Firefighters Train With Life-Saving Equipment

Eight volunteer fire departments from Penobscot and Somerset counties met in Palmyra for extrication training. The training was held at K&K Auto Salvage, where the firefighters had access to several junk cars to train with. They practiced skills like using the Jaws Of Life, stabilizing vehicles and pulling victims out of vehicles. Carmel firefighter Rick Goodell says it's vital that every firefighter knows how to use this equipment.

"Not everybody has extrication equipment, not everybody has jaws, not everybody has saws, not everybody has all the tools that we're using today and that we're learning to use," Goodell said. "It's still important, however, for every department to be able to identify these tools and know how to use them."

The firefighters already went through two weeks of classroom training. Because the cars used in the training were going to be destroyed anyway, the only cost of the training is the fuel to bring the trucks to the site.