The Words Liked the Least

PLEASE NOTE: NEITHER STEVE GREENE OR 5-ALARM TASK FORCE CORP. HAVE ANY FINANCIAL OR COMMERCIAL INTERESTS  REGARDING THE TOOL ADDRESSED BELOW:  
  
It is no secret within the fire service that there are two things we despise the most; namely, the status quo and change. Whether you are a member of a huge, city-based department or you are a member of a small, one-engine, rural firehouse, those feelings seem to echo across the country.
     Of course, we have found ways to accept certain changes and it is good thing too, or else one of the "house duties" would be to clean up the "house dooty" from the horses! Consider the fact that the average engine of a pumper produces 350 horsepower! That would surely be a great deal of dooty to clean up, right? And let's face it, not even the "probie" could be the only one responsible for that sh*t!
     Over the years, we have seen ideas that went from someone's personal perception of a need
for a way to carry out a task, to mock-ups, early models, etc. And some of these ideas came to fruition. How? Why? Because we opened our minds to someone else's idea or thought process. And, for each "idea" that was translated into either a new tactic or tool, it was usually a change for the better.     
     A few years ago, I met a gentleman who had no connection to the fire service, other than his home was protected by the local fire department. This gentleman is a contractor. He builds, demos, adds, subtracts and builds what the client or designer requests.  To carry out his tasks, he has numerous tools. However, while doing some of these demo jobs, he realized that he had to use a couple of tools to accomplish this demo. He'd use one as a lever and a second as a fulcrum point. Sounds good, right? Especially if you're an octopus with eight arms, to be able to hold all the tools at the same time.
     This seemed to be a pain in the butt for this gentleman and his late partner. They agreed there had to be an easier way of using Archimedes' principal of the fulcrum. And thus was born the "Nestorbar." By creating both a lever and a fulcrum one one tool, the job became much easier. Fewer damaged hands and/or fingers. Easier work; getting the job done more quickly with less physical exertion. From the initial prototype, the Nestorbar was created with different lever lengths, widths and thicknesses and different numbers of "rocker" fulcrums. 
     After being in touch by email and phone, I invited this gentleman to be my guest on "5-Alarm Task Force." But this was not by phone or Zoom. He actually came to my home and brought several of the Nestorbars with him. Having been a volunteer in fire and EMS in the late 1970's through the mid-1980's, (Jaws of Life just coming to market) I knew how important good hand tools were in the performance of our tasks. And when I saw this tool, I immediately remembered a number of calls where this tool would have been of great value to us, from extrication to overhaul and demo.
     Below, you will see a couple of photos of versions of the Nestorbar. What do you think?
Interested? Want more info? Email: [email protected]