Long before specialized fire-and-rescue UTV packages became widely available, departments across the United States were converting the Polaris RANGER 6×6 into compact emergency-response vehicles. The six-wheel utility vehicle could carry water, pumps, medical equipment and patient-transport systems into places that conventional fire engines and ambulances could not reach.
These early builds served fire districts, ambulance services, university campuses and rural communities. Their assignments ranged from fighting grass fires and patrolling crowded events to transporting injured patients off beaches and remote sections of the Appalachian Trail.
This historical collection looks at several of the most interesting Polaris RANGER 6×6 fire, EMS and rescue builds featured by UTVGuide.net.
Why Departments Chose the Polaris RANGER 6×6
The early Polaris RANGER 6×6 combined a relatively compact 60-inch width with seating for three, a long cargo platform and six driven wheels. Its low-speed mobility and cargo capacity made it a practical starting point for departments that needed to carry substantial equipment beyond the pavement.
Depending on the conversion, the original cargo bed could hold a removable skid or be replaced by a dedicated firefighting or patient-transport platform. Common equipment included:
- Water tanks ranging from approximately 70 to 100 gallons
- Gas-powered water pumps
- Hose reels and forestry hose
- Class A foam systems
- Stokes baskets, backboards or medical cots
- Emergency lights, sirens and radios
- Chainsaws, hand tools and portable generators
- Winches and additional scene lighting
The result was not a replacement for a full-size fire engine or ambulance. It was a specialized vehicle capable of carrying personnel and equipment from the road to an incident in terrain where larger apparatus could not operate.
For more background on the model’s development, see our history of the Polaris RANGER and the specifications for the 2006 Polaris RANGER 6×6.
Holmen Area Fire Department RANGER 6×6
Holmen Area Fire Department served more than 66 square miles across three municipalities in Wisconsin. Wooded areas, hills, bluffs and miles of bicycle and walking trails created locations that could be difficult to reach with even the department’s smallest conventional fire vehicle.
The department needed something light and maneuverable enough for narrow trails but capable of carrying water, firefighting equipment and EMS supplies. Its Polaris RANGER 6×6 was converted with a TerraTor Pumpster mini-pumper platform.
The diamond-plate Pumpster replaced the factory cargo bed and carried approximately 100 gallons of water along with three gallons of Class A foam. Its onboard pump could also draw water from a pond, creek or swimming pool.
The system carried a one-inch hose on a reel plus another 100 feet of hose in a storage compartment. The pump could supply both lines during fire-suppression operations.
The rear platform could be reconfigured with either a gear crib or a Stokes basket. The gear configuration carried equipment such as chainsaws and rescue tools, while the basket arrangement allowed an EMT to attend to an injured person from the rear of the vehicle.
Central Fire Protection District RANGER 6×6
Central Fire Protection District received a 2005 Polaris RANGER 6×6 through the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company’s Operation Ranger program. The donation program placed utility vehicles with qualified fire, EMS, rescue and law-enforcement organizations.
Central converted its RANGER with an RKO Enterprises fire skid carrying a 70-gallon water tank and a separate five-gallon Class A foam tank. A Darley pump powered by a 5.5-horsepower Honda engine supplied the firefighting system. The vehicle was also equipped with a winch.
Bulverde Area Volunteer Fire Department
Bulverde Area Volunteer Fire Department prepared its RANGER 6×6 for grass fires, public events and medical incidents in locations inaccessible to normal fire and EMS apparatus.
The vehicle used a KIMTEK FIRELITE Deluxe skid incorporating a 75-gallon poly water tank, a Hannay manual hose reel and a Darley-Davey two-stage high-pressure pump powered by a 5.5-horsepower Honda engine.
The aluminum platform included hose and nozzle storage, multiple pump connections, a tank-level gauge and grab rails for securing a Stokes basket or long backboard. This allowed the RANGER to support both fire suppression and patient removal.
Rutgers University Emergency Services
Rutgers University’s Department of Emergency Services used a Polaris RANGER 6×6 to provide standby coverage during campus events. Although it was initially purchased primarily for football games, the vehicle’s role expanded as personnel found more uses for its mobility and carrying capacity.
Staffed by firefighter/EMTs, the RANGER could move equipment through large crowds more easily than full-size emergency apparatus. Its onboard fire-suppression system was particularly useful for handling small fires in tightly packed tailgating areas.
The Rutgers machine carried a KIMTEK FIRELITE Deluxe skid similar to the system used by Bulverde. It combined a water tank, high-pressure pump, hose reel, equipment storage and a rescue area suitable for a Stokes basket or backboard.
New Hampton Fire Department
New Hampton Fire Department protected a predominantly rural district of more than 98 square miles in Iowa. Its service area included farmland, grassland, cropland and moderately rough terrain.
Funding from FEMA’s Assistance to Firefighters Grants program helped the department acquire and equip a 2007 Polaris RANGER 6×6.
A removable fire skid carried an 80-gallon poly tank, a four-horsepower Honda pump, 100 feet of 5/8-inch hose and two gallons of foam. The department also added a Motorola mobile radio, Whelen siren, LED warning lights, an auxiliary battery and a front winch.
Navassa Volunteer Fire Department “Brush 1977”
Navassa Volunteer Fire Department received its 2005 Polaris RANGER 6×6 through Operation Ranger in June 2005. The department named the vehicle “Brush 1977” and completed much of the firefighting conversion in-house to control costs.
Working with Pro Poly, the department developed a custom 80-gallon tank and skid. Darley Fire Equipment helped select the pump, while department personnel sourced the remaining plumbing and valves locally before assembling the system.
Beyond the water and pump system, Brush 1977 carried an extensive equipment package:
- Honda 1,000-watt generator
- Rechargeable flashlight and 12-volt work lights
- Fire Research floodlight
- Hose and portable water-pack equipment
- Two Stihl chainsaws and protective chaps
- Hand tools, bolt cutters and fuel cans
- Garmin GPS unit
- Weather-protected fire radio
Warwick Ambulance Appalachian Trail Rescue UTV
Warwick Emergency Medical Services used its Polaris RANGER 6×6 to cover approximately 25 miles of the Appalachian Trail. It also served at sporting events and large gatherings where moving a conventional ambulance through crowds could be difficult.
TerraTor converted the RANGER with its EMSter patient-transport system. The EMSter replaced the original cargo bed with a rear platform capable of carrying a backboard, Stokes basket or medical cot.
The system also provided storage under the patient platform and behind the attendant’s seat. Once stabilized, a patient could be transported from the incident location to a waiting road ambulance.
Tulsa EMSA RANGER 6×6
The Emergency Medical Services Authority in Tulsa, Oklahoma, also developed an EMS vehicle around a 2005 Polaris RANGER 6×6 EFI. The compact six-wheel vehicle helped its crews reach locations inaccessible to conventional ambulances while carrying emergency medical personnel and equipment.
Although fewer details survive about the Tulsa conversion, it provides another example of how EMS agencies adapted the RANGER platform before purpose-built rescue UTV packages became common.
Other Notable Polaris RANGER Rescue Builds
Some RANGER-based emergency vehicles were specialized enough to warrant their own detailed features.
- Grand Canyon Polaris RANGER 6×6 Rescue UTV — A National Park Service vehicle used for medical response, search and rescue, snow operations and access along the South Rim.
- Salter Path Beach Rescue Polaris RANGER 6×6 — A North Carolina beach-patrol and patient-transport build equipped with a KIMTEK MEDLITE skid.
- 2009 ASAP LifeGuard RANGER 6×6 — A heavily modified rescue vehicle with an extended aluminum body capable of carrying a full-size cot or Stokes basket.
- 2010 Polaris RANGER 6×6 Fire and EMS Conversion — A closer look at the KIMTEK FIRELITE and MEDLITE systems offered for the redesigned 2010 RANGER 800 6×6.
Operation Ranger Supported First Responders
Several of these vehicles were acquired through Operation Ranger, a partnership between the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company and the National Volunteer Fire Council. The program began after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks and awarded Polaris RANGER utility vehicles to fire, rescue, EMS, emergency-management and wildlife law-enforcement organizations.
By early 2010, the program had reportedly distributed more than 460 vehicles through a competitive application process. Departments frequently used grants, donations and volunteer labor to add the specialized equipment needed for their local terrain and mission.
Read more in our complete history of the Operation Ranger first-responder vehicle program.
From the Original RANGER 6×6 to Modern Rescue UTVs
These builds demonstrate how fire and EMS organizations helped define an important use for utility side-by-sides. The original RANGER 6×6 supplied the mobility and carrying capacity, while companies such as KIMTEK, TerraTor, RKO Enterprises and ASAP developed equipment that transformed the recreational and work vehicle into a compact emergency-response platform.
Modern rescue UTVs offer more power, integrated cabs and increasingly sophisticated purpose-built equipment, but they follow the same basic formula established by these early RANGER conversions.
That progression can be seen in today’s Polaris RANGER XD 1500 fire and rescue packages, which combine a much newer heavy-duty utility platform with current skid units for firefighting, EMS and search-and-rescue work.
Editor’s note: These are historical emergency-vehicle builds based primarily on 2005–2007 Polaris RANGER 6×6 models. Equipment specifications and department configurations reflect the vehicles as originally documented and should not be treated as current emergency-vehicle procurement guidance.
