Cherokee Emergency Vehicle

So I've decided to turn my Cherokee into and emergency vehicle (don't ask why, I just have a strong urge to help emergency personnel and to help in emergency situations, I think Katrina may have sparked this). Something like the Rubicon Sheriff's Deptartment Cherokee, but with more of a fire rescue theme. Think of it as an off-road first responder. Anyway, I have some basic idea's for what I need (fire extinguishers, medic kits, foldable back board, neck brace, etc.) But I'm looking for some input for what you all think would be a good setup vehicle wise. It will need to be beefy enough to withstand a fair amount of abuse off-road, but it will still need to be drivable on road.

All comments, questions, criticism, donations, etc. are welcome.

whats the budget, my rescue xj would be:
front and rear dana 44's, 4.88-5.13's, 37's ,10 '' of lift with longarms, atlas II twinstick, hitch winch, front and rear hitches with dshackles and snatchblocks, OTK high steering... list goes on

Being a firefighter I would advise you to leave that up to people w/ the proper training. If you were to a c-collar on someone incorrectly or even did it properly & they had severe damage, they can & will sue your ass off & blame it on you & you will lose everything. I think it is a noble act from you & I commend you for it, but there is too much to risk(including your own safety, which should ALWAYS be priority #1).

lil' XJ said:

Being a firefighter I would advise you to leave that up to people w/ the proper training. If you were to a c-collar on someone incorrectly or even did it properly & they had severe damage, they can & will sue your ass off & blame it on you & you will lose everything. I think it is a noble act from you & I commend you for it, but there is too much to risk(including your own safety, which should ALWAYS be priority #1).

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Agreed. I have been Vol. fireman/emt for 14 yrs. you cant just throw that stuff on and be considered an emergency veh. I am sure you insurance man would have something to say about that. As well as State Health Dept. rules and reg. I commend you for wanting to help, but please leave that to people with the proper training. I would hate to see you get sued over something petty.

I also agree... but if you are set on making a difference maybe go for more of a search and rescue type of vehicle and build it up stout and have a sliding drawer in the back with climbing ropes and beeners and stuff like that. Not to mention a good GPS and radio so that when you do find someone you can radio for a chopper or other who are qualified to take care of the person(s).

Point taken. I agree it would be a bad idea to try and administer medical care (beyond scrapes and cuts) without the proper training, which is why I'm looking to take EMT classes in my spare time. But that is a whole other story.

So lets look into a Vehicle Rescue/Recovery kind of setup. I will still get a EMT kit just to have for first aid purposes and a fire extinguisher for emergencies.

Does anyone have a good complete toolkit setup on their jeep that is more or less a purmanent mount tool box?

I just carry a basic first aid kit. To be honest when Im not running under the I really dont want to put my self into a situation to get sued. Now granted IF i felt the situation need my skills I would probably help, its just sad that we live in a sue happy world. If your dead set on doing this you can get pretty good kits from Galls. www.galls.com I think is the addy.

IMO and pretty much what I do, is keep a bunch of gang boxes. Kind of modular response kits. Some stuff is always with me, maps, compass, commo, cell phone etc., basic recovery stuff and first response, like two fire extinguishers, two first aid kits, flares. a magnetic revolving light (or strobe light), hand held spot light and two flash lights. I'm a firm believer in redundancy. Folding shovel, crow bar, gloves, two emergency blankets, a body bag and other basic tools (a larger than normal set of cable cutters comes in handy).
I keep a small open trailer and enough pioneer tools for about five people, shovels, picks, axes, pry bars (all the way up to the five foot model), two chain saws (extra fuel and spares), a ten amp diesel generator and an extra can of fuel. A big angle grinder and a small angle grinder (Master keys for gates), cutting torch, five hundred watt work lights and other useful stuff. Nothing over about 80 Lbs. A whole collection of ropes, harness and cables.
The gang boxes (3 feet by two by two) make for a neat grab and run response.
I'm a game manager and most of my first response stuff, is grass fires and leading the Fire guys down the right road. Occasionally, I'm the first to spot a set of tire marks leading into the woods from the highway (at three in the morning). Most of my first response for this, is Calling for help and giving precise and accurate directions. Cutting the battery cable (if possible). Not much else I can do, except assess the injuries (do they need a doctor now or a chopper) and try to control the bleeding. I've always been told to leave them where they are, unless they are in immediate danger. If you have to move somebody, a six handled body bag works well. Two poles and it's a stretcher and folds up smaller than a jacket.
There is nothing worse than calling for help and not being able to explain where you are. Second worse thing, is using up one fire extinguisher and needing a second.
I repeat, the best first response is giving the alarm (communications), knowing exactly where you are (good maps) and situational awareness (don't become part of the problem, instead of part of the solution).

dont' take this the wrong way.
it's awsome that your thinking of this but you first need to know how to handle your vehicle. you need experience to do this. if someone is in a bad enough situation i doubt you and you little jeep are going to be the answer. the best i could see you doing is as stated above calling the proper authorities. i can't see anyone goning out on there own to go try to find/rescue someone that's why they have recovery teams not recovery person. keep enough supplys to keep yourself moving/alive plan for the worst but rember gps/cellphone are your best tools to save someone in remote places.

I am a hopsital Corpsman with 1st MArine Division currently in Bhagdad....If you have one nearby, go to a marine base or a national guard base and see if you can get on and look at one of their 997's, the medical version of the Humvee. You can get alot of ideas (and possible a few spare boxes) to put into your rig. Also, look into the regulations in your area before doing any type of fire/medical/ or rescue vehicle. Some sates are really picky about them. I can't run my Blazer response truck off base with anything in it, but i can drive back home (Montana) with my lightbar and anything else clearly displayed. Just cover your six before building this up. Good luck, and if you need any other help or questions, email me at <[email protected]>. Just put Medical Vehicle as the subject. I might be able to send some gear your way when you get it up and running.

We used XJs as patrol vehicles for about 4 years, and had a couple in the motor pool as spares for a lot longer after we went back to full-size trucks. Our XJs had HD alternators and emergency lights/siren, radios, and rear 2in. receivers. That was about it. You would be stunned at the places that you can drive a STOCK XJ w/o lift, mudders, winches, etc. I'm not saying that they never buried one, but it was rare. My personal 92 XJ is equipped with emergency equipment in case I have to respond from home. It limited slip (auburn) front and rear, BFG Mud terrains (235-15), and recovery hooks on the rear receiver. It is also equipped with hideaway strobes and radio/siren. In 176K it has never let me down. Since I have to travel paved roads to get offroad, it would be difficult for me to hustle down the road code-3 on 6in. longarms w/ 38s under the XJ.

Oh yea, I completely agree about travelling code-3 with a 6in. lift. Thats one way to flip a jeep.
Anyway, I don't plan on putting a full size light bar on the jeep, I was going to go with Whelen TIR3 LED grill lights and interior strobes. I already have a CODE-3 dash blaster and a Federal Signal rear directional bar on the jeep. As far as rules about having emergency lights visible on public roads, I live in Texas, they don't really have laws against having them only laws against using them on public roads, and even then most cops don't care unless you are trying to pull people over. I have a number of cop friends who have basically OK the lights as long as I don't try to pull people over or blow through intersections.
My uncle collects vintage military equipment(deuce and a halfs, ford mutts, dodge power wagon ambulance trucks, tanks, etc.) so I have an idea of how they were set up, but they didn't have all the medical equipment on the inside. There is a reserve base not to far from where I live, so I may try to run over there to look at their setup.
I am definitely going to take the courses to become a paramedic, and I'm going to get certified to be a paramedic in Texas. Not only for this project, but just to have the knowledge for day to day life and for med-school if or when I get there.

Thanks for all your help and donations. I'll keep everyone updated as I build this up.

It's good to see that you are actually going about the responsible route and going through the necessary training to properly be able to respond, assess and take care of a critical situation.
If you think you need a built XJ to do this, try a 4 1/2" long arm with cutaway flares and 33's. It will be more stable and still very capable. Rusty's sells one for just under $1200. If you need more junk room, look into an MJ. With that extra wheelbase, you could go a slightly taller lift with similar stability, like a 6 1/2" with 33-35's.

go to your local sheriffs dept. I know in az you could join their search and rescue crew but your vehicle had to meet certain requirements and you had to go through their training. It was volunteer so you didnt get paid for it and you had to buy all your own equiptment. Good luck. Jeff

Many have said it but I will say it again. Having all the Quick Clot, C-collars, sam splints and IV bags does not make you a doctor. Get some good training and be a voulenteer before you invest. You may find that you don't like the sight of blood. In the state of WA an EMT-B is qualified to give o2 and transport...thats it. I have nearly $700 in med supplies that I carry on the trail. Have had to break my bag out a few times-couple four wheeler accidents and banged up kids-it can be very expensive to run a proper rig.

I would look at it this way. The best chance you have of helping someone is if you are out wheeling in the back 40 (oh your in Texas sorry it's the back 40,000) and something happens. What you need to ask is what is likely to go wrong (fire, hand crushed in rollover, run out of gas, brake axle, etc.) and what do you need to do to be ready. You can't fix everything. So ask yourself what can I do and what can I carry? You can't carry everything so a semi trailer is out. Your not a trained EMT yet, so your limited to basic first aid for now (the Red Cross has a good course for that till you get into EMT school). What about the truck? Winch, spare tire, 4" lift and 33's, ARB's, Hi-lift jack, Fire extingusher (that can handle oil and electrical fires), shovel, spare gas, water, food, (long walk across the back 40,000 to get to cell phone coverage). I think it is great you want to set up a good safe wheeling jeep (we should all be thinking of basic stuff we need wheel safe "Got me thinking of what i need too") but untill you have the proper training that is all I would concentrate on. If you get stuck with a crushed leg no light bar is going to help you or your buddy. Once you become and EMT I'm sure the squad your on will let you know what you need to have for your medical needs. Until then make a great XJ and have fun.