LEYDEN — The Police Department has a new Humvee that will be used as a multi-purpose emergency management vehicle.
Police Chief Dan Galvis said the town acquired the Humvee in February. Leyden previously owned a similar “turtleback” Humvee for several years. However, this older vehicle had space for a gun turret, he said, and water leaked in constantly. This proved to be a problem if the vehicle was ever used in heavy rains or snowstorms.
“Medical equipment could get wet,” Galvis explained. “We were constantly cleaning it to prevent mildew or anything like that.”
The new Humvee safely houses the town’s medical equipment, and has space for a patient to ride in the back and be treated by medical personnel. On Friday, Galvis and first responders parked the Humvee at Town Hall to distribute gloves, masks and thermometers to residents.
With the multi-purpose Humvee, police and EMS can navigate difficult roads to reach an injured party in the woods. In Leyden, the Police Department serves as the primary EMS, with members certified as first responders.
“The Humvee can come in handy in situations where a person is non-ambulatory,” Galvis explained, meaning a person is unable to walk or otherwise move without help. Galvis said there have been several instances in his career where an accident or injury occurred in the woods and officers needed to extract the injured party.
He recalled one incident where officers used the old Humvee to move a downed tree that had struck a person. While Galvis was grateful they were able to use the Humvee to move the tree, he remembered the drive out of the woods in the turtleback as being “uncomfortable” for the injured patient.
“If we had the ambulance in the back, then that man could’ve been being helped already,” Galvis said.
The newly acquired 2016 Humvee had just 1,200 miles on it when Leyden bid for it. According to Galvis, the vehicle was free to the town through the 1033 Program, which transfers excess military equipment to civilian law enforcement agencies. The only cost involved came from needing to pick up the Humvee, which Galvis said he did on his own time. He has since repaired the power steering and lights on the vehicle, which otherwise required little work.
The Humvee stores the town’s emergency medical equipment and other supplies. Galvis said there is enough room in the new vehicle that police and emergency personnel can change into their masks and hazmat suits if they need to help a patient who is positive for COVID-19 or other infectious diseases.
Additionally, the Humvee has a CBRN (chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear) defense system. According to Galvis, there are ports in the back and front of the vehicle with climate-controlled CBRN air filters. The driver and passengers can connect oxygen masks to filter out toxins.
“Basically, if we had viral infected people in the back, the drivers could wear the masks and have filtered air,” he explained.
Despite being heavier, Galvis said the new vehicle is faster and has better handling than the turtleback Humvee. He also pointed out that it is no wider than the average Ford F-250. It is equipped with both low-band radio, which can reach the Highway Department, as well as high-band radio, by which occupants can communicate with other police departments.
Zack DeLuca can be reached at zdeluca@recorder.com or 413-930-4579.