Sierra County Sheriff's Office
Ive read through the proposed grant request and I'm in complete agreement of the details and needs identified. With my career spent with our local electric utility provider (PG&E) I am well versed and experienced with the extreme mountainous terrain. For access to the majority of the rough terrain we employed UTV vehicles in the summer and sno-cats for winter access. There were several occasions when the Sheriff had to call on PG&E to assist them with their UTVs for emergency response. Including recovery, avalanches, searches and rescues.Their willingness to respond was crucial. Unfortunately, do to liability and a change of policy's, Sierra county can longer depend on the availability of those resources. Therefore, from my personal expierences working with the Sheriff as a PG&E employee, I recognize the urgent need as requested. Their choice to choose a dual purpose UTV that can be converted from a unit worthy of OHV patrol, to a tracked vehicle in the winter is the most reasonable choice. Considering the county is separated by the crest of the Sierras, a serious obstacle during winter storms, I too recognize the need of two units to provide coverage from one county line to the other. I appreciate your considerations in reviewing the request as presented. Sincerely, Skip Hescock - 3/9/16
I would like to heartily endorse this application for the Sierra County Sheriff's Office to procure OHVs for Search and Rescue usage. As a frequent backcountry user, especially ski touring in winter, I am well aware of the potential risks of injury far away from medical attention. As a member of the SAR team, I am also acutely aware of the importance of being able to locate and then evacuate injured parties as rapidly as possible. It is also true hat evacuation needs to be as smooth as possible as well. As an experienced ski guide in European resorts, I know the impact that jolting in transportation can have as well. Hence, it is ideal to have wider wheelbase and a more stable platform for any injured party such as provided by the side-by-side OHVs that are being applied for. This is preferable to using snowmobiles or dragging out by skiers. Additionally, the OHV gives the capability to rescue multiple parties at the same time, a huge advantage to using single snowmobiles. On top of that, with the risk of hypothermia and associated cold-related problems, the OHVs offer the ability to ensure rescued parties are provided with immediate warmth and a dry protected environment is highly valuable. All of this in combination means that this is an important application for funding, as it will make a significant impact on the effectiveness of SAR in Sierra County. Hence, I would like to encourage provision of the grant. Phil Martin – 3/28/16
I do not believe that OHV money was intended for Law Enforcement. My monies should be going towards maintaining the OHV system of parks and creating new opportunities for the tax payers that provide the funding. Chris Gallop – 4/2/16