SUBARU DONATES VEHICLES

This week, Subaru of America, Inc. donated dozens of vehicles to the North American Vehicle Rescue Association (NVRA) the for their three-day rescue workshop session and competition, benefitting the training of emergency responders and offering a second life to pre-production cars that would have otherwise been crushed.NAVRA provides education and training for firefighters, first responders, paramedics, nurses, physicians, manufacturers, and other related groups. The event took place from May 24th to 26th at Subaru Park in Chester, PA, and featured a two-day workshop on skills and tactics, as well as a mini rescue challenge. The event marked the first time that the training has taken place in the Northeast, providing a unique opportunity for local first responders to get involved and learn skills critical to patient rescue in vehicle accidents.

“Our mission is to reduce the number of motor-vehicle-related injuries and deaths by enhancing the skills and knowledge of expertly trained emergency professionals, and partners like Subaru are essential to this progress,” said John-Paul Shirley, Chester Bureau of Fire Battalion Chief. “We normally only have the opportunity to train on older vehicles from junkyards, and it’s important that we are familiar with newer vehicles with strong construction to help us better adapt lifesaving procedures and skills when dealing with accidents and emergency scenarios.”

First responders from Chester, PA, Scranton, PA, Philadelphia, and Delaware attended the event which included live rescue scenarios with real “victims” using lifesaving tools including saws, cutters, spreaders, pneumatic chisels and more.

“We are so excited to be a part of this amazing event with NAVRA in Chester. This event marked the 145th vehicle that Subaru has donated to emergency rescue organizations across the country over the last few years to help with their training events,” said Shira Haaz, Corporate Responsibility Manager at Subaru of America, Inc. “Not only are we helping to provide training that will allow first responders to improve lifesaving rescues across the region, but this donation also helps Subaru find new life for cars that can’t be sold and would otherwise go unused.”

In addition to the 40 trainees from six fire departments, members of the public and local community stopped by Subaru Park to view the trainings and competition and learn about how firefighters and emergency workers practice the lifesaving skills they use in their incredibly important jobs.∆