Southampton Ambulance Shows off New All-Terrain Vehicle

members displayed the ambulance corps' new Polaris Ranger all-terrain vehicle during Tuesday's village board meeting, also taking the opportunity to thank the donors who made the purchase possible.

Ambulance Chief Ian King said the corps fund-raises annually in a mail campaign. He said this year's donations enabled the company to buy the vehicle for about $19,000.

Trustee Paul Robinson, the ambulance commissioner, said the purchase has been three years in the making.

When there was a medical emergency on the beach or in another area an ambulance cannot reach, volunteers have relied on police vehicles, civilian vehicles or a village-owned pick-up truck kept at , King said.

Once the Polaris gets patients to the road, they will be transferred to an ambulance for transportation to the hospital, King said.

The vehicle can reach 55 miles per hour and will be driven from the ambulance headquarters on Meeting House Lane to emergencies, he said. He added that the ambulance corps is considering getting a trailer to transport the Polaris.