Brandon Fire Chief Bob McArthur won approval from the village council to purchase more than $9,700 in trench rescue equipment.
McArthur said that as the township grows, so too does the need for expanded rescue techniques.
Because of the increase in construction, basement digging, underground utility work, septic and sewer line trenching, McArthur said the chances for someone to get trapped underground also increases.
While Brandon is a member of the multi-departmental North Oakland Technical Rescue group, currently the only department qualified in trench rescue is the Pontiac City Fire Department.
As the response time from Pontiac is not appropriate, Brandon firefighter Jerry Wivo trained and successfully completed a trench rescue course, which qualifies him as a technician.
McArthur plans for the balance of the departmental firefighters to be trained for Operation Level, in order for the department to meet OSHA requirements for trench rescue qualifications.
In order for a trench rescue to be performed, the fire department requires a minimal amount of equipment, along with one trained personnel to properly free a trapped victim, should the situation occur.
Council approved a bid in the amount of $9,707.07 to purchase the required basic Airshore trench rescue kit, which will be taken from the Equipment and Operating budget.
The council also approved over $33,000 for the purchase of a new Lifepak monitor-defibrillator for Fire Station 3 and upgrades to the two existing units.
The chief told council the lifesaving equipment is worth every penny spent. Since the purchase of the original two, last year, the department has documented five lives saved because of the talent of medics and the equipment.
The units give the blood pressure and oxygen levels while traveling to the hospital. This allows the medic to do their procedures while still monitoring the vitals, assisting in catching a patient who begins to deteriorate while en route to the hospital.
‘Last year we had a 45-year-old woman who coded at McDonalds,? said McArthur. ‘When we got there she was already gone.?
With the defibrillator, the medics were able to transport the patient as they were performing cardio- pulmonary resuscitation, enabling them to get her to the hospital more quickly.
‘We thought she was gone,? the chief said.
‘It was unbelievable when about three months later she walked into the station, and she was in perfect health. She didn’t even look like the same person.?
Funding for the Lifepak and equipment will be taken from the Ambulance Revenue budget.