Search and Rescue side-by-side being put to good use

Hot Springs County Search and Rescue has a new side-by-side vehicle with snow tracks. Search and Rescue member Casey Freund, said the Polaris Ranger Crew 1000 Northstar edition vehicle was approved by the County Commissioners in 2021. The cost to the county was $23,061.99. The tracks were paid for out of the private fund for the Search and Rescue, which is from donations made to the organization. Freund added that their Poker Float fundraiser earned them money from the community to pay for the tracks. The cost of the tracks was approximately $4,500.

This new vehicle has extra room in it for passengers who needed rescue. Search and Rescue recently did a training mission in the Buffalo Creek area. Freund said, "We taught the people that showed up to the training how to install the tracks on the side-by-side. And then we took it for a training mission in the snow just so people could see how to operate it."

Not much time passed before they had a need to use the new vehicle. Freund added, "We got a call out for a rescue mission out in the Owl Creek Mountain range for hunters out there. Their side-by-side had a mechanical failure. I don't remember what broke, but something broke and they were stranded. And the only way that we were able to make it out there is because we did have this new side-by-side. It was perfect."

When it comes to driving the new side-by-side with its track on, Freund said, "It's very much like operating like a small car. And when you put the snow tracks on, there are just a few differences. Once the snow tracks are on, bumps are a little bit more exaggerated. We do have to go a little bit slower. It's not like we're on a gravel road doing 40 miles an hour down the gravel road. We do have to slow down because hitting a rock with those tracks can cause damage to them. But it's just a bunch of little wheels underneath the tracks. And I don't even know how to describe how it works, but it operates really well. It doesn't feel like you're driving around on a bunch of snow. It is meant for driving on the snow and it works very well."

Freund also explained more as to why this vehicle is better than others for rescue missions. He said, "It's better for a few things. One, the high-end winter package that we had installed on it, has hard doors and hard windows. We have air conditioning and we also have heating in it, that way in whatever conditions that we're working in, whether that's summers where it's over 100 degrees out here or winters where it's below zero, we can stay comfortable in this side by side.

Freund said they have another side-by-side that is not enclosed. "It has coverings on it to help. But you either are going to freeze while you're trying to rescue somebody or you're burning up while you're trying to rescue somebody. This new one has climate control, which makes it a lot easier for our people to do rescues. And then also, once we rescue people, they can stay comfortable."

"I know in the past we've had to rescue people. In 2020, we had a girl that we had to actually call people to help us with snowmobiles because we had nothing to go find her. They had to haul her back on a snowmobile with hypothermic conditions. And then we had to transport her to an ambulance because the ambulance couldn't get to us. In this case, if we ever have something like that now, we're going to have that climate control where we can keep the heat up, have blankets, everything, and keep our victims warm or in better condition while we get them to medical care."

Freund added, "We're super thankful for the commissioners and for the community to help us achieve this. Without either of them, this would not be possible."

Additionally, on Monday, Dec. 19, Search and Rescue received another call to perform a rescue in the Owl Creek area using the side-by-side with the snow tracks