By Alexandra Sanders
The New Haven Register
WESTBROOK, Conn. — A new, cutting-edge version of the “jaws of life” tool facilitated the rescue after Friday’s plane crash.
Firefighters only had their TNT Tool for three weeks before they had to use it on a small plane that crashed west of Route 145.
“The main reason we got it is for car accidents,” said Fire Chief Michael Jenkins.
“In this situation, we used it to cut the plane’s engine out to send to the factory so they could determine what was wrong with it, and we cut one piece away (to extract) the survivor,” said Jenkins, who was among the people who found the plane near Chittenden Hill Road.
Peter Bendzlowicz of Wading River, N.Y., was pronounced dead at the scene, and Arthur Szu of Amity, N.Y., was taken to Yale-New Haven Hospital. Jenkins said he was told Saturday that Szu is expected to make a full recovery.
“We were dispatched around 3 p.m., and within 20 minutes to a half hour we found the plane,” said Jenkins.
“The (Federal Aviation Administration) said we did an excellent job with finding the plane, making the rescue and preserving the scene for their investigation,” he said.
According to Jenkins, most area towns have a similar tool, but the Fire Department’s tool is rated as one of the strongest on the market.
“It works on the plane very easily,” said Deputy Emergency Management Director George Pytlik. “It’s much higher pressure and it is designed to cut through the new alloy metal that cars have. The jaws of life would just stall cutting through something like that.”
First Selectman Noel Bishop said that the purchase of the nearly $20,000 device was unanimously approved at a town meeting April 27. The Fire Department requested it because the previous tool wouldn’t cut through a lot of cars on the road.
“They benefited from it in a short period of time,” said Bishop. “Obviously, it was a very tragic event, but there is a whole protocol and it impresses me that there are these procedures in place.”
This is the second plane crash in town in two years. Firefighters prepare for such incidents with drills, the most recent of which was held about a month ago.
“We are never adequately prepared because every situation is different,” said Jenkins. “But I believe we have a good edge on it, having dealt with a plane crash and having drills on protocol.”
Jenkins said the single-engine Piper was coming from New York, but he was not sure where it was going. Bradley International Airport got a report of engine trouble and the plane was directed to Chester Airport before the crash.
For more information about TNT Rescue, visit the company’s official website.
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