RIVERSIDE, Calif. (Aug. 28, 2007) – USI of Southern California and Fireman’s Fund Insurance Company are donating $21,000 to the City of Riverside Fire Department to purchase emergency rappelling equipment for each station.
The fire department conducted a risk assessment survey regarding its need for updated rescue equipment and found a dire need for new rappelling gear. The grant money will be used to buy several new items including rescue rope, harnesses, rope bags, aluminum pulleys, carabiners, webbing, and edge protection used to protect against chaffing and abrasions during the hauling or lowering of a victim.
Riverside Fire Chief Tedd Laycock said the new equipment will play a vital role in enhancing the safety and ability of the department’s rescuers, adding, “This gear better prepares us to save people in rollover car crashes, or victims needing to be rescued from a steep ravine.”
Jim Levine, president of USI of Southern California, said, “We’re proud to help Riverside in such a tangible way, knowing this equipment will be used to save people for many years to come. Often times, budget restraints prevent departments from purchasing all the equipment they would like, so we hope this donation will make a difference.”
