Hydraulic rescue tools are used by emergency rescue personnel to assist vehicle extrication of crash victims, as well as other rescues from small spaces. These tools include cutters, spreaders, and rams. They are popularly referred to in the English-speaking Commonwealth nations and the US as the Jaws of Life, a trademark of Hurst Performance Inc. The Jaws of Life were first used in 1963 as a tool to free race car drivers from their vehicles after crashes.