MUSGRAVE HARBOUR, N.L. – Should the worst happen, the Musgrave Harbour Fire Department will be ready to respond.
The department is able to provide vehicle extrication services from Deadman’s Bay to Davidsville, covering a 70-kilometre stretch of highway.
While the equipment has been in place for some time, Fire Chief Grant Pinsent said training has been taking place over the last year. Six members have travelled out of the area for training and another 15 have taken part in in-house extrication drills.
“We are still in the process of getting everything finalized, because along with extrication you need firefighting equipment on scene,” he said. “We have been speaking with other fire departments, outside of our community, about providing a fire support when we respond, because we would use our rescue vehicle instead of our pumper for a response.
“So, it really is a (regional) team effort to pull this off at the end of the day.”
It’s a service that cost approximately $75,000 to implement, which Pinsent said has been supported by the town and the provincial government.
Previously, the department had to carry out smaller extractions using hand tools.
“We have encountered a number of motor vehicle accidents where having this equipment would have made our lives a little easier,” he said. “We’ve always managed, but this would make a big difference in more serious accidents.”
Fortunately, he said the extrication equipment has only been used in training.
“But it’s nice to know it’s there if it is needed,” he added.
