BELOIT - Some of the Beloit Fire Department's rescue equipment is getting an overhaul, and the department is currently working on training department staff on using the updated gear this week. Through capital improvement funds provided by the city, the department replaced its aging extrication rescue gear for $200,000 over the course of 2016 and this year.
Through capital improvement funds provided by the city, the department replaced its aging extrication rescue gear for $200,000 over the course of 2016 and this year. The new gear, which is mainly used to pull crash victims out of vehicles, replaces 25-year-old extrication equipment.
The new tools are lighter, easier to use, are safer and are over a third faster than the previous generation of outdated tools. The change in gear reflects the vast changes made to vehicles over the last 25 years, with automobile manufacturers using lightweight heavy metals like titanium in the body frames. The old gear had trouble cutting into these metals.