PVH introduces 'Swiss army knife' of EMS vehicles
All summer, a nondescript — from the outside — truck has assisted in dozens of SWAT calls and rescues around Larimer County.
The four-wheel drive, unmarked truck is a new addition to the Poudre Valley Hospital Emergency Medical Services' Special Operations Response Team, or SORT, whose members go on backcountry rescue missions and assist in high-risk arrests. PVH EMS’ fleet mechanic coordinator, Sean Jennings, customized and retrofitted the truck. It has the capabilities of an ambulance, but it also has the ability to go places an ambulance can’t and the space to carry more crewmembers and gear. It's been dubbed the "Swiss army knife" of EMS vehicles.
SORT responders took the truck on its first rescue mission May 12 when a man in his 20s got stuck on a ledge 50 feet above Horsetooth Falls. Where once they would’ve been forced to take a fleet of vehicles to carry responders and haul gear, they were able to use the truck and save room and time at the rescue site.
The cab of the truck can carry up to five responders, an improvement on the cab of a typical ambulance. The covered bed of the truck has two benches that can carry another 10 responders or transport injured people to the hospital. Its bench cushions can be removed and replaced with emergency response backboards. A roll cage custom-fit to the interior protects the bed and its passengers.
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The previous truck's ceiling was too low for comfortable transport, couldn't fit as many people and kept enduring mechanical problems.
The truck is unmarked and its lights are disguised so that it can remain undetected on the scene of dangerous calls. White lights within the bed of the truck toggle to blue to further help responders avoid detection.
"People want to hurt us, too," SORT manager Braden Applegate said.
In the last 20 years, SORT has bloomed from four to 10 members and required an updated vehicle to accommodate its needs. They did the whole project on a shoestring budget, using more than 200 hours of in-house manpower to get the truck ready. The project cost less than $50,000 — had they bought the truck fully customized and used outside labor, it could have cost more than $100,000. The project benefited from a $25,000 donation from Hensel Phelps, and Fort Collins Police Services donated emergency lights.
SORT responders go through the training that medics do. But on top of that, they go through basic SWAT school, special operations academies, and training in areas including rappelling, dive and swift-water rescue, confined space and trench rescue, urban search and rescue, explosives and wildland firefighting. Plus they have to meet fitness expectations, including the arduous pack test that requires them to carry a 45-pound pack and walk three miles in 45 minutes.
"They do a lot," Applegate said. "Anything where you're having to go in greater than a mile from the road, these guys are going."
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Inside the truck, they carry ropes, throw bags and personal flotation devices, helmets and maps. Each member fills the truck with their own gear during their shifts, including the same entry vest, ballistic helmet and gas mask that the SWAT team wears; extrication gear and suits; wildland gear and suspension harnesses.
They work closely with Larimer County's search and rescue, dive and SWAT teams, as well as Poudre Fire Authority.
They take three on-call shifts per month and rotate through duty in regular ambulances when they're not on call. When they're on call, the drive the truck around and carry a pager that alerts them to a situation that requires their presence. This summer, the unit has received about 15 calls a month.
"It's definitely a lot of time away from their family and a huge dedication on their end," Applegate said.