Lantzville Fire Rescue is kissing the gas-powered extraction tools in one of their trucks goodbye, and upgrading with 'quicker, more efficient' electric ones.
Neil Rukus, Lantzville's fire chief, told the News Bulletin that the department's old extrication tools need to be connected to a hydraulic gas-powered pump that would need to be carried in addition to a hose and tools, giving the new ones a distinct advantage.
"You're not tripping over hoses or having to string out a hose a long distance to use it," he explained," and the new battery-operated tools are just as effective as the old, hydraulic gas-powered ones."
The set includes a spreader, for opening vehicle doors or widening a space, a cutter for cutting parts of the vehicle to access a person, and a ram for anything they need to move that might be crushing down on the person.
"[It's] little bit more quiet and it's not like we have to pull a pump and a bunch of hose down the side of a hill if a vehicle was to be off the road and needed to be extracted, we'd be able to just take the tool itself and go down to the vehicle and use it."
Aside from the new gear, and bringing the department's new ladder truck into service later this month, the year has proved on par with the last. Lantzville Fire Rescue responded to about 75 incidents so far in 2025, compared to 71 at this time last year. Rukus said the difference is on the medical aid side, with a few extra responses during this year.
On May 3, the department conducted a community FireSmart education day at Seaview Elementary School, and the firefighters' association held a car wash and raising enough money to purchase an automated external defibrillator for the school.
Rukus noted in a report to Lantzville's community standing safety committee on May 13 that when firefighters brought the AED to the building, "the crew was met by all the children out front holding signs and cheering."
The department is holding a recruitment drive this month to seek new members to add to the 24 fully certified firefighters and five recruits the station currently maintains. The fire chief said the department would like to raise its numbers to 30-plus.
Those interested in joining can find more information on the District of Lantzville's website at www.lantzville.ca.
