Thursday night, firefighters met for their regularly scheduled training, with the new Paratech stabilization system being demonstrated. Guest instructor Dalan Zartman of President of Rescue Methods, who is also a rescue manager with Finley Fire Equipment Co., Inc. traveled to conduct the class for the FCFD.
For many, this is the first time that they had worked with the Paratech Fire & Rescue Equipment system, and this was the first formal training on the new equipment that was received through grant funding from the Ohio BWC Safety Grant. The grant, which was awarded in the fall of 2016 provided the fire district with $37,337.00 in the industry best rescue equipment with only a $8,334 match.
Zartman conducted an overview of the system, the interoperability, how the pieces function together, and how to calculate what the system can do before going straight into the hands-on portion of the class. Firefighters went to work with the basics of structural stabilization, something that within our district that we may see with a vehicle into a structure, or after severe weather while conducting search and rescue efforts.
Crews then went on to work with Zartman step-by-step as they assembled systems to stabilize vehicles that were at rest on the side and the top. Weights, angles, calculations, and equipment setup was all covered as the system was put together to completely stabilize the vehicle. As quickly as one system was disassembled, another one was put together, first manually and then to lift the vehicle with the new Hydrafusion strut system that is powered by a small hand pump.
Through the grant monies that were awarded, the FCFD went from having only two, hand-built struts, to having an entire modular system that can be added onto, function with other departments, and be used in a variety of ways. The options and abilities of the system are many, and will allow the FCFD to arrive with resources that prior to the award would be called in from out of county or require a number of agencies to respond.
We are very grateful to have been chosen for this grant and to be a leader in the region with a cache of rescue equipment. The FCFD would like to thank Dalan Zartman for his expertise during the selection of equipment and in comparing manufacturers, as well as sharing his vast knowledge during training. Thank you to Finley Fire Equipment, our Paratech vendor, we are very pleased with our new capabilities.