Collins Fire Department

On the night of May 9, 2020; Collins Fire Department units were dispatched for a report of a Motor Vehicle Accident, with possible entrapment & heavy property damage on N. Fir Avenue in the city.

Upon arrival, units advised of a vehicle which had left the roadway and ran into a commercial business building. A Ford F-150 pickup, traveling at a high rate of speed left the road and crashed into an grocery store building. The building was unoccupied at the time, and the driver was the only occupant in the vehicle. The driver was uninjured, and was assisted out of the vehicle & the building.

Damage to the building was significant, and several structural support members had been completely broke loose. Upon further assessment of the structural integrity of the building, it was determined that the Collins Fire Departments Paratech Shoring Struts would be utilized to better stabilize the structure, along with heavy timbers to allow for the recovery of the vehicle by a local wrecker service. Personnel also utilized Paratech Forcible Entry Tools (Hooligan Tools) to access areas of the building.

Collins Fire Department personnel deployed the shoring/struts in several locations, and also put timbers in-place to allow for the removal of the struts after the vehicles recovery. The vehicle was safely removed from the buildings interior without further compromise to the building, and without any injury to personnel.

The Paratech Strut System worked as designed, and allowed for a safe & effective operation, and prevented further damage to the structure.