In three minutes, the average person can listen to a song, make their bed or brush their teeth. In three minutes, first responders can save a life with HURST Jaws of Life tools.

Take Steve Pertus, for example. Pertus, a member of Sydney Fire Department in Nova Scotia, has served the rescue industry for 33 years and has worked with HURST tools for as long as he can remember. It’s with pride that HURST Jaws of Life recognized him last year with the Green Cross for his life-saving work and commitment to his community. Here’s one example:

In August 2016 on a dark night in Sydney, a driver in a mid-sized van collided head-on with an oncoming vehicle. The driver of the van was trapped inside and in need of emergency care. As soon as SFD arrived, the captain quickly assessed the situation and brought out HURST Jaws of Life tools.

“It took us less than three minutes to free the patient,” Pertus said. “First, we used a HURST spreader to separate the doors on the driver’s side then a cutter to remove the door. The patient was transported to the hospital and the next team of rescue workers took over.”

Sydney Fire Department is a career station, generating a higher call volume than a typical volunteer station. Crew members are trained for specific roles and work together daily to make rescues quick and efficient. HURST’s industry-leading advancements and their distributor, Code 4 FIRE RESCUE, are partners in SFD’s success.

“We can count on HURST’s latest tools to be reliable,” Pertus said. “We’ve used HURST for years and we’ve seen them make great improvements. It’s good to see they know what rescue teams need and they make changes.

Pertus shared another story. The Sydney team recently added eDRAULIC tools to their collection and put them to the test this June. After an accident in mid-day traffic, two people were trapped in their vehicle. The vehicles were intractable, requiring more tools and time from the Sydney rescue team. As the crew meticulously worked to save the patient, a crowd began to form. After the patients were successfully extracted, Pertus said the onlookers gave a standing ovation.

When asked if he feels like a hero when he saves patients from death’s close grip, Pertus responded, “To us, we’re just doing our job.”