Local Fire Departments Receive Grant For Life Saving Equipment

Jamestown, CA — The California Office of Traffic Safety has awarded a $75,000 grant to the Chicken Ranch Fire Department and the Twain Harte Fire Department.

The money will be used to purchase new crash victim extrication equipment, known as the “jaws of life.”

Sonora Fire Chief Aimee New, who also oversees the Chicken Ranch Fire Department, helped to secure the money, and says, “We are incredibly grateful for this grant which will allow us to purchase state-of-the-art rescue tools and provide training to first responders that is critical for the care of people injured in crashes.”

According to federal data from 2022, 42% of people who were killed in car crashes were alive when first responders arrived. The jaws of life hydraulic rescue tools will help the first responders deliver life-saving measures for patients trapped in vehicles and significantly increase the chances of survival.