Camilla Faragalli, reporter

Funded by the Local Journalism Initiative

The Campbell’s Bay/Litchfield Fire Department is now equipped with a complete new Jaws of Life set, partially thanks to local resident Charleen Moore, who raised funds to purchase the last remaining component to the set in December. Hurst’s Jaws of Life is a set of hydraulic rescue tools used by emergency responders to extract victims from car accidents. The $65,000, four-component set that the Campbell’s Bay/Litchfield Fire Department has been acquiring over the past six years was short one piece, the “Ram,” which Moore’s online auction fundraiser in November allowed the department to purchase. “I really believe in having this fire department, and we need these volunteers, so I really like helping out as much as I can,” Moore said. Firefighter Lincoln Smith, brother-in-law to Moore, said the tools are very valuable – and not just monetarily. “It’s very, very important to have a good set of tools when people are trapped, because you don’t have much time before people need to be at the hospital,” he said. His sentiments were echoed by the fire department’s chief Kevin Kluke. “They [the tools] are worth every cent when you’re caught in an accident and need to get out,” Kluke said. “The sooner you can get them [the victim] out, the more of a chance they have of survival.” He added that the department receives about 25 accident calls a year. According to Kluke, the tools previously in use by the department were about 37 years old. “It was time for an update,” he said. Smith’s wife Wendy Moore (Charleen’s sister) also helped to organize the fundraiser. “Because this is such an important tool, we knew the community would get involved,” she said. “We had great donations from individuals, businesses, and not just from Campbell’s Bay/Litchfield. People donated from the entire Pontiac,” she said. “It was very, very successful.”