Polaris Government and Defense is making the Polaris Pro XD utility task vehicle (UTV) in three versions for fire and rescue work—a firefighting unit, a rescue model, and a combination fire/rescue version.
Tony Stanley, government business development spokesman for Polaris Government and Defense, says the new Pro XD is being produced to augment the Polaris fleet of gasoline power Ranger UTVs. “The Polaris Pro XD is designed for the sole purpose of work, with an increased payload in the pallet-sized cargo box, greater durability, and better serviceability,” Stanley notes. He says the Pro XD is available in two- and four-seat, and gasoline- and diesel-powered models offering up to 2,075 pounds of payload, and 2,500 pounds of towing capacities, with heavy duty drive line components, and up to 200-hour maintenance intervals.
“This heavy duty UTV is designed to expand the reach of fire and rescue personnel and help improve response time in environments and conditions that traditional vehicles can’t access,” Stanley observes. He adds that the Pro XD’s beefier rear suspension, larger cargo box, and expanded payload allow for incorporation of bigger fire and rescue skids produced by RKO Enterprises®. Stanley points out that the RKO fire and rescue equipment skids are removable, which retain the vehicle’s modularity and allows the Pro XD to be used for a variety of jobs, such as fire prevention, search and rescue, disaster relief, and community events.
The Pro XD firefighting UTV has a 95-gallon copolymer water tank with a five-gallon integral foam tank, a foam fire suppression system, fire pump, hose and reel, and the ability to draft from an external water source. The Pro XD rescue skid incorporates a rear attendant seat and a Stokes rescue basket. Polaris also makes the Pro XD in a combination model that incorporates the fire pump, tank, and equipment along with the Stokes rescue basket in a single unit.
Stanley compared the Pro XD models to the gasoline-powered Ranger UTVs it also makes. “The largest water tank we had available for the Ranger was a 70-gallon water tank with a three-gallon integral foam tank,” he says. “So going to 95 gallons of water and 5 gallons of foam is a fairly significant expansion. Also, the Pro XD’s box is dimensionally a little bit wider and little bit longer than that on the Ranger, which allows it to have a 1,250-pound box capacity compared with 1,000 pounds for the Ranger.”
The Pro XD diesel model is powered by an 898-cubic-centimeter, three-cylinder, 24-1/2-horsepower (hp) Kubota® diesel engine that gives the UTV a top speed of 26 miles per hour. Wheelbase on the four-person Pro XD is 117 inches, turning radius is 154 inches, overall length is 13 feet one inch, overall width is 62-1/2-inches, and overall height is six feet three inches. Dry weight on the Pro XD is 1,904 pounds, excluding a skid unit.
ALAN M. PETRILLO is a Tucson, Ariz.-based journalist, the author of three novels and five non-fiction books, and a member of the Fire Apparatus & Emergency Equipment editorial advisory board. He served 22 years with Verdoy (NY) Fire Department, including the position of chief.
