Tuesday, August 28, 2012 Last month the King of Prussia Volunteer Fire Company learned that the PA State Fire Commissioner's Office along with the PA Department of Health approved their application to be recognized as an Advanced Vehicle and Machinery Rescue Service.  For the past year the company has been completing advanced training and upgrading equipment to meet the stringent requirements of the rescue recognition program.  To be approved, a substantial amount of documentation had to be submitted and a field inspection of the rescue service had to be completed.  The KPVFC passed with flying colors and will now hold the advanced recognition until July 2015 when an updated inspection will have to be conducted.

To celebrate this achievement, members of the KPVFC took to the training grounds, with their friends from Penn Wynne Fire Company (Rescue 21), to practice their vehicle rescue skills.  Crews worked in teams to remove the glass and doors from several vehicles using the Hurst Jaws of Life tools.  The crews then simulated the frames of the vehicles were constructed with new ultra-high strength steel that car manufacturers utilize to meet the latest crash test standards.  KPVFC members practiced by not being able to cut through the ultra-high strength steel and having to find alternative methods to remove portions of the vehicle.  They did so by "ramming" the roof rails from the "B" pillars (instead of simply cutting the B pillars) and by performing a "sun roof" evolution (instead of cutting the roof completely off the vehicle).

This "thinking outside of the box" training is important due to annual changes in new vehicle technology and construction practices.  By staying on top of these changes, the KPVFC is able to provide advanced rescue services to the community.