Onondaga County has a new rescue vehicle, that can traverse difficult terrains.
As the three-ton rescue vehicle called a “Sherp” crawls out of Onondaga Lake, the first thing you notice is the huge tires that measure six feet. On top, is a nine-passenger vehicle. Onondaga County Executive Ryan McMahon took a ride in the machine recently.
"You could see the challenges and what it could do getting through trees that had fallen down and whatnot," McMahon said. "And you could see all the different purposes that it could be a really useful tool in various parts of our community."
The county’s emergency Management Director Dan Wears, said the “Sherp” can make its way through marshes, swamps, snow, and ice, as well as operate on lakes and ponds.
"A number of departments have boats and snowmobiles and jet skis and other pieces of equipment that can be utilized for rescue," Wears said. "But this vehicle is completely different and it really can cover all of those realms and augment where those aren't possible or augment when boats aren't in the water due to ice and different things."
Wears said it could be vital reaching victims in cases of blizzards, as well as other uses.
"And we were at three rivers and as soon as we were out there the DEC said, I wish we would have had this when that person was stuck," Wears said. "In was more like an island with ice around them in the swamp area. They knew where they were, they couldn't get to them. This would have been a perfect opportunity to make that rescue happen much more quickly and much safer for all of the rescuers involved.”
The "Sherp” cost $200,000. It’s being paid for with some leftover pandemic relief money.
