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Date: 12/11/2015
AGAWAM – The Town of Agawam has a new vehicle to allow first responders better access to remote areas. The Fire and Police departments introduced the utility terrain vehicle (UTV) on Dec. 9.
Though the vehicle was delivered to the town in September, according to Fire Chief Alan Sirois, they decided to hold off the reveal until it was detailed with both the Agawam fire and police logos and LED lights.
The emergency response vehicle has room for two first responders and a patient. The skid unit on the back allows for the patient to be strapped in a stokes basket, as well as 50 gallons of water and hoses.
The John Deere model was part of the FY16 Capital Budget, costing the town just less than $20,000.
Mayor Richard Cohen said the price tag on the vehicle was reasonable for the services it provides.
“I thought it would be a good investment. It will provide services to places we wouldn’t have been able to reach before,” he said.
Sirois and Police Chief Eric Gillis echoed this, saying areas like Robinson State Park and wooded areas in Feeding Hills make it difficult for full-sized response vehicles, like an ambulance, police car or fire truck, to reach. This changes the game for both departments.
“It’s going to come in handy, especially with the recent expansion of green spaces at School Street Park and things like that. There are biking trails, there are hiking trails, there are running trails that are kind of off the beaten path,” Sirois said. “If we have to go out there to pick somebody up, we can’t really get our full-sized ambulances back there.”
Sirois said the vehicle has already been used by his department to responds to a patient who sustained multiple bee stings at Robinson State Park.
The hose and water storage on the skid unit allow for the Fire Department to access remote brush fires, and while Sirois said 50 gallons of water goes fast, it allows firefighters to put out smaller fires before they grow in size.
Gillis said that his officers would also be able to use the UTV. He said the Ford Explorers have worked well for the Police Department, the four-wheel drive capability will help his officers in missing persons cases, search operations, assisting the Fire Department on calls and at large outdoor events.
“[The Explorers] don’t have the clearance that’s necessary for real off road operations, and they’re too big in many instances, especially in the state park,” Gillis said. “Those are bike trails, walking trails. They’re not vehicle roads. This will give us the ability to get out into those areas.”
The UTV also gives both departments as a safe and stable way to transport a patient over uneven terrain. Sirois said it could take as many as 12 first responders to safely transport a patient more than a mile in a remote area. This only requires two first responders, which keeps both the patient and emergency workers safer.
“It’s one of those things that we’re not going to put out every day to do work, but when we need it, it’ll be there,” Sirois said.
The town granted the UTV as a joint use budget item, and Cohen said all emergency response teams collaborate in a way that is special to Agawam.
“There’s great cooperation between the fire, police and emergency management,” Cohen said. “It’s a great addition; it really is.”