Once upon a time, back in the sixties, there was a company that made floor shifter conversion kits for people that wanted to hot-rod their cars. This little outfit, Hurst Corporation, had a reputation for being about the best there was in this very small business, and they were well known among this relatively small crowd.

Times changed. Detroit began making cars with floor shifters, and the company was faced with technological obsolescence unless they came up with another product.

They did. I'm not sure where the idea came from, but they came up with the idea of a device to help firemen rescue people trapped in vehicles after accidents -- the Jaws of Life.

I've often said that in life, all it takes is one good idea. This was theirs. You have to be an old goat like me to remember when Hurst was known for floor shifters. Countless lives have been saved as a result.

I'm not sure how long the Hudson Fire Department has had their current Jaws unit. I remember going to a steak fry sponsored by the fire department when they were first raising money for the unit -- it was either while my wife and I were still dating or just after we were first married. That's going to be thirty years next month. That's a long time for such a critical piece of equipment as the Jaws have become.

These units are not cheap -- what with everything needed, the fire department is going to have to come up with fifty big ones to be able to get a new unit. They're part of the way there, but have a long way to go.

You can do your part by attending the auction this Saturday at the fire station at 11:00 AM. There's going to be lots of good stuff available, some donated by sponsor Wal-Mart. It's all for a good cause.

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