Bar Harbor Fire Department personnel received practical car extrication training on May 31st to improve their capacity to free trapped passengers after auto accidents.

According to officials, firemen rehearsed cutting apart cars and carefully removing mock patients using specialized rescue equipment. During the training, participants had the rare chance to operate a former department utility vehicle, giving them practical practice with extrication methods.

The addition of battery-operated hydraulic cutting and spreading tools, also referred to as the "Jaws of Life," and stabilization struts, which are used to secure vehicles resting in unstable positions, has greatly improved the department's rescue capabilities, according to department leaders.