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Maumelle fire chief reports rise in calls, highlights battery-powered extrication tools that speed rescues
Summary
Fire Chief Beau Buford told the Maumelle City Council that calls are up this year (a 25% overall increase) and described training with new battery-powered 'e-tools' that can save 15–20 minutes in vehicle extrication; the department has a grant pending to acquire additional equipment.
Fire Chief Beau Buford told the Maumelle City Council on July 6 that the city’s fire department is responding to significantly more incidents this year and has been training on battery-powered extrication tools that shorten response preparation time.
“We've seen a 25% increase in all our incidents so far this year as opposed to this time last year,” Beau Buford said, adding a roughly 17% increase in fires, about a 21% rise in EMS calls and a 74% jump in ‘‘good intent’’ responses such as helping someone who has fallen. He told the council that the department ran a two-part training — classroom and hands-on — led in part by Captain Adam Cordell of Diski Rescue Solutions.
Buford described the battery-powered tools, commonly called e-tools, as lighter and quicker to deploy than traditional hydraulic systems. “With the e-tools ... you can grab them, you can go, and you can start cutting, spreading ... almost instantaneously,” he said, estimating the tools cut about 15 to 20 minutes off preparation time. He said the quieter operation also improves on-scene communication among firefighters.
The chief noted the department has applied for a grant to purchase additional pieces of equipment it does not yet own. He walked council members through the different tools demonstrated — a combination cutter/spreader, a brake-pedal cutter, a cutter for vehicle metals, a ram and a spreader — and stressed the importance of training because of modern vehicle features such as airbags and complex structures.
The council did not take action on funding at the meeting; Buford said the grant is pending and the department will continue training across all shifts while seeking funding to expand its e-tool inventory.
