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.