FRSA and FRSNZ are the Australian and New Zealand distributors for Holmatro Rescue products, supplying these best-in-class rescue tools to emergency response professionals, both in the government and private sectors. FRSA and FRSNZ also provide a through-life after sales maintenance service as part of our core business for these hydraulic rescue tools.
Hydraulic rescue tools, often colloquially known as “jaws of life”, are used by rescue professionals to access casualties from vehicular accidents, regularly in high-stress, environmentally ambiguous circumstances, and must work as intended without fail given failure could very well result in further exacerbation of injuries or worse, loss of life. Other applications include forcible entry in law enforcement or military applications and use in other scenarios where access is required urgently and generally at the expense of the obstacle impeding such access.
The tools must be robust, as ergonomically designed as possible, and effective in the hands of trained professionals. These tools must be serviced and tested as per OEM recommendations to ensure readiness for immediate use. Trained users should be capable of conducting pre and post use visual inspections and function testing, but only trained and accredited technicians, equipped with brand-specific tooling and test equipment should carry out OEM specified preventative maintenance activities or repairs to these products. The primary reasons around the need for training are fairly obvious to the end user; the forces applied by and to these products are enormous, with operating pressures of up to 720 Bar or 10,000psi. Use of correct tooling and diagnostic equipment is essential to ensure the safety of users, casualties, and the general public in the vicinity of operations.
There are generally three types of hydraulic rescue tools with the least common being hand operated, the most common being fuelled-pump driven, and the newest, and very quickly becoming the most common variant being battery driven.
- Hand operated tools contain internal hydraulic pumping components and are operated by hand without the need for a powered external pump or connecting lines.
- Fuelled-pump driven tools comprise an external petrol or diesel driven pump, connected to the tool via hydraulic lines.
- Battery driven tools again contain internal hydraulic pumping components but are driven by Li batteries without the need for a powered external pump or connecting lines.
All three variants from Holmatro require annual servicing where each tool is tested to highest operating pressures, hydraulic fluids are replaced, internal check, safety, and non-return valves are tested, and lubrication and forensic inspection of cutter blades, spreader arms, and all connecting hardware to identify cracks, chips or other damage that could result in catastrophic failure during use are conducted. Fuelled-pump driven tools also receive a light engine service and hose test and inspection. Battery-driven tools are put through a battery diagnostic test procedure to identify cycle count, cell condition, and BMS (battery management system) operation.
FRSA and FRSNZ has a fleet of mobile workshops across Australia and New Zealand fully stocked with Holmatro spare parts and all required proprietary specialised tooling and test equipment. This allows our trained technicians to conduct all servicing and all but the most complex repairs on-site without disruption to operationally critical emergency response capabilities. If your organisation has Holmatro Rescue Tools or ancillary equipment as part of your on-site capability, please give us a call for a tailored preventative maintenance proposal that will ensure your Holmatro Rescue products are ready for immediate use should the need to deploy them arise.
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