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How ATVs Help in Emergencies

20 July 1999

How ATVs Help in Emergencies

    IRVINE, Calif.--July 20, 1999--Whenever there is an off-highway emergency situation, chances are good an All-Terrain Vehicle (ATV) is being used by search and rescue teams to expedite necessary help.
    ATVs are able to help because they are four-wheeled motorized vehicles designed for a single rider for use only on off-road terrain. The vehicles are powered by gasoline engines and equipped with four low-pressure tires, a seat that a single rider straddles and handlebars for steering.
    "These modern-day workhorses are used primarily for utility proposes. They are pressed into public service because of their versatility and reliability to carry a rescuer or a law enforcement agent and equipment to hard-to-reach places," said Beverly St. Clair of the Specialty Vehicle Institute of America (SVIA).
    ATVs offer a wide variety of uses -- both "on-duty" and "off-duty" -- because they are doing jobs that no other vehicle can do. On-duty uses include law enforcement, military and rescue operations, including lifeguard beach patrol and rescue/cleanup efforts during floods, hurricanes, fires and earthquakes. Off-duty uses can include transporting gear to a fishing spot, campsite or hunting grounds, hauling firewood from the backwoods, or assisting duties on the ranch.
    Examples of ATV's utility to help public service officials include:

--   Law enforcement officers, riding ATVs, successfully searched for
     a missing 8-year-old boy near his home in Atlanta. In Houston,
     rescue teams took to ATVs in their successful search for a
     missing 12-year-old girl.

--   In Southern California, rescue workers rode ATVs to find a
     missing hiker near Riverside and a blind hiker in the San Gabriel
     Mountains.

--   Midwestern rescuers, hampered by flood damage, carried
     life-saving equipment on ATVs.

    Overall, more than 1,000 governmental agencies have purchased ATVs to efficiently carry out their utility off-road functions, according to a survey of ATV dealers. The buyers range from police agencies to U.S. agencies such as the Department of Agriculture to the U.S. military, which used 5,000 ATVs during the Gulf War.
    The Specialty Vehicle Institute of America is an information source about the ATV industry. SVIA provides information on ATV standards as well as promoting model state legislation on ATV riding. It also serves as a liaison with state and federal agencies on ATV training and environmental issues.
    SVIA was formed in 1983 as a national nonprofit trade association and is based in Irvine. Its members include six major manufacturers of ATVs: American Honda Motor Co. Inc.; Yamaha Motor Corporation, USA; American Suzuki Motor Corporation; Kawasaki Motors Corporation, USA; Arctic Cat Inc.; and Bombardier Motor Corporation of America.

    Note to Editors: Photos are available by contacting Randy Workman at SVIA, 949/727-3727, ext. 3091.