Cypress, CA (3/22/2009) - Thousands
of first responders throughout the United States
– including law enforcement, fire fighters,
EMTs, U.S. Border Patrol, volunteer riding groups
and others – have come to rely on the Yamaha
Rhino Recreational Off-Road Vehicle (ROV) to carry
out their work on a daily basis thanks to the
vehicle’s versatility and off-road capabilities.
From search and rescue operations to protecting
the country’s borders, the Rhino has become
an indispensable tool for government agencies
and other first responders needing to gain quick
and reliable access in remote areas and challenging
terrain.
Yamaha is contributing to this growing trend through
its Law Loan Program, which loans Rhino Side-by-Side
(SxS) vehicles and other Yamaha products to law
enforcement, fire fighters and other agencies
free of charge, and its Government Order Program,
which helps supply vehicles at a discount to relevant
government agencies. These programs have helped
put more than 600 Rhinos into service in less
than three years.
With local and state agency budgets stretched
to the limit, the Law Loan Program is serving
a critical need in helping first responders carry
out their crucial work. Agencies across the country
are using Rhinos from the Sunwannee County Fire
Rescue of Live Oak, Florida, to the Clearwater
County Sheriff’s Department in Orofino,
Idaho, and the San Angelo Lake & Park Police
Department in San Angelo, Texas.
The Minnesota Department of Natural Resources
(DNR) Law Enforcement Division currently uses
a Yamaha Rhino to patrol ice fishing areas that
are not easily accessible in their full size trucks.
“It’s a great vehicle, and it allows
two officers to travel together,” said Lt.
Rita Frenzel, a district supervisor for the Minnesota
Department of Natural Resources Law Enforcement
Division. “It allows us to get into some
areas that you can’t get into in other full
size vehicles. It allows emergency response where
other vehicles can’t go. It could easily
save a life. For example, if you have someone
under cardiac arrest at a remote deer hunting
location or an accident on a trail within the
state forest this might be the only way to get
to them, and the extra seat would allow you to
get them out with some level of comfort.”
Lt. Frenzel and the Minnesota DNR has had a Rhino
on loan since last fall and hopes to continue
to take advantage of the program with another
loan this summer. “It can make a really
nice patrol vehicle on our extensive trail network,”
Frenzel said.
“Hundreds of government agencies are relying
on the Rhino to help them perform a variety of
critical tasks in communities across the country,”
said Mike Martinez, Yamaha’s General Manager
of ATV/SxS Operations. “Yamaha fully supports
these first responders and their efforts to serve
the general public, and we’re proud to see
so many police officers, fire fighters, search
and rescue crews and other government agencies
using the Rhino.”
Targeted for general utility and recreational
use by farmers, ranchers, and hunters, the Rhino
has cultivated broad-based consumer appeal since
its introduction, and today is the best selling
SxS on the market. The Rhino has received awards
and accolades across numerous industries as the
best in its class including Field & Stream
magazine “Best of the Best” honors,
American Hunter magazine “Vehicle of the
Year” recognition, and being named Side
X Side Action magazine’s “Sport Utility
Vehicle of the Year.”
About Yamaha:
Yamaha Motor Corporation, U.S.A. (YMUS), a leader
in the motorsports market, makes the toughest,
most capable and versatile ATV and Side-by-Side
vehicles. The company’s ever-expanding
product offerings also include motorcycles,
outboard motors, personal watercraft, snowmobiles,
boats, outdoor power equipment, race kart engines,
accessories, apparel and much more. YMUS products
are sold through a nationwide network of more
than 4,000 dealers in the United States.
Headquartered in Cypress,
Calif., since its incorporation in 1977, YMUS
also has facilities in Wisconsin and Georgia,
as well as factory operations in Tennessee and
Georgia. For more information on Yamaha, visit
yamaha-motor.com.
www.yamaha-motor.com
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