Grand Canyon National Park operates in an environment where emergency crews must respond across paved walkways, rugged service roads, winter snowpack and remote areas along the canyon rim. To help reach those locations, park personnel equipped a 2007 Polaris Ranger 6×6 EFI as a compact emergency medical and search-and-rescue vehicle.
In 2007, Grand Canyon National Park personnel responded to approximately 1,400 medical incidents. The South Rim sits at roughly 7,000 feet above sea level, and its elevation can contribute to medical problems for visitors walking along the rim.
Based at the South Rim Fire Station, the Ranger allowed National Park Service personnel to reach emergencies along the popular Rim Trail more efficiently. It could also support searches for missing visitors, carry rescue equipment to accident scenes and travel on adjacent fire roads.
The Ranger’s six-wheel-drive system, long cargo bed and relatively compact dimensions made it particularly useful when snow, uneven terrain or limited access prevented a conventional ambulance from reaching the scene. This was an authorized emergency-response vehicle; public recreational UTV use is not permitted on Grand Canyon trails or pedestrian walkways.
Polaris Ranger 6×6 Rescue Equipment
The Grand Canyon Ranger was converted for emergency-response work with a KIMTEK MEDLITE rescue skid, a compact siren and high-intensity LED warning lights.
KIMTEK MEDLITE Rescue Skid
The centerpiece of the conversion was a KIMTEK MEDLITE Emergency Medical Rescue slide-in skid unit. Designed for public-safety agencies, the aluminum unit transforms the cargo bed of a utility vehicle into a compact patient-transport platform.
The MEDLITE Transport was designed to carry one patient, one medical attendant and emergency equipment. A longboard could be secured to the platform using the supplied straps, while the attendant’s seat moved along guide rails and could be locked in multiple positions.
The design also provided approximately nine cubic feet of enclosed storage beneath the patient platform for medical bags, trauma supplies and oxygen equipment. A retractable IV pole was included as standard equipment.
The MEDLITE Transport Deluxe added a slide-out storage tray, a holder for a standard D-size oxygen bottle with regulator and a third attendant rail.
More information about current rescue-skid products is available from KIMTEK Corporation.
Compact Siren
A compact Gall’s siren provided an audible warning when the Ranger was responding in areas shared with pedestrians or other vehicles.
Federal Signal Impaxx LED Warning Lights
Federal Signal Impaxx high-intensity LED warning lights increased the visibility of the emergency vehicle around park roads, service areas and busy pedestrian locations.
Grand Canyon Ranger 6×6 Photos
2007 Polaris Ranger 6×6 EFI Specifications
- Engine: 499cc liquid-cooled, four-valve, four-stroke single-cylinder
- Drive system: On-Demand true six-wheel drive
- Seating capacity: Three
- Payload capacity: 1,750 pounds
- Cargo-box capacity: 1,250 pounds
- Cargo volume: 15 cubic feet
- Towing capacity: 1,750 pounds
- Top speed: 44 mph
- Rear suspension travel: 6.25 inches
- Ground clearance: 7.2 inches
- Fuel capacity: 8 gallons
- Wheelbase: 90 inches
- Dry weight: 1,410 pounds
- Length: 120 inches
- Width: 60 inches
- Height: 75 inches
- Brakes: Four-wheel hydraulic disc brakes
- Receiver hitch: 2 inches
Stock Polaris Ranger 6×6 Photos
For more Ranger model information, specifications and historical coverage, visit the Polaris Ranger guide.
