From a September 1998 edition of Aviation Week and Space Technology magazine comes the following news item. SPX Power Team at 2121 West Bridge Street, Post Office Box 993, Owatonna, Minnesota 55060-0993 USA has made available for sale a new compact mini jack. The Hydraulic Mini Jack features 5 tons of force yet is small enough to fit in ones hand. It weighs 4.2 pounds and has a base diameter of about 3 inches. A 10 inch jacking handle operates in line with the base piece. This device can be used as a jack or as a spreader. The retracted height of the unit is 2.56 inches.
It seems to me that this unit could come in handy at a motor vehicle wreck in order to move brake pedals or to create openings for other tools.
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From the November 9, 1998 issue of Aviation Week & Space Technology Magazine we have -
Flexible-Shaft Grinder Kit : Suhner Industrial Products Corp, Highway 411 South / Suhner Drive, Post Office Box 1234, Rome GA 30162-1234 has available a new flexible shaft grinder kit. It is basically a small hand held grinder connected by a 78 inch flexible drive shaft to a 1,000 watt electric motor. Speed of the grinder can be varied from 11,000 rpm to 25,000 revolutions per minute. The sander/grinder hand piece is 4.5 inches wide. Possibly this device could be used for cutting work in very tight situations which other tools cannot reach.
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Also from the 11/9/98 AW&ST :
CS Hyde Company, 461 Park Ave, Suite 300, Lake Villa IL 60046 has a new line of Plasma Flame Spray Tape that can withstand heavy-duty grit blasting, intense heat, and abrasion. The tape uses a high-temperature silicone adhesive and a two-ply/layer version is available. I wonder if this tape would be useful when cutting steering columns or foot pedals in car wrecks in order to prevent the migration of heat or impacts to nearby victims. I doubt if the product is intended for this use and there may be serious concerns about the formation of toxic vapors.
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per 11/9/98 AW&ST - Harris Semiconductor and Samsung have created a spread sprectrum radio adaptor to allow notebook computers to talk to each other over distances up to 1,000 feet. Between 30 and 40 users can use a single radio adaptor at a time. PICTURE THIS - Battalion Chief pulls up at fire scene - the aide takes 2 laptop computers to two corners of the building - lets say the left front and the right rear corners - all firefighters activate their helmet cameras and begin to broadcast video to the 2 laptop computers which then relay it to the IC - voila - the IC can now see everything that all the firefighters at the scene can see. Have you appointed a Technology Officer in your FD yet?
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per 1/11/99 AW&ST - Draeger Safety Inc, 101 Technology Drive, Pittsburgh PA 15275 now sells a 15 minute escape hood. It has a filter designed to protect the wearer from CO, smoke, and toxic gases for up to 15 minutes. The name of this unit is the "Parat C". The unit can be donned over eyeglasses because it has a cotton/elastic neck band. (I guess you would be a "Parat-Head" if you wore one of these :-))
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per 1/11/99 AW&ST - Several airlines have started to install new fire detection and halon suppression systems that use radio links, instead of wires, to interlace all components. Securaplane Technologies LLC of Tucson AZ received FAA approval in November 1998 to begin installing these systems in Boeing 737-300s. The detectors in the system use "lithium thionyl chloride" batteries and sense smoke particles, heat, and humidity. (The batteries cost about $7.50 each and last 3 to 5 years.) The typical 737-300 will use a total of 10 detectors. Two 20 pound halon bottles will be located in each of the two cargo bays. (This isn't exactly a possible new rescue tool except in the sense that every transportation vehicle in the world may be using this system some day.)
