Ventura County adds armored rescue vehicle to its fleet thanks to Direct Relief donation
VENTURA COUNTY, Calif. – There is a new sheriff's vehicle in town as of Feb. 7, an Advanced Rescue Medevac vehicle to be precise.
The Ventura County Board of Supervisors unanimously accepted the donation of the Lenco ARM from Direct Relief, a non-profit global humanitarian aid organization.
After major rainstorms in January of this year, Direct Relief contacted the California Office of Emergency Services to make the donation of equipment useful for rescue scenarios encountered in the local area including flooding and mudslides.
Cal OES had already been working on just such a request from the Ventura County Sheriff's Office and Ventura County Fire Department and brought the participating organizations together.
The vehicle is a fully armored 4X4, turbo diesel engine powered vehicle with a full medical interior complete with onboard oxygen and litter system.
The nature of some of the amenities, such as 36-inch run-flat tires and armor, give the vehicle some tactical advantages for law enforcement and the vehicle will be operated by members of the Ventura County Sheriff's SWAT team, but Ventura County Fire will staff paramedics onboard.
The county organizations detail the vehicle's purpose as rescue equipment for tactical or natural disasters that also can provide advanced life support, a unique capability relative to the rest of the county's fleet.
Ventura County's Sheriff's Office and Fire Department will showcase the new vehicle on Feb. 21. Contact Capt. Cameron Henderson at 805-797-6394 or by email at Cameron.henderson@ventura.org for more details on that event.
