In the Summer of 2021, the Department ran an incident where our current HURST Jaws of Life system failed to extricate a victim pinned in the vehicle he was operating after it was involved in a motor vehicle accident. Crews ultimately were able to extricate the victim after some unconventional methods were used to complete the extrication. During the incident, one hydraulic tool actually broke and was jammed in the "B" post of the vehicle. The crews had to use a rotary saw to cut the b post out of the car and brought the entire post back to the station to have our dealer repair the tool and free it from the post.

The Departments leadership identified a problem and determined that it was time to evaluate our current rescue tools and look into a replacement program due to the development of higher strength metals in newer model cars,

In the Fall of 2021, the department brought in Amkus, Genesis, Holmatro, and HURST to evaluate their newest tools and capabilities. We also had the “B" Post” from the vehicle in the accident and used it during our evaluations. Surprisingly we came across a couple cutters that couldn’t cut through it.

The Department ultimately decided on Holmatro Rescue Tools being the best manufacturer to meet our needs. The department then applied to replace the tools through an Assistance To Firefighters Grant (AFG) to purchase these tools.

On December 19, 2022 we were awarded an “AFG” Grant for the amount of $75,736 to purchase the Rescue tools to replace our current cache of hydraulic rescue tools (HRT).

The department purchased the following Holmatro Tools:
(2) PCU60 Cutters (1 inclined and 1 straight)
(2) PSP60 Spreaders
(1) PCU50 Cutter (Inclined)
(1) PSP50 Spreader
(2) PTR50 Telescoping Rams
(2) Ram Extensions
(1) Set of Cross Ram Supports
(1) CCU10 Mini Cutter

All these tools are battery powered and have 2 batteries as well as a charger that has the capability to charge the battery on the tool and the spare battery at the same time.

On Thursday, May 11, 2023 Rescue Squad 2 was officially outfitted with Holmatro Rescue tools to help us better serve the citizens and visitors of Mechanicsville, St. Mary’s County, and Charles County.

The department worked vigorously on this project and we would like to thank everyone involved in making this project a success.