New Vehicle Allows California Firefighters to Access Hard-To-Reach Areas

EUREKA -- A grant from the U.S. Smokeless Tobacco Company was awarded to the Eureka Fire Department recently, allowing it to purchase an all-terrain-vehicle to access hard to reach places. The Department said the funds were used to buy a John Deere Trail Gator, its first all-terrain-vehicle.

"It will be put to use on wildland fires that fire engines cannot gain access to," stated a department press release, "in areas such as the Balloon Track, behind the Bayshore Mall, and the McKay Track."

The vehicle can be equipped with a tank for water and firefighting foam or be used to quickly access, treat and remove sick or injured people.

"It will allow us to reach beach-front areas, mud-bound areas and rocky areas that may not allow the passage of equipment," the press release stated.

Two other fire departments, Riverside County and Ventura, also received the grant.