MERIDIAN TOWNSHIP - On Tuesday June 25th, the Meridian Township Fire Department held an event where the public and media were invited to attend a live demonstration for the new extrication equipment called the Jaws of Life.

The event took place at the Central Fire Station with 12 people in attendance. The new equipment was funded by a $10,000 grant from the Haslett-Okemos Rotary Club and an additional $8,000 that was approved from the Township Board. The funding also helped with getting tools, a gasoline pump, extension hoses and fittings for the new equipment.

A extrication rescue can vary depending on how bad the accident is, and several parts of a vehicle may have to be removed in order to save the victims that are trapped inside their vehicle. During the live demonstration, the extrication took 20 minutes to remove doors on both sides, and well as the windshield and the roof of the vehicle

Fire Chief Mike Hamel said, "We probably have between 20 to 30 extrication a year on top of supporting our partners which is our neighboring fire departments. If they have an accident or a need for additional people to come and help, we would do that. Every accident is different and in the past 6 months we’ve had a number of bad accidents on I-96, Grand River towards Williamston that we’ve supported and helped with extrications."

This equipment upgrade will also provide mutual aid to Alaiedon, Bath, Delhi, East Lansing and Williamston communities, including I-69 and I-96.