PHOTO: Rainsville Fire Chief Willimac Wright (Center) and Captain Derrick Summerford with representatives with BlueScope Buildings. (Rainsville Fire Department)
By Tyler Pruett, Managing Editor
RAINSVILLE, Ala. — Recently, the Rainsville Fire Department received help from local businesses to upgrade equipment and receive a new certification.
RTI gave the department a $700.00 donation to help purchase Ipads after the department assisted with their annual Mud Volleyball Tournament. Firefighters wet down the court, and provided first aid services for the event. Body Vision also chipped in $120.00 for the technology.
The Ipads allow the department to use a program called Active 911, which tracks each firefighter responding to a call, and utilizes a map to show situations in real time. It also allows the department to provide forms to patients electronically, instead of using traditional paper, which can be difficult while on scene.
BlueScope Buildings also provided a $2500 donation to upgrade equipment and the department’s lifesaving capabilities. Rainsville Fire was currently BLS certified, which means Basic Life Saving capabilities, and the new equipment makes them now Advanced Life Saving capable.
“This allows us to give IV’s and certain medications we couldn’t give before on scene,” said Captain Derrick Summerford.
Chief Wright also said the department had applied for a Firehouse Subs grant which, if awarded, would allow the department to purchase a UTV to use in brush fires and with rescue operations in rough terrain. According to Firehouse Subs' Website, the foundation has awarded $1,491,489 to first responder organizations in Alabama since 2005, including three such UTV's.
