Donated car helps fire, rescue
The Charleston Fire and Rescue team has gained some additions; over $60,000 worth of new additions to be exact.
The department received a brand new Polaris Ranger 6×6 off-road vehicle from U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company as a part of the company’s Operation: Ranger national utility vehicle donation initiative.
The department also received a 2006 Ford 550 truck and a 24-foot enclosed trailer through a Homeland Security grant.
The Ranger marked a milestone, as it was the 200th vehicle Smokeless Tobacco has donated since starting the Operation: Ranger project in 2002.
“We are extremely proud that we have been able to donate 200 utility vehicles to fire, police, rescue, EMS and other emergency response organizations,” said Dan Butler, president of Smokeless Tobacco.
The Ranger will provide the department with an opportunity they would not have had without the donation. The vehicle will be used for tactical rescue and hazardous material cases in a 14-county area, said assistant Chief Pat Goodwin of the Charleston Fire Department.
“We’ve needed some sort of transportation for the rural areas,” Goodwin said. “This will work great.”
The vehicle will be able to help in many situations. If materials need to be transported from a hot zone to a safe zone, the Ranger will allow this to be done quickly. The vehicle can also be used to transport other types of materials, as well as human transportation.
“They’ll find many uses for this piece of equipment,” said Charleston Mayor John Inyart. “You’ll find it becomes an important part of what they’re doing.”
Vehicles that have been donated through the Operation: Ranger program have been used across the country for many purposes. They have been used to help battle wildfires in the West, to rescue injured mountain hikers in the Appalachian Mountains and to aid in search efforts after Hurricane Katrina.
The Ranger is a durable and well-equipped utility vehicle with the ability to scale steep grades, cross rocky terrains, carry loads up to 1,750 pounds and reach speeds of 45 mph.
The donation of the vehicle is greatly appreciated by the department, said Goodwin.
“Smokeless Tobacco is going to be a great asset to the department,” Goodwin said.
Donated car helps fire, rescue
City Manager Scott Smith watches as Kris Phipps, the Charleston Fire Department fire chief, pats the hood of the new technical rescue and haz-mat vehicle, which U.S. Smokeless Tobacco donated to CFD, Wednesday afternoon at fire station number one.
