CORE, a division of EarthCruiser, was awarded a contract by the Oregon Military Department and the Oregon Office of Emergency Management for a State Preparedness and Incident Response Equipment (SPIRE) grant for emergency response related to flooding.
Six CORE Hero Vehicles were delivered in January and February to six Oregon municipalities that applied for a SPIRE grant for a “high-axle water rescue vehicle.” All the equipment purchased from the SPIRE grant is to be used for emergencies and disasters. It is a competitive grant program, and subject matter experts determine awardees based on priority needs specific to individual communities.
“The SPIRE grant application process is competitive, and equipment is purchased to suit specific needs in a variety of communities. The CORE Vehicles are a valuable resource to meet disaster response needs in the communities where they have been awarded,” said OEM Deputy Director Matt Marheine. “These vehicles will help emergency responders and Oregonians by allowing for a more effective and efficient response in hard-to-reach areas where lives and property are threatened.”
Emergency responders applying to the SPIRE grant program specifically requested high-axle water rescue vehicles to efficiently access hard-to-reach areas during disaster response. These road-legal rescue trucks will serve communities across the state with wilderness firefighting, Homeland Security, medical response, equipment delivery, mobile laboratories, DIY overland vehicle builders and more.
“Our vehicles are designed, engineered and manufactured in Bend, Oregon. We have a keen understanding and appreciation for where we live and building vehicles that work here just makes sense,” said Lance Gillies, founder of EarthCruiser USA. “We applied our years of experience building globally recognized, rugged expedition vehicles to create our CORE Hero High-Axle Water Rescue trucks to serve our community when it’s needed the most.”
The following districts are recipients of the CORE Hero vehicles:
- Aurora Fire District
- Cannon Beach Fire District
- Clatsop County Astoria Fire Department
- Eugene/Springfield Fire
- Evans Valley Fire District #6
- Hoodland Fire District #74
The CORE Hero vehicles are already making an impact for the communities they are meant to serve:
- Oregon Fox News 12: Oregon Grant Expands Response Area for Six Fire Departments
- Oregon Gives Eugene/Springfield Rugged Disaster Vehicle Built In Bend
- Fire District Granted Off Road Emergency Response Vehicle
- Warrenton and Cannon Beach Add Emergency Vehicles
- OEM Awards High Axle, All Terrain Vehicles
- EarthCruiser Delivery New Emergency, Disaster Relief Vehicle
