The Vanderhoof Extrication Society has received enough funding for a new extrication vehicle worth approximately $350,000.
The vehicle has “the jaws of life”, which is equipment to cut a vehicle apart after an accident to get people to hospital quicker.
“There’s what they call a ‘golden hour’,” said District of Vanderhoof Mayor Gerry Thiessen.
“Which is an hour from an accident to when you get a person into a hospital to get medical treatment, and if you can do it in that hour the likelihood of a better or full recovery is much greater,” he said.
The equipment that the Extrication Society currently use is very old and often wasn’t strong enough to open up the vehicles to get people out after an accident.
“It was putting a lot of stress on those who have volunteered for this cause, because they were going to accident scenes but could not get people out of their vehicles,” said Thiessen.
The funding has come about after members of the Extrication Society came to speak to council about the issues and also did some fundraising in the community for the cause.
“We as a community have then lobbied provincial government for funding and our grant writer Janice Baker did a lot of extra work and went way beyond the call of duty on this topic and raised enough grants that we now are going to get a new truck,” said Thiessen.
It is hoped the new truck will arrive in town by September.
