Staff Writer
PRESQUE ISLE — Not the typical tool display, firefighters of the Limestone and Fort Fairfield Fire Departments showed Lowe’s customers on Friday a non-traditional use for the DeWalt reciprocating saw as they used it to take the roof off of a mercury.
Aroostook Republican photo/Natalie Bazinet
Using what is commonly referred to as the Jaws of Life, Fire Department Captain Mike Jalbert made quick work of the vehicle door during a training exercise conducted on Friday at the Presque Isle Lowe’s.
Employees of Lowe’s employees chose to donate the saw to the fire departments in accordance with October being Fire Prevention Month.
“We were discussing in-house projects where we could give back to the community, and we decided that we’d team with the Aroostook County Fire Prevention District 1 and have them come out and show some of our customers how the equipment works,” said commercial sales specialist at Lowe’s Ray Porter, stating that the saw set would be a donation to the departments.
“We are part of the local community and it’s important to us as a store and as an organization that we do our share in the community to support the emergency responders because so many peoples lives depend on their training and equipment,” he added. Some employees at Lowe’s in Presque Isle are volunteer firefighters themselves.
Aside from donating a battery-operated kit including a DeWalt drill, reciprocating saw with fire rescue blades, a light, two batteries, a charger, equipment case and mini bolt cutters, Lowe’s employees also coordinated with Cowett’s Auto Body of Presque Isle the donation of a vehicle and arranged an assimilated extraction of a simulated car crash for the firefighters to practice their skills and adjust to the new equipment.
“We would like to send a special thank to Lowe’s not only for the tools, but for the car and for a perfect training opportunity,” said Captain Mike Jalbert of the Limestone Fire Department. “It’s very important for us to be able to practice with a new piece of equipment so that we know the tool’s limitations, which allows us to be more efficient and safer,” he added, stating that practice makes perfect.
The separate but interdependent departments plan on using the new equipment for extrication and fire rescue calls. The battery-operated saw will replace the department’s corded reciprocating saw.
“These fellows have to cover a topographically large area with a widespread population and they had a need,” Porter explained. “We thought it was a real great place to put the equipment.”
The firefighters worked together on the cold Friday afternoon to expertly tear apart the vehicle using a combination of new and old equipment to complete the job. While Porter commented that he wished the weather would have been more seasonal, there are some benefits to training in less than comfortable conditions for the departments.
“Training in cold weather allows us to learn the limitations of the equipment that we use as well as the challenges of working in cold versus warm weather,” Jalbert said.
In a standard year, the departments will typically obtain two or three cars a year to keep up on their skills, as new cars are always changing and presenting different challenges for the firefighters to learn from.
Firefighter Jesse Murchie, Sales specialist at Lowe’s Ray Porter, Captain Darryl Doughty, firefighter Mitchell Dufour, Captain Mike Jalbert, firefighter Matt Beil, junior firefighter Justin Cote, Sean Dumais of Lowe’s with his co-workers Jon Curtis, Josh Pelkey, Brad Nadeau and Ryan McGinnis were present for the official donation of the DeWalt equipment from Lowe’s employees to the fire departments of Limestone and Fort Fairfield.
Captain Darryl Doughty uses the new DeWalt reciprocating saw with fire rescue blades recently donated to the department by Lowe’s to separate the roof of the vehicle from the body during training on Oct. 23 in Presque Isle. Snow had to be brushed off of the vehicle before training could begin.
Captains Mike Jalbert and Darryl Doughty lifted the vehicle while firefighter Jesse Murchie and junior firefighter Justin Cote insert vehicle-stabilizing blocks beneath the Mercury’s frame.
Firefighter Mitchell Dufour helped secure the frame of the vehicle as firefighter Jesse Murchie made the final snip that effectively turned that mercury into a convertible. Captain Darryl Doughty supervised, providing instruction as necessary.
