By Jeff Postelwait
Tulsa World (Oklahoma) 
Copyright 2006 The Tulsa World 

To do the job right, you need the right tools.

Bixby firefighters say the lifesaving equipment their department recently bought is long overdue.

Assistant Fire Chief Doug Brasuell said the station's old extrication equipment — tools used to free people trapped in wrecked cars — was made in the 1980s.

Brasuell said he and the department are thankful to the city for allowing them to purchase a $25,000 package of machinery.

The main advantage of the new tools, said firefighter John Kuhn, is their ease of use.

"These are much more user-friendly," he said. "The old ones did the job, but these take it further and are more reliable."

The four main pieces of equipment are the cutter, the spreader, and two rams. Other equipment in the kit is used to provide power and support so the tools can be used effectively. The spreader can be used to perform a maneuver called a "dash roll," Brasuell said. This technique pries the dashboard away from a vehicle's steering column, allowing firefighters to bring a crash victim to safety.

The cutter, which resembles a parrot's beak or a lobster's claw, is two feet long and weighs about 34 pounds. With 72,000 pounds of cutting force, it can clip through even the thickest steel.

"Some of the older models have a tendency to bind up and go off-balance," Brasuell said. "This one rotates to find the position that's best for it and you."

While the cutter can take the roof off a car or truck, the rams are used to widen openings in wreckage. They are used with a component called a D-post extender to spread parts of a car apart with greater leverage and precision.

Of course, with added power comes added responsibility. Before firefighters can use this equipment, they must complete special training.

"In training, you can learn about what parts of the car to cut," Brasuell said.

Firefighter Zach Allphin, who has completed his extrication training, said the program focuses on freeing dummies from mock car crashes that are meant to simulate what a firefighter might face on the job.

"In my eyes, there's no way to make it work without the right equipment," Allphin said.

Kuhn explained the idea behind a vehicle rescue.

"You don't want to move the person when they might be injured," he said. "So instead, you move the vehicle."