile.”

The department also received three thermal imaging cameras which will be used in fire- or smoke-filled rooms to find people who may be trapped. The cameras shows a thermal footprint and is sensitive enough to see a handprint if someone has touched a wall for as little as four seconds. The cameras can also show the flow path of a fire  and can record for future training sessions.

The equipment was purchased  through the Assistance to Firefighters Grant.

The extrication equipment, which includes both spreading and cutting capability, cost $50,000 while the cameras were $26,000. Because of the grant for the equipment, Ponca City’s cost was 10 percent of the $76,000 total, Herring said.