Times Observer photo by Brian Ferry Representatives of the sponsors of the new Warren County Sheriff’s Office Can-Am Outlander XT 850 ATV check out the equipment. Pictured from left are: John Cecco of United Refining Co., Rob Kaemmerer of the Community Foundation of Warren County, Chief Deputy Chuck Fetzeck, Sheriff Brian Zeybel, Hank LeMeur of Superior Tire and Rubber Corp., and Mike DelPrince of the DeFrees Family Memorial Fund.
Thanks to the generosity of several local entities, the Warren County Sheriff’s Office has a new vehicle. All Terrain Amphibious Vehicles
The department purchased a 2022 Can-Am Outlander XT 850 and a trailer capable of hauling it in 2022.
Major sponsors for the project were the DeFrees Family Memorial Fund, United Refining, Superior Tire and Rubber, and the Community Foundation of Warren County. There were other sponsors, including Warren Tire, Johnson’s Tire, and individual donors.
The vehicle allowed the office to reduce its fleet while maintaining or increasing its level of flexibility.
“The large ATV with tank treads eliminated the need for snowmobiles,” Sheriff Brian Zeybel said. “We got rid of two snowmobiles and a smaller ATV and replaced them with one machine.”
Those snowmobiles were beyond their life-span, Zeybel said, and there were many times when “we didn’t have the snow to use them.”
The old ATV was also past the end of its expected useful life-span, Zeybel said.
For now, the new ATV is equipped with Apache tracks — giving it the ability to move over snow-covered surfaces in addition to roads and trails.
The treads are not as desirable in the summer.
“Come April 1, you want the tires on it,” Zeybel said.
The treads collectively weigh about half as much as the 800-pound vehicle itself.
The county entered into a four-year service agreement — also funded by donations — that will provide for the changing from tires to treads and back at no further charge, Zeybel said.
The vehicle will serve a multi-purpose role in the department — from getting around Warren County Fair to “search and rescue on trails in the Allegheny National Forest and everything in between,” Zeybel said. “In any kind of state of emergency, we could put this into play.”
The ATV is identified with official decals and carries a tool box, chainsaw, and emergency lighting, according to Chief Deputy Chuck Fetzeck.
The department’s rescue-boggan – a tow-behind sled intended to carry an injured or incapacitated person is compatible with the ATV, Fetzeck said.
The funding also provided a trailer capable of hauling the new equipment.
The department’s old trailer was designed for snowmobiles and the smaller ATV. It was long and narrow and not suitable to the new ATV. That trailer had also been serving the county beyond its expected life.
“The 2018, 7-by-18 V-Nose dual-axle, heavy-duty lighting trailer equipped to become a mobile command center was also purchased,” Fetzeck said.
The command center provisions include wiring for computers and televisions, a whiteboard, and seating arrangements.
“The community bought this to serve the community,” Zeybel said. “The graciousness of this community never ceases to surprise me.”
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