Congressman for the 69th District Danny Alvarez operates the Jaws of Life to pry open the door of an SUV.
On Wednesday, May 1, Danny Alverez, State Representative for District 69 came to Plant City. “We’re out here today doing a ride along with Plant City Fire Rescue,” said Alverez. “This is something that I like to do when it comes to being a state rep—understanding what is going on at the ground level because my priorities are always: first, public safety and then veterans. Plant City Fire Rescue is one of our premier agencies in the county and they asked me to come to take a look. I’m proud to be here and proud to be with these men and women.”
“Today we’re showing things that we do on a normal basis,” Battalion Chief Chris Rodriguez told us. “We are going to pull the doors off and extricate victims, giving Congressman Alvarez an option to get hands on and feel what it takes to do the job. This is this is the first time we’ve had him here.”
This training with Fire Rescue A-Shift allowed Congressman Alvarez to experience the weight of the extraction equipment, the strength, and the skill it takes to handle the tools. Each piece of equipment weighs more than 60 pounds and has to be held in various positions that are physically difficult and demanding. Alvarez first operated a spreader, AKA the “Jaws of Life,” to pry open the door of an SUV. Then he used a cutter to remove a door.
Plant City Fire Rescue trains on extra skills like these no less than twice a month.
For training like this one that requires the use of vehicles, Brewington’s Towing & Recovery provides them to Fire Rescue. “This is part of my community service— letting them train and get prepared for when they go out on an actual scene,” said David Brewington, owner of the company.” Brewington’s is a large business in Plant City that has more than 20 tow trucks operating on a daily basis.
“Historically, we had gas-powered hydraulic spreader and cutter tools that had to be manually set up,” said Rodriguez. The gas machine had to be cranked up, and the hoses had to be connected to the tools.” The units A-Shift used this day were self-contained hydraulic battery-powered tools. “They’re very quickly deployed as soon as our people get out of the truck.”
Operating from three fire stations, Plant City Fire Rescue is responsible for 28 square miles. The department has two Advanced Life Support (ALS) engines and one ALS 77-foot aerial ladder truck, two ALS ambulances and one battalion chief vehicle. They respond to an average of 20 calls every day.
The department has 48 firefighters and paramedics. All of the firefighters also need to be trained as paramedics within three years of being hired. The department handles fire suppression and emergency medical services, and other emergencies that threaten lives and property. Crews work 24-hour shifts at each station and are ready day or night to respond at a moment’s notice. One of three Battalion Chief manages each of the three shifts and the sixteen people on duty.