DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) — A long-standing partnership between Fuyao Glass Illinois and the Mt. Zion Fire Department is continuing to grow after the company donated new rescue equipment designed to help firefighters respond faster during emergencies.
On Thursday, Fuyao formally presented the department with two new battery-powered “Jaws of Life” tools. The tools can be used during vehicle extrications and industrial emergencies.
The donation comes after years of collaboration between the fire department and the manufacturing facility. Firefighters routinely train at the plant on scenarios including elevated rescues, confined space rescues and furnace glass leak situations. Fire crews also provide CPR, AED and fire extinguisher training for Fuyao employees.
“We’ve developed a relationship, and we’ve discussed different things that they may need,” said Fuyao EHS supervisor Chad Lavarier. “We were just trying to help out and provide some of the things that they needed or need replaced.”
Lavarier said the partnership has helped firefighters become more familiar with the facility and its workers before emergencies happen.
“They come out here, and we talk through different scenarios, run different trainings with them on elevated rescue, confined space, glass leak training,” he said. “So they’re familiar with the plant. They know their way around. They know a lot of the faces when they come in.”
According to Fuyao, the department’s previous rescue tools were pneumatic, meaning firefighters were limited by the length of air lines connected to the truck. The new battery-powered equipment allows crews to move more freely and begin rescue operations more quickly.
Mt. Zion Fire Chief Mark Wright said the tools will primarily be used for vehicle extrications, helping firefighters remove doors, roofs and other parts of crashed vehicles to safely reach trapped patients.
“They’re capable of removing doors, windows, roofs, different parts of the vehicle in order to free up and gain access to patients and to get those patients out safely,” Wright said.
Wright called the relationship between the department and the manufacturer “invaluable,” saying both sides regularly meet to discuss safety procedures and emergency planning.
“Our agency likes to come out and work with them ahead of time and be pre-engaged before the incident happens so we can work together better,” he explained.
Firefighters tour the facility several times each year to stay familiar with the plant’s layout and operations.
Wright said donations like this are uncommon for smaller departments and help provide equipment that may otherwise take years to purchase.
“Everything’s going up in price except for public budgets,” he explained. “This is leaps and bounds ahead of where we were. We were probably 10 years away from having something like this, but now, thanks to Fuyao, we can have it today.”
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