In Reference to the Armored Rescue Vehicle Acquisition
Many citizens of Marshfield have asked questions regarding the acquisition of the Armored Rescue Vehicle and you may have asked yourself some of the same questions. Chief of Police Rick Gramza shares why the acquisition is not only a great deal, however more importantly a great asset in the event of the unexpected.
A Message from the Chief.
Over the last week, I have read some posts in reference to the Armored Rescue Vehicle acquisition of the City of Marshfield. As many know, this vehicle was provided free of charge by the Department of Defense to protect the residents and visitors of our great city. Minimal costs have gone into getting the vehicle to where it currently is, and no costs have impacted the taxpayers of this city…in fact we can thank those who have committed drug-related crimes throughout the city for payment of delivery and painting of the vehicle through seized drug money.
Some have asked for examples of what this may be used for…here are a few…stopping rifle rounds towards citizens, acting as a shield to save an injured resident or officer in the street, driving through 3′ snow-drifts to get paramedics to a medical emergency, and most recently delivering wood and equipment to the site of a collapsed hotel roof during an ice storm (this was during the recent table-top disaster scenario).
We do not want this to be looked at as a intimidating or threatening military vehicle but as a life-saving tool owned by the city which we pray never has to be put to use. In the coming weeks we will be making some minor modifications within the vehicle such as adding lettering and department patch to the exterior, recovering the seats, painting the interior, and installation of emergency lights, radio, and siren. We hope to have this vehicle on display in the near future and all are welcome to tour it and ask questions. Attached are the photos we have to date as well as when we first acquired it. Feel free to ask any questions you have now and we will do our best to answer you. Thank you and have a great weekend!
