N.H. Town Approves $500 Charge For Each Use Of Jaws Of Life

A New Hampshire town will issue a $500 fee for each individual that has to be freed from a vehicle with the hydraulic rescue tool known as the Jaws of Life.

The tool costs thousands of dollars but is hailed as a life-saving instrument when it is used to free individuals from smashed vehicles and fallen buildings.

The Portsmouth Herald reports the Seabrook Town Select Board voted unanimously to approve the new fee Monday.

Seabrook Fire Chief Bill Edwards says he doesn't know of any local communities that charge such a fee, but says it is done in other communities around the country.

Edwards say he believes his department can bill victim's insurance companies for use of the Jaws of Life, and the fee will help maintain the tool.