The Mariposa County Fire Department (MCFD) was awarded a $238,072 traffic safety grant for the purchase of collision extrication and stabilization tools as well as two automated external defibrillator devices thanks to a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety. The grant funded seven sets of extrication tools and 14 sets of stabilization tools that will effectively equip every fire company in the County.

“This grant has assisted Mariposa County Fire Department in obtaining muchneeded safety equipment to safely extricate critically injured crash victims trapped in a vehicle on our roadways,” said Chief Jim Wilson. “Both County rescue vehicles will now be equipped with heavy stabilization equipment that will enhance our ability to work with school or tour bus crashes. We have not previously possessed that capability.”

“Time is critical and these tools will give rescuers the ability to remove injured drivers and passengers more rapidly,” said Chris Murphy, Director of the Office of Traffic Safety. “This equipment can be the difference between life and death in the rural communities of Mariposa County.”

This grant will improve emergency medical services in all 13 community-based fire stations by providing seven fully equipped extrication systems and augment basic extrication tools already carried by the other six stations. Prior to the grant award, MCFD could not rapidly deliver life-saving tools to a vehicle collision scene. In addition, there was not sufficient heavy rescue tools located anywhere in Mariposa County to effect rescue in a large vehicle such as a school or tour bus. This grant now enables MCFD to safely and effectively perform rapid rescue of entrapped motorists.

Funding for the grant comes from the California Office of Traffic Safety through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.