VIRGIL FIRE DEPARTMENT VIRGIL, NEW YORK

Firefighter Richard Jenny gets local media coverage from Cortland Standard Newspaper, Time Warner Cable Company's Channel 10 News as well as making the I100's radio newscast show. Here's the article from News 10 Now's website

Local company makes life-saving device
Updated: 7/19/2005 3:22 PM
By: Sarah Buynovsky, News 10 Now Web Staff

A Cortland County company has the keys to some life-saving vehicles. They're called All Terrain Res-Qs. They’re trailers small enough to carry injured hikers, hunters, even snowmobilers out of deep woods.

"We made 'em so that they can follow right into the wheels of an ATV or right behind a snowmobile for going into the deep woods and stuff," said Richard Jenney, owner of Empire Welding and Fabricating.

The Empire Welding and Fabricating company recently started making the trailers. They have a patent pending and have already sold a few to fire departments around the state, including the Virgil Fire Department.

"Normally to carry a body, a victim out of the woods, it usually takes 6, 7 guys to carry them out and especially as you know with the heat, we'd have to rotate guys in. This would eliminate the manpower we need to use, we'd just put them on this and bring them out," said Chief Jamie Babcock, Virgil Fire Department.

Company officials at the Empire Welding say they're excited about selling the Res-Qs all over the country.

"We're hoping that this is the type of vehicle that can go all throughout the United States or overseas even that can go for fire departments all over for rescues. Great for state parks, great for fire departments as well," said Jenney.

Congressman Sherwood Boehlert and State Senator James Seward have expressed interest in helping get the word out about the rescue vehicles. The folks at Empire Welding say they're thrilled.

They say they want their invention to save as many lives as possible.

Empire Welding offers three different rescue trailer options. One has a water tank for fighting fires, another has a bed for transporting a patient along with an IV bag. The third has a support for a defibrillating machine.