TOLEDO, Ohio — Who does the Toledo Fire & Rescue Department call when they need help? Two Toledo Technology Academy seniors answered their call.
For years, while on the scene of an emergency, TFRD personnel stayed connected through mobile data terminals.
But recently, the clips that hold the styluses to the tablets have been breaking.
"These devices are used every day, all day by our crews," TFRD public information officer Pvt. Sterling Rahe said. "I can speak from experience when that piece is missing and the stylus isn't there, it becomes very cumbersome."
Instead of constantly buying replacements and waiting for shipping, TFRD reached out to TTA to see if students could come up with a solution.
Seniors Drew Baumgartner and Tristin Free-Knack took on the challenge. They designed and 3D-printed a prototype replacement in less than two hours.
"It was fairly simple, just like a simple clip that goes around the pen," Free-Knack said. "But it still took a lot of work to refine it to what exactly we wanted because we had a lot of different ideas on how we could best do it."
Although the solution the two students came up with seems simple, it's of massive benefit to TFRD.
"It allows us now to take different styluses. It doesn't have to be the only one that fits it. Again, kind of reducing the cost and making it easier." Rahe said.
The students gave the blueprints to TFRD so new ones can be made right away instead of waiting for shipping.
David Volk, assistant director of TTA, said the school is always looking for smaller outside projects like these to help their students get more real-world experience while still in the classroom.
"We can come up with projects for kids, but it's much more value for the kids if it's somebody outside in the real world who has an actual problem that they need solved," Volk said.
Rahe said it's a feather in the cap for Baumgartner and Free-Knack.
"It's a win-win for these kids for them to be able to say 'Hey, I designed that part. They're utilizing that part and it's making an impact on how they do their work,'" Rahe said.