AFR is excited to announce that through our efforts/submission we received notification that the Department of Homeland Security Federal Emergency Management Agency will award Aurora Fire Rescue with approximately $256,000 to assist with replacing obsolete and outdated extrication equipment. We are blessed, grateful, and excited by the support provided.
The awarded proposal was developed after conducting a risk assessment to address and reduce the number of fatality collisions in our community. Aurora Fire Rescue responds to an average of 3,000 vehicle collisions per year and complex extrications are conducted by our members approximately every third day. In addition, the City of Aurora has a high volume of fatality collisions (an average of approximately 25 per year) according to the Colorado Department of Transportation. Our community has several major thoroughfares that enhance the frequency of high-speed collisions which often result in vehicle occupants being trapped and requiring extrication.
A best practice in emergency services is to ensure that a person with life-threatening traumatic injuries be transported as quickly as possible. This Golden Hour principle attributes survivability with surgical intervention within a specific timeframe (one-hour). Further, the principle states that on-scene time for these types of critical calls should be a maximum of ten minutes. The equipment enhancements will allow our firefighters to disentangle trapped occupants faster which will increase survivability for our patients.
The Emergency Operations team will coordinate with our Management Services group to ensure that the equipment is selected and acquired in an expedient manner. The goal is to have the equipment operational and in use within our system in early 2020.