Published: July 03, 2008 08:24 am      

Whitley mock ATV rescue

Area rescue squads, law enforcement hold mock ATV rescue

By Sean Bailey / Staff Writer

For every mile of county road in Whitley County there are 20 miles of ATV trails that twist narrowly through the hills, reaching some of the most remote and picturesque spots in the county. The long twisting trails can be an ATV enthusiast’s dream—or on rare occasions—their worst nightmare.

“Help! Get some help! My leg and arm’s hurt,” Tracy West Whitley County Judge-Executive Pat White Jr.’s secretary screams.

Cody Anders stands next to West as she cries out in pain pinned underneath an overturned ATV. Anders is nervously talking with 911 dispatchers, describing her wounds and their approximate location.

Within minutes Whitley County Emergency Management Director Danny Moses, and Oak Grove Volunteer Fire Fighter and Williamsburg Police Officer Shawn Jackson appear on the scene in the County’s newest tool, the Polaris Ranger six wheel utility vehicle.

They are able to load West on the stokes basket—which is the stretcher type device used in rescues—and whisk her away to a Whitley EMS ambulance waiting on a much-wider and accessible county road.

After a few minutes West was able to get out of the ambulance under her own power. No, she wasn’t miraculously cured of her wounds in the ambulance—West’s only injury was a smattering of fake blood on her arm. Her “injuries” and subsequent rescue were all part of a mock-rescue.

The exercise was meant to demonstrate to the public the ability of the county’s new utility vehicle. The vehicle is designed to go where ambulances can’t—namely the hundreds of miles of ATV trails in Whitley County.

Members of rescue squads and law enforcement departments from all over the area came to watch the demonstration.

“It’s been this administration’s firm belief that we should extend our resources beyond the county line ... so we have an open invitation for the our neighboring communities counties to use our resources if they need the assistance,” White said at the public presentation of the Polaris utility vehicle.

The mock-rescue took place at Legend Motor Sports facility in North Corbin. A mock-helicopter extraction was planned by Air-Evac company, but all of their helicopters were responding to accidents.

“We had patient flights coming out of both our Middlesboro and Williamsburg bases. And of course patients always take precedent over events like this one,” Joe Bradshaw, program director for Air-Evac said.

Corbin officials were on hand for the surprise announcement by Legend Motor Sport’s management that they would be donating a separate Polaris Ranger six-wheel utility vehicle for the city’s rescue squad.

“Now, Wynn’s told us we could have one done like that for $250,” Corbin Mayor Willard McBurney joked as he pointed to Whitley County’s “upfitted” Ranger utility vehicle.

Wynn’s Fire Equipment upfitted Whitley County’s Ranger utility vehicle with emergency lights, a seat in the back for a paramedic to aid a patient who lays in a stokes basket, among other life-saving devices.

Wynn’s Fire Equipment is a local company that modifies and even builds fire-trucks and other emergency response vehicles from the bottom up.

WD Bryant’s of Williamsburg also donated a chain-saw to be used with the vehicle.

McBurney said the donated utility vehicle would be a great asset, to Corbin residents, and thanked Legend Motor Sports for the donation.

Whitley County’s utility vehicle was made possible by a grant from U.S. Smokeless Tobacco’s Operation Ranger. Operation Ranger receives thousands of applications from all over the country every year, and this year, Whitley County was one of only 70 applicants to get the grant. The grant application was assisted by Whitley County High School students in Amy Hess’ Whitley County High School journalism class.

The students produced and directed a video application that wowed U.S. Smokeless Tobacco representatives.

“In addition to the written application we received the video application that the students put together, and that was an integral part in choosing Whitley County,” Jeff Roston, representative from U.S. Smokeless Tobacco said.

The Ranger utility vehicle is ready for action, and besides rescuing people, it will also help locate and clean-up some of Whitley County’s many illegal dumps.

As for mock-patient Tracy West, she said the new Ranger utility vehicle was a safe ride.

“I felt very secure in it, strapped in tight and all,” West said.