Driving on the beach

 

Being a first aid squad and dive team who’s coverage area covers three towns and many miles of ocean coast line it is important that we have vehicles can go on the beach. To haul equipment and people and to remove patients from the beach or jetty.

    Driving on the beach is not like driving on the road. There is things you need to do and not do. That’s what two week end drills was about. The first was driving the squad’s 5 ton military truck (34 AT) and using the air systems that is on it. We also have a4x4 ambulance and two ford SUV’s

    The second drill was getting the trucks on the beach and how to drive them without getting stuck. First we have to open the locked gates, but all the beach trucks have a key to open them. Once open and then how to remove the post that’s in the middle of the ramp so the trucks get by.

Once on the beach 342 (the beach ambulance) got stuck with in a hundred feet. Lesson number 1, how to free the truck. We have valves on 346, 349 and 342 that you put on the tires that bleed air out of the tires to a preset pressure that helps the truck drive in the soft sand. Most times only 342 need these. 349 and 346 being smaller SUV’s can get away not having to use them.

    The 5 ton truck (34 AT) can come right down the ramp and on the sand without doing anything. Most times you don’t even need to put it in all wheel drive.

   After driving up and down the beach, making turns and even backing up it was time finish the drill. One last lesson happened on the street and that was how to fill tires using the on board compressor on 34 AT. Then it was back to the building to clean all the sand out of and underneath all the trucks

     Thanks to Ali, Julia, Maya, Tony, Dennis, Chris, Big Joe, Evan for coming out and Sabrina and Chet for setting this drill up.