In recent years, the big brother of all-terrain vehicles, known as UTVs, has seen a rapid increase in use by emergency service organizations across the country. Fire, police and EMS are now recognizing a wide variety of uses and applications for these UTVs, including ground firefighting, emergency medical evacuation from remote locations, police search and rescue operations, crowd control , the urban interface of SARS, just to name a few.
As the president and owner of one of the leading manufacturers of fire skid and medical units built specifically for these specialized vehicles, I receive calls every day from directors and managers across the country asking me about the suitability of a particular type of fire skid model. UTV over another. Those who have not yet purchased a UTV are in luck. It is the organization that has already purchased a UTV under the misconception that the particular make/model they purchased will be adequate for the needs of the sometimes troubled emergency services they lead.
There are many makes and models of UTVs to choose from on the market today. Some are much more suited to emergency services work than others. Some UTVs do not have any business being used by these organizations for emergency service work. Polaris Ranger 6×6 and 4×4, Kubota RTV 900, Kawasaki Mule 3010, John Deere Gator 6×6 and 4×4, Cub Cadet big country, Buffalo 6×6 and Argo amphibious are very popular units and seem to be the most suitable for emergencies. services work. There are many other makes and models that deserve closer scrutiny to ensure that they will serve the mission they are intended to serve.
Emergency service organizations need to put as much time, effort, thought, and due diligence into your UTV purchase as they would into your next ambulance or fire truck. First, we need to outline the mission objectives, typography/geography types in the primary response area (mountainous, steep vs. swampy, wet environments), and ultimately the primary mission of the UTV in the organization, medical transportation, forest fire suppression or a combination. of the two. Once these questions have been answered, the organization can see the specifications of the different UTV models available that best meet the mission objectives. Second, security should always be high on the list. Most UTVs provide seat belts, but make sure the UTV model you’re interested in comes equipped with them (and then write the appropriate SOGs or SOPs to ensure your organization follows the seat belt rule every time). , as well as having ROPS (rollover protection structure) which is essentially a roll cage that protects the occupants from the seating areas in the UTV. Third is the total weight load capacity of the entire unit, but more specifically, the load capacity of the cargo bed is of paramount importance. This is where many departments stumble. They go out and buy a unit that can’t meet the industry’s transportation requirements for these slider units, but find out too late.
When considering a UTV purchase, I’m sure true 4×4 or 6×6 drivetrain capability is a must for your organization. Again, carefully check the make/model specifications. Some claim to be 6×6 (which they almost are), but on closer inspection you will find that only 4 of the 6 wheels on the vehicle are actually drive wheels. The other two wheels spin freely. Test drives while looking at the turning radius on the 6×6 versus the 4×4, or your mission payload requirements dictate the 6×6 over the 4×4.
As far as cargo bed requirements for a medical-type skid unit, I have a general rule of thumb that the UTV you’re buying should be rated at least 650lbs. on the loading platform of the unit. We arrived at this number by adding the weight of the base platform unit (typically 150 pounds or less) times the average weight of an attendant, patient, trauma bag, O2 bag and bottle, and other necessary items. There are UTVs out there that are rated to only carry 400 pounds. on the cargo bed, which is well under 650 lbs. previously mentioned. If a land-based firefighting skid with water and gear is what you’re interested in, that number can increase to 900 pounds. and above for a nominal load capacity required. When doing your due diligence and getting specs, the websites of all the manufacturers listed above are a great starting point. For example, the Polaris 6×6 Ranger has an overall rated vehicle payload capacity of 1750 lbs. with a rated cargo box capacity of 1,250 lbs. The Kubota RTV 900 has similar ratings with an overall payload capacity of 1,653 lbs. and 1102 lbs. cargo bed capacity. The Polaris Ranger 4×4 has a vehicle payload capacity of 1,500 lbs. and a cargo box capacity rating of 1,000 lbs. As you can see, the relationship between make-to-model specs and ratings soon helps you narrow down your search for the right UTV for the mission you expect it to accomplish. Most UTV skid builders are beginning to standardize on the size of skid units. The UTV’s cargo bed must be at least 49″ wide and 54″ long. UTV units with smaller size beds will potentially restrict you in how many skid units you have to choose from and could increase the price substantially if a custom skid unit needs to be built to fit your particular UTV.
Remember, as the CEO of an emergency services organization, you don’t want a high-priced trial attorney putting you in the unenviable position of having to answer tough questions of your organization because you put the wrong UTV in the wrong mission area, which resulted in an accident. We must give these vehicles the same respect and due diligence when deciding which unit to purchase as we do when buying larger vehicles. These vehicles can harm our staff and our patients just as if we were in an accident with the larger units. It is imperative that we do everything possible to avoid an accident by purchasing the right UTV for the mission.
In closing, the goal of this article is for you to consider your UTV make/model choices very closely before making your final purchase. I also want to say that I am not a fan of the use of ATVs in use by the emergency services. I purchased one for my small rural apartment, but soon felt that the unit did not provide enough safety protection for my firefighters/EMTs. First, you ride in an ATV like a motorcycle instead of inside a UTV like a car. Second, there are no seat belts on ATVs while there are almost always seat belts on UTVs, and finally, the ATV can be very unstable in many conditions. ATVs are required to fulfill limited mission roles in emergency service organizations. Remember that the cheapest in terms of cost is not always the best when it comes to our national motto for firefighters “Everyone Comes Home.”