The Canyon Lake Fire Department has received a grant to purchase new extrication equipment, allowing the department to take a critical step in decreasing injuries and fatalities with new response capabilities.
Funding has been allocated to purchase a combi-tool, an airbag lift system, and a stabilization kit. This life-saving equipment is utilized to safely rescue crash victims on the scene of a traffic incident.
In 2022, the City of Canyon Lake conducted a Local Railroad Safety Plan to identify and evaluate the risk factors throughout the corridor. In completing this analysis, several collision trends were identified, including unsafe speeds, evening and overnight travels, and head-on collisions while driving under the influence. Unsafe speed and unsafe lane changes were part of the two most common primary collision factors, accounting for 52% of total collisions and 67% of killed or severely injured (KSI) collisions.
This extrication equipment will serve the city and surrounding communities with the utilization of Automatic and Mutual Aid from the Canyon Lake Fire Department to Riverside County/Cal Fire.
“With this new equipment, we expect extrication times to decrease and the severity of crash injuries to reduce,” Fire Cheif Jeff LaTendresse said. “The Department is happy to continue providing timely care to the community.”
Funding was provided by a grant from the California Office of Traffic Safety, through the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.
