This all terrain vehicle is the 2016 Polaris Alternative
Support Apparatus MS500 acquired
by the Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Fire
Department. It has a full patient compartment
in the back, with which the department can
load and transport patients ...

The 2016 Polaris Alternative Support Apparatus MS500 can best be described as a mini-ambulance,
according to JBM-HH Fire Department Capt. William Long. It is outfitted with four-wheel
drive and is air conditioned in the main cabin and the patient com...

The Joint Base Myer-Henderson Hall Fire Department has a new mobile tool in its arsenal of rescue equipment.

The department recently took ownership of a 2016 Polaris Alternative Support Apparatus MS500. The vehicle is best described as a mini-ambulance on wheels, explained JBM-HH Fire Department Capt. William Long.

"It's an all-terrain ATV-type vehicle with a full patient compartment in the back, which you can load patients in and transport," he said.

Outfitted with four wheel drive, a fully heated and air conditioned cab and patient compartment in the back, the vehicle is fully loaded. It will allow the department's firefighters, paramedics and emergency medical technicians to reach patients in off-road areas that are inaccessible to regular rescue vehicles, said Long.

"We don't do a lot of off-road, but if the situation arises we have full capability to get off road to the patient," he said. "It also allows us to maneuver in crowds much easier."

Long said the vehicle will be used for such events as Rolling Thunder; weekly Twilight Tattoos; the Army Ten-Miler and the Marine Corps Marathon; the Fourth of July celebration; and the Easter, Memorial and Veterans Day observances at Arlington National Cemetery.

"This will actually be in service for the Easter Sunrise Service [at ANC] March 27," he said.

The vehicle runs on diesel fuel, can travel at speeds up to 30 miles an hour and can be driven to just about any event in the immediate area. If it is needed at a location outside of the immediate area, it will be put on a trailer and driven to the scene, explained Long.

The vehicle is equipped with additional external electrical outlets which can be used to power lights and an upgraded 3,500 kilowatt generator.

"It will also allow us to be able to transport the patient better," he continued. "The [ATV] we have now, the back is exposed. This one is like an actual ambulance so it allows the paramedics and EMTs to work on the patient inside, in a controlled environment."

Total cost of the vehicle was about $70,000. Before selecting the unit, JBM-HH firefighters visited the Arlington Fire Department for a look at their ATV and based the decision to purchase the vehicle on what they saw, said Long.

"They are expensive," admitted Long. "But, they are a unique unit. There are no others around here, except at the Arlington Fire Department."

Pentagram Staff Writer Julia LeDoux can be reached at jledoux@dcmilitary.com.