A Pennsylvania fire chief hauled a 275-pound injured hunter three miles through rugged terrain because the law prevented him from using his UTV on the highway to get there faster. Now legislators are reconsidering the two-mile rule.
Nick Campbell is the fire chief of the Blain Volunteer Fire Company in Perry County, Pennsylvania. His department covers 130 square miles, including portions of the Tuscarora State Forest. The terrain is exactly what you would expect: mountains, dense woods, dirt roads, and limited highway infrastructure connecting it all. When his team acquired a UTV, they assumed it would significantly reduce their response times. In most situations, it does. But Pennsylvania law has a catch.
Under current state law, emergency responders can operate UTVs and ATVs on public highways only for up to 2 miles, and only with lights and sirens. The moment a call requires traveling further than that, the department is supposed to load the UTV onto a trailer, haul it to a staging area near the scene, unload it, and then deploy it. Campbell told a state House Transportation Committee hearing that this process costs 10 to 15 minutes of response time on every call where it applies…