NORTH FORT MYERS, Fla.- The Bayshore Fire Department is testing out new life-saving equipment thanks to a new grant from a unique organization. The fire department just received a $30,000 grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation. The grant is being used to purchase new equipment that will help the fire department extract patient from vehicles. Wednesday, the firefighters received the tools. They trained throughout the morning, cutting open vehicles and making sure they knew how to use the equipment properly. The fire department recently laid off half of its firefighting force due to a budget shortfall. Since then, they have seen an increase in times when it comes to extracting people from a vehicle. The fire chief says this new equipment hopes to shorten that time. “These rescue tools are self powered by battery. You pull them off the truck, you grab them, you flip a switch and you go to work,” said Chief Larry Nisbet. The Bayshore Fire Department also says they are the first department in Lee County to have tools like this.