AT THE FIREHOUSE...Powerful Jaws for Rescue Tools

When a car is in a bad accident, rescue workers use the fastest way possible to get an injured person out of the car. That means cutting off the doors or the roof.

If you want to cut through the pillars of a car roof, or cut brake cables or clutch cables, your tool needs powerful “jaws”. These tools are usually powered by hydraulic pumps, in turn powered by gasoline engines. This equipment can take a long time to set up.

Now, think for a moment about the Space Shuttle. About two minutes after the Shuttle lifts off, the two solid rocket boosters (SRBs) separate from the rest of the vehicle. The bolts that hold the SRBs to the vehicle are designed explode, releasing the SRBs. If you watch closely, you can see these small explosions.*

The Hi-Shear Technology Corporation of Torrance, California, has been supplying NASA with explosive nuts and bolts and related equipment since the Apollo days. Hi-Shear had the idea of using small explosive charges to power the jaws of metal-cutting tools for rescue workers and firefighters.

Hi Shear’s rescue tools (shown above) take only about 30 seconds to set up, weigh half as much as conventional rescue tools, and cost 70 percent less.

*The science of controlled explosions is called pyrotechnics. (The explosions used on-stage by bands and theater productions are also called pyrotechnics).