SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE - The Yellowknife Fire Department have replaced their old extrication equipment – commonly referred to as "jaws of life" – with what fire chief Albert Headrick calls the "Cadillac" of such gear, made by a company called Holmatro.

Firefighters Ashley Geraghty, left, Donald Scott, Stewart Milne, and Evan Arnold, with fire chief Albert Headrick in the background, show off their new set of extrication equipment – commonly used to rescue people trapped in wrecked vehicles. - Tim Edwards/NNSL photo

"(The old Hurst equipment) was getting on an age – it was starting to require more maintenance than it should, and that's when it's best to get it exchanged. You don't got time to repair these things when you're out on the scene," said Headrick.

"(The equipment is) basically used for extricating people from entrapment – usually for motor vehicle accidents," said Headrick.

The new equipment consists of two sets of cutters, spreaders, rams, and hydraulic power systems.

The cutter is used to cut through metal such as the frame of a vehicle. The spreader is used to pry the metal apart and is commonly used to pop doors off vehicles after an accident. The ram is often used to move parts of the vehicle that may have shifted during an accident and trapped someone inside.

"The reason we got two is we've got to protect the town, so we need one for the town if we take the other outside the boundaries," said Headrick.

Headrick said the equipment can last 10-15 years or longer, and that extrication equipment is usually used about four or five times a year.

"We only replace equipment when we think it needs to be replaced before major breakdowns happen – preventative thinking," he said.

There was an added bonus to replacing the equipment. Headrick said the Yellowknife Fire Department now has the same rescue equipment as Diavik and BHP Billiton diamond mines.

"The good thing about having equipment that's compatible with mining emergency services is that if there's ever a major incident then the equipment can be used by other individuals that are familiar with the equipment because they've had the opportunity to use it," said Headrick.

"So we don't have three of four different kinds of apparatuses and only so many people know how to use each one of them." The two sets of equipment cost about $52,000 in total, and Headrick said they saved around $200,000 in shipping the 500-700 lbs pallet of equipment up with Manitoulin Transport, who donated the shipping costs.

The equipment arrived in the first week of June, and a sales representative from the company came up to hold training workshops during the second week.