Kept fueled and ready to go 24 hours a day, our
ATVs are our workhorses. They save us time and energy. All members are
encouraged to learn to use them. But no matter how experienced the driver,
accidents can happen. So we don’t like to send out only one vehicle.
We have one person 4X4 ATVs, one person 6X6 ATVs and multi-occupant 6X6
Polaris Rangers. One-rider ATVs are used to transport GCSAR members and
their equipment. During "hasty searches" they provide mobile platforms from
which to scan for people, evidence of tracks or other disturbances. We’ve
marked landing zones with them after dark and the smaller ones can be driven
onto our newest raft and transported across rivers saving drive time to some
of our more remote areas.
Our Polaris Rangers are designed to carry one or two
passengers as well as the driver. Each has also been modified to carry a
litter. On an "ambulance assist" the passenger is often an EMT with their
equipment. Depending on the condition of the injured party, the EMT may
direct us to find and mark a helicopter landing zone for an air evaluation
or carry the person out in either the litter or sitting next to the EMT.
With fewer than 9,000 full time residents living in a county of 3,600 square
miles, our ATVs are important tools.
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