Jamestown Rural Fire Department gets grant for rescue tools

Victims trapped in wrecked vehicles on Stutsman County roads could get faster, safer help now that the Jamestown Community Foundation has awarded the Jamestown Rural Fire Department a $2,500 grant for battery-operated extrication tools and stabilization equipment.

The department said the money will support gear used at crash scenes and other emergencies where responders have to cut, pry, lift or stabilize damaged vehicles before anyone can be removed safely. Federal Homeland Security rescue guidance says battery-powered vehicle extrication tools are designed to create greater access to trapped occupants by spreading or removing damaged vehicle sections, which can make a difference when seconds matter.

That matters especially for the Jamestown Rural Fire Department, which says it covers one of the largest fire districts in North Dakota. From its station at 1209 9th St. SE in Jamestown, the department responds well beyond the city limits, where farms, county highways and outlying homes can mean longer travel times and less immediate backup. In that kind of terrain, arriving with the right rescue tools the first time can shape both the response and the outcome.

The new equipment is also practical in the field. Battery-operated tools are more portable than older corded or hydraulically dependent systems, which can make them quicker to deploy at a roadside crash. Stabilization gear is just as important because it keeps vehicles, debris and other unstable objects from shifting while firefighters and medical personnel work around them. Fire-service training and North Dakota safety guidance both stress stabilization as a core part of safe vehicle rescue, especially in more complex incidents involving vehicles and machinery.

The grant fits into a larger pattern of local support for the department’s equipment needs. In January 2024, the Jamestown Community Foundation also awarded JRFD a $5,000 grant for a pumper truck. The department previously described a five-year action plan and sought funding to replace a 35-year-old pumper truck, underscoring how much of its fleet and rescue gear must be renewed in phases rather than all at once.

JRFD moved into its new firehall at 1209 9th St. SE in 2020 after a groundbreaking on May 21, 2019, part of an effort to keep vehicles and equipment together in one location. This latest grant is modest in dollar amount, but for crash victims on rural roads it could mean faster access, safer extrication and a better chance of getting help before a bad situation turns worse.