The Arizona Fire & Medical Authority has been awarded funding from the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety to replace outdated extrication equipment for Fire Station 341 (FS341) in Tonopah. This grant will allow AFMA to enhance emergency response capabilities along a critical 15-mile stretch of I-10, improving responder safety, reducing crash-to-hospital arrival times and expediting roadway clearance to prevent secondary incidents.

“Extrication equipment is a vital tool in the rapid rescue of trapped or injured patients involved in vehicle crashes,” said assistant chief Eric Kriwer. “This grant will enable us to replace our 20-year-old equipment with modern, battery-powered extrication tools, significantly enhancing our ability to respond to emergencies quickly and efficiently.”

FS341 serves a rural area covering nearly 300 square miles with a population of approximately 20,000. The station’s primary fire engine (E341) is the only first-due unit responsible for extrication incidents along I-10 from mile markers 90-105 and provides mutual aid response across an additional 55 miles. The outdated extrication equipment, originally donated over a decade ago, is no longer functional and does not meet current National Fire Protection Association 1936 standards.

Key objectives of the project:

• Equip E341 with modern extrication equipment: The new battery-powered tools will improve operational efficiency, reducing setup time and facilitating faster extrications.
• Enhance firefighter and public safety: By streamlining the patient treatment and transport process, AFMA aims to reduce the average crash-to-hospital arrival time from 38 minutes to 35 minutes by December 31, 2025.
• Expedite roadway clearance: Faster extrications will minimize traffic disruptions and reduce the likelihood of secondary crashes along this high-traffic trucking corridor.
• Comprehensive training: The selected vendor provided training for the 12 primary emergency responders assigned to E341. Additionally, AFMA’s Training Section has incorporated extrication training into regular duty shifts for all Authority firefighters.

E341 responded to 103 vehicular incidents requiring emergency medical services in 2023, 109 in 2022 and 97 in 2021. These incidents frequently involved complex extrications, including rollovers, multi-vehicle collisions and semi-truck accidents.

The total project budget is $55,737. The Authority has allocated resources toward acquiring demolition vehicles for hands-on extrication training. The equipment was recently placed into service.