TOMS RIVER, NJ – Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow, nor water, nor ice, nor sand will keep Ocean County Sheriff’s Officers from rescuing the next victim trapped in a difficult situation. That’s after the department unveiled their new all-terrain vehicle, a SHERP.
“Called a SHERP, the all-terrain vehicle which is a new addition to Ocean’s County Office of Emergency Management, can plow through ice, mud and marshes to reach an individual who may be hurt or is having a medical episode,” the county said in a press release from the information department. “With enough room to fit a stretcher, the vehicle, operated by Sheriff’s Department personnel, can make its way into Ocean County’s toughest terrain.”
“It took us 20 years to develop a reliable amphibian utility task vehicle that can move on any surface and overcome the most difficult natural obstacles. SHERP is a reliable assistant for specialists who overcome natural difficulties as a part of their profession: geologists, oil workers, rescue agents, fishermen, hunters, extreme drivers, and travelers,” the manufacturer said about its vehicle. ” In partnership with United Nations World Food Programme (WFP), SHERP fights hunger in several countries around the world. In 2016, the British TopGear auto show called SHERP “a tank for two”. And the latest models can even “be tanks” for 4, 6 and even 22 people.”
“Based on Ocean County’s topography, having this vehicle will allow us to perform rescues that in the past have been difficult to access,” said Ocean County Sheriff Michael G. Mastronardy, who was first introduced to the vehicle while in North Carolina following a hurricane. “This vehicle is rugged and can withstand just about anything allowing us to perform life-saving rescues while eliminating the concern of how to navigate reaching a victim.”
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The county’s information department said the vehicle can move at 3.7 miles per hour in the water and 25 miles per hour by land. It can easily make its way over mounds of sand, through brush and across other obstacles including downed trees. It can also get through deep snow and moves easily out of water onto ice or other terrain.