Kane County’s Office of Emergency Management volunteers have turned a piece of government surplus into a “mission ready” vehicle that will help  its search-and-rescue team as well as local flood response.

During the fall of 2013, OEM obtained, at no cost, a military surplus, high-clearance, four-wheel-drive HMMWV, sometimes known as a Humvee. During the next eight months, OEM volunteers rehabilitated the vehicle using volunteer and corporate donations, said Don Bryant, director of the Office of Emergency Management.

“This project was conceived and carried out by our volunteer members to augment the agency’s capabilities in support of our Search & Rescue Team along with local flood response,” Bryant said. “The volunteers did the majority of the work themselves, sometimes working late into the night, to make the vehicle ‘mission ready,’ while spending no tax dollars.”

The HMMWV made its debut Saturday at the Campton Hills Safety Fair and will be used as the county’s new preparedness ambassador at a number of community events throughout the summer.

SOURCE: Office of Emergency Management press release