Articles

With Budgets Tight, Demand Grows For UTV Emergency Vehicles

By Alan M. Petrillo
Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Magazine - Sept. 14, 2009

Fire departments across the country are turning to utility terrain vehicles (UTVs) outfitted for firefighting and rescue to take some of the heat off already-strained apparatus and operating budgets.

In response to the burgeoning demand for such vehicles, manufacturers are finding ways to build units that can serve multiple functions, yet not compromise their basic purpose. It's not unusual to find UTVs fitted for firefighting that also can serve as rough terrain rescue vehicles. Some can accommodate a Stokes basket on the fire rig, and others have a removable skid unit that can be replaced with an EMS type skid unit.

KIMTEK Corp. in Westmore, Vt., had its beginnings in research and development in the fire sprinkler industry 25 years ago, but by 2004 began designing firefighting and rescue units to be incorporated onto UTVs.

"We started by looking at all the makes and models of UTVs and their centers of gravity so we could best determine the placement of water weights and develop the ability to carry extra storage," recalled Kimball Johnson, the company president.

He developed the MedLite transport unit in 2005, followed by the firefighting-oriented FireLite unit, which comes in three versions with Davey pumps, Hannay reels, 55 or 70-gallon polyethylene tanks and built-in hose storage compartments. An around-the-pump foam system with a 5-gallon foam cell is an option. All three FireLite versions also offer the capability of transporting a patient.

"All our units are identical in platform width and length, and all fit the different series of UTVs from different manufacturers," Johnson said. "Our units install right on the cargo box, and they're installable in the field by the end-user customer in a half hour using simple tools."

Major Niche Market

Johnson noted that KIMTEK has more than 600 FireLite and MedLite units in service in 49 states and 3 Canadian provinces, as well as with all four major branches of the U.S. military. Approximately 60 percent of its units are operated by volunteer fire departments, he said, with the balance in municipal and suburban paid departments.

The company's skid units, which cost between $3,900 and $5,900, have been installed on UTVs made by Polaris, Kubota, Kawasaki, John Deere, Cub Cadet, Buffalo and Argo.

"We feel this is a major niche market that's in its embryonic stage right now," Johnson said. "The demographics we feel are driving the marketplace are that service providers are not getting any younger, as well as the units can get to a scene much quicker and with a lot fewer encumbrances than conventional units."

George Korycan, the owner of TerraTor Corporation in Hollandale, Wis., said he's been in the business six years, providing UTV-based firefighting skid units mostly to rural volunteer fire departments that have limited revenue sources.

"We want to keep our product as affordable as possible and be the Chevy of the industry," Korycan said. "Firefighters need to pump water to put out fires, and the fire doesn't know how much the rig costs."

TerraTor makes units such as the Pumpster, Skidster and Skidster Plus, among others. Tanks range from 80 to 105 gallons in capacity, the units carry Davey two-stage pumps and pump engines are either Briggs 6 hp or Honda 5.5 hp. Both the Pumpster and Skidster Plus are designed to carry a Stokes basket or other type of long board in the center of the unit.

Agility

"About 65 percent of our units go on Polaris UTVs, with 45 percent of them going on their 6-by-6 model," Korycan said. "Twenty percent of our units go on Kubota UTVs, followed by the Kawasaki Mule, John Deere and others."

Some of the units are skid (drop-in), while others are mounted to the UTV frame after the bed has been removed. Prices range between $4,500 and $7,000, depending on the unit chosen and its capabilities.

Korycan said that the number one reason fire departments buy his units "is for our agility to fight brush fires and fires in hard to reach terrain. After that, it's because our machinery can be operated by a novice after five minutes of instruction. When the pump is running you only have to open or close the valve." Korycan said he would like to see UTVs capable of being licensed and driven on public highways.

"These units work well for car fires," he said, "and we're told that often it's the first vehicle on the scene because it's so agile and quick."

Packing A Punch

E.J. Metals of Hortonville, Wis., which has been making firefighting vehicles out of UTVs for seven years, has developed a new model, the Assault Force 70 Fire-Rescue Rough Terrain Vehicle.

The unit has a 70-gallon water tank, a 5-gallon Class A foam cell, a high pressure fire pump and a newly-designed triple-discharge nozzle that allows firefighters to attack brush and wildland fires with different water and foam streams. The nozzle has spray patterns from straight stream to light mix to heavy mix for changing fire conditions. The high-pressure system is hydraulically driven and provides a 6-gpm discharge at 1500 psi, delivering approximately 12 minutes of discharge time.

The Assault Force 70, built on a Kubota TRV900, is designed for off-road firefighting in the urban interface, as well as industrial firefighting applications, according to Shawn Tennie, sales and purchasing coordinator.

"With the high pressure system," he said, "it packs the punch you would expect to see from a bigger fast attack vehicle."

Combination Units

E.J. Metals makes firefighting skid units that can be installed on a variety of UTVs, Tennie noted. It also makes a removable EMT package unit for UTVs. Prices for units range from $8,000 to $13,000.

"A lot of departments buy both the fire and EMT skid units so they can get the most out of their vehicle," he said. "It can be used in the firefighting mode or with the EMT unit on it for patrol at festivals, parades and concerts."

Kevin Quinn, E.J. Metals president, called the new Assault Force 70 an "effective solution for ranchers and homeowners in the urban interface or exurban areas who are interested in on-site fire suppression capabilities for brush fires that can threaten outbuildings, barns, sheds and homes."

The unit's hydraulic hose reel, he noted, can be used to power chain saws, submersible pumps, cutters and other equipment. By using an optional submersible pump, the Assault Force 70 can re-supply itself by drafting from ponds, streams or water tanks.

RKO Enterprises in Madison, Ind., has been making skid units for utility vehicles for about 20 years, according to president Keith Olson.

"Some departments just want a fire unit, while others want a rescue unit," he said. "And there are departments who want a combination of the two. We make those three versions in 20 different configurations that go into the bed of a UTV."

The RKO units range in price from $3,000 to $12,000, and their popularity lies in their robustness, Olson said.

"We make them with all stainless steel piping, heavy duty aluminum parts and fully-baffled copolymer fire service tanks," he said. "All parts are manufactured to [National Fire Protection Association] specifications because we want the unit to last and to be trouble free."

Olson said the fire unit and combination units sell equally well, followed by the rescue version.

RKO's customers include paid municipal departments, including Fire Department New York, volunteer departments and federal agencies, including the U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, the Bureau of Land Management, the Federal Bureau of Investigation, the U.S. Army and the U.S. Navy.

Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment Magazine is a monthly reference magazine for those who purchase fire and emergency apparatus, components, protective gear, tools and equipment.

NOT ALL UTV's ARE CREATED EQUAL

In recent years, the big brother of ATV's, known as the UTV, have seen a rapid rise in use by emergency services organizations across the country. Fire, Police and EMS are now recognizing a wide variety of uses and applications for these UTV vehicles including wildland firefighting, emergency medical evacuation from remote locations, police search and rescue operations, crowd control, SARS urban interface just to name a few.

As President and owner of one of the leading manufacturers of medical and fire skid units built specifically for these specialized vehicles, I get calls daily from chief officers and administrators from across the country inquiring about the suitability of one type of make model UTV over another. The ones that haven't purchased a UTV yet are in luck. It is the organization that has already purchased a UTV with the mistaken notion that the particular make/model they purchased will be adequate for the needs of the emergency services they lead who are sometimes in trouble.

There are many UTV makes and models to choose from on the market today. Some are much better suited for emergency services work than others. Some UTV's have no business being utilized by these organizations at all for emergency services work. The Polaris Ranger 6x6 and 4x4, Kubota RTV 900, Kawasaki Mule 3010, John Deere Gator 6x6 and 4x4, Cub Cadet big country, the Buffalo 6x6 and the Argo amphibious are all units that are very popular and seem to be the best suited for emergency services work. There are many other makes and models that deserve tighter scrutiny to insure they will be useful for the mission they will be expected to fulfill.

Emergency services organizations need to put just as much time, effort, thought and due diligence into the purchase of their UTV as they would for their next ambulance or fire truck. First, we need to outline mission objectives, types of typography/geography in the main response area (hilly, steep versus swampy, moist environments) and ultimately the primary mission of the UTV in the organization, medical transport, wild land firefighting or a combination of the two. Once these questions have been answered, then the organization can look at the specifications of the different type UTV models available that best meet the mission objectives. Second, safety must always be high on the list. Most UTV's provide seat belts but make sure the UTV model you are interested in comes equipped with them (and then write proper SOG's or SOP's to insure your organization follows the seat belts always rule) as well as having ROPS (roll over protection structure) which is essentially a roll cage that protects the occupants of the seated areas in the UTV. Third, is the overall weight carrying capacity of the entire unit but more specific the carrying capacity of the cargo bed is of utmost importance. This is where many departments get tripped up. They go out and purchase a unit that cannot meet industry-carrying requirements of these skid units but find out too late.

When considering the purchase of a UTV, I am certain that true 4x4 or 6x6 drive train capability is a must for your organization. Again, check the make/model specifications carefully. Some claim to be 6x6 (which they are, almost) but looking closer you will find that only 4 of the 6 wheels on the vehicle are really true drive wheels. The other two wheels are just freewheeling. Test drive the units while looking at turning radius on the 6x6 versus the 4x4, or is the payload requirements of your mission dictates the 6x6 over the 4x4.

On cargo bed requirements for a medical type skid unit, I have a rule of thumb that the UTV you are buying should be rated to carry at least 650 lbs. in the cargo bed of the unit. We get to this number by adding the weight of the base skid unit (usually 150 lbs. or less) by the average weight of an attendant, patient, trauma bag, O2 bag and bottle and other necessary items. There are UTV's out there that are rated to only carry 400 lbs. in the cargo bed, which is way below the 650 lbs. mentioned above. If it is a wild land firefighting skid with water and gear that you are interested in, that number can jump to 900 lbs. and above for a required rated cargo capacity. When doing your due diligence and getting specifications, the web sites of all the manufactures mentioned above is a great starting place. For instance, the Polaris 6x6 Ranger has an overall rated vehicle payload capacity of 1750 lbs. with a rated cargo bed capacity of 1250 lbs. The Kubota RTV 900 has similar ratings at an overall payload capacity of 1653 lbs. and 1102-lbs. cargo bed capacity. The Polaris Ranger 4x4 has a vehicle payload capacity of 1500 lbs. and a cargo bed rated capacity of 1000 lbs. As you can see, the relationship between the make and models specifications and rated capacities soon helps you narrow your search for the right UTV for the mission you expect it to undertake. Most UTV skid manufactures are starting to standardize the size of the skid units. The cargo bed of the UTV should be at least 49" wide and 54" long. UTV units with smaller sized beds will potentially restrict you as to how many skid units you have to choose from and could drive the price up substantially if a customized skid unit needs to be built to fit your particular UTV.

Remember, as a chief officer of an emergency services organization, you do not want to be put in the unenviable position of having to answer tough questions by a high priced litigation attorney seeing your organization because you placed the wrong UTV into the wrong mission area resulting in an accident. We must give these vehicles the same respect and due diligence when deciding which unit to purchase as we do when we buy the larger vehicles. These vehicles can harm our personnel and our patients just like if we have an accident with the larger units. It is imperative that we do everything to prevent an accident by purchasing the right UTV for the mission.

In closing, the point of this article is to get you to consider your options of makes/models of UTV's very closely before you make the final purchase. I also want to say that I am not a fan of the use of ATV's in use by emergency services. I bought one for my small rural department but soon felt that the unit did not provide enough safety protection for my firefighters/EMT's. First you ride up on an ATV like on a motorcycle instead of inside a UTV like a car. Second, there are no seat belts on ATV's where there is almost always seat belts on UTV's, and finally the ATV can be very unstable in many conditions. ATV's should serve limited mission roles in emergency services organizations. Remember that cheaper in terms of cost is not always best when it comes to our national motto for firefighters "Everyone comes home".

Kimball W. Johnson is President of KIMTEK Corporation makers of the MEDLITE Medical Transport skid unit (patent pending), The FIRELITE Transport for wild land firefighting and makers of the EUV (emergency utility vehicle) which is a turn key, ready for service unit that is available on a variety of make and model chassis. Mr. Johnson is also a volunteer Fire Chief and volunteer EMT.

DON'T THINK YOU HAVE USE FOR A KIMTEK CORP SKID UNIT?
PLEASE READ ON

If you have a golf course in your response area you might not need one but the golf course might. Your ambulance has no place on a golf course. It is their responsibility to make sure their clients can be reached, treated and extricated from the course without you getting stuck or causing damage to the course or your equipment, especially after it rains.

Every EMS responder who covers a golf course should have a preplan with the course. You should physically go over the course for obstacles to access. You need to make it clear to them that you are not four wheeling with a 12,000 Lb. vehicle. This is true no matter where the course is located, big city or out in the country. By the way, golf course owners or managers rarely come to EMS asking advice before an incident happens, it is up to you to go to them and make them aware they need to prepare for anything that may occur on their property.

Where does KIMTEK CORPORATION's equipment fit in?

The golf course has side by side utility vehicles. The Medlite will fit into one of these. It can be permanently installed and, with a preplan in place be staged at a meeting point for your use on arrival. The course loses some use of the utility but saves about $7,000 over the purchase price of a dedicated ambulance cart. You have a proven safe way to get your patient back to the ambulance. It is a win/win.

My company works with golf courses to provide basic communication training and patient transport on the course. When I looked at Chief Johnson's units I recognized it to be a much more cost effective way to get golf courses to participate in their patrons well being. While there is a bit of compromise involved, the cost is a lot less. That should help bring them to the table with you. I also provide a preplan outline for EMS responders working with the golf course.

On the surface you might not think KIMTEK CORP has equipment of use to you, but look a little deeper. I have also suggested to a department trying to fund a UTV going to a local course and explaining how you would use it there. You might get them to hold a fund raiser for you. By the way you still need to go over the course and set up a preplan. There are other things that can make an incident run smoothly. Please contact us for further information. We would more than happy to assist any EMS provider.

This is one more way that equipment manufactured by KIMTEK CORP can be used to provide safe off road patient transport, even in a city. It has been my pleasure to work with Chief Johnson. He builds well thought out, quality equipment at a reasonable price.

The information in this article has been published in Golf Course News online magazine and has been reformatted to present to my brothers and sisters.

For D. S. S. Consulting
Ralph Sanders
Ret. FF/PM

Ralph Sanders is a retired firefighter/ paramedic with twenty years service in local 1045 Concord, NH. He started his career in EMS with the Penacook, NH. Rescue Squad in the early sixties. His main focus now is off road patient transport and water & rescue gear.