Local firefighters train on ‘jaws of life’

HARDEMAN COUNTY, Tenn. — One local fire department spent Wednesday training to get you out of a crashed car more quickly and safely by using the jaws of life.

The Bolivar Fire Department has just completed a two-day training course on different car extrication techniques, certifying 11 firefighters and two emergency vehicle specialists.

“Training is the foundation of everything we do,” Jackson Fire Department Instructor David Dorris said. “We have been doing extrication in Jackson for years and we still train all the time. The more you train, the more proficient you get in the techniques.”

Firefighters were working Wednesday with tools that can weigh up to 50 pounds.

“We start with the basics of stabilizing the car on the scene, up to if we need to remove glass or remove doors, or up to removing the roof and pushing the dash up out of the way to free their feet from the pedals and wreckage,” Dorris said.

Bolivar Fire Department Instructor Tommy Breeden said this is the first 16 out of 40 hours of in-service training for the firefighters out of the year.

For veteran firefighter Lt. Michion Gatlin, it’s all about serving the city they protect.

“It’s pretty exciting, you know? It’s something new for us in the city,” Lt. Gatlin said. “We are looking forward to starting to do it.”