Funds used to purchase Polaris Ranger Crew 1000 utility task vehicle with emergency lighting, patient transport equipment
The Sarasota County Fire Department (SCFD) recently received a $39,982 grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation® to ensure its first responders would “have the necessary equipment to keep community members and themselves safe,” the department has announced.
“The grant was used to purchase a Polaris Ranger Crew 1000 utility task vehicle (UTV) with emergency lighting, patient transport equipment,” a winch and other accessories, the release continues. The vehicle will allow Fire Department personnel “to respond quickly and efficiently to medical and other emergencies on Sarasota County beaches,” the release adds.
“We are grateful to the Foundation and our local Firehouse Subs in Sarasota for awarding us this grant,” said Sarasota County Fire Department Chief David Rathbun in the release. “The new equipment will fulfill a critical need within our department,” he pointed out.
With more than 35 miles of beaches in Sarasota County, “SCFD personnel respond daily to emergencies along the coast,” the release notes. “The UTV provides quick and effective response to areas that an ambulance or fire engine cannot access.” This vehicle is housed at Station 3, which responds to incidents on Lido Beach, the release says.
“Emergency medical equipment kept on board allows the personnel access to supplies immediately on scene,” the release explains.
Further, the release points out, “The patient transport equipment added to the UTV allows personnel to quickly bring patients off the beach to an ambulance where they can be taken to the hospital or receive additional care.”
SCFD has been using a UTV at Station 13, which is located next to the county’s beach park on Siesta Key, the release notes. “In Fiscal Year 2024,” the release adds, “the Station 13 UTV was dispatched to 134 calls on Siesta Beach.”
“For the past 18 years, charitable donations have been the driving force” behind the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation® support of first responders and public safety organizations nationwide, the release explains. To learn more about the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation or to donate directly to it, the release says, visit FirehouseSubsFoundation.org.
For more information about the Sarasota County Fire Department, visit scgov.net/fire or dial 311.