By CHRISTINE BOATWRIGHT / Staff Writer

CHELSEA – Chelsea Fire and Rescue will be able to better search and rescue lost or injured residents with its new Polaris Ranger Rescue All-Terrain Vehicle.

The $12,600 ATV was provided through a grant from the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation.

Chelsea Fire showed off its new vehicle in front of the Firehouse Subs located at 5269 U.S. 280 in North Shelby March 13.

“(It’s a great addition) especially with the plans the city has to purchase property and make walking and bike trails,” Fire Chief Wayne Shirley said. “It’ll also be great for public events like the Big Kaboom and Christmas parade.”

Firefighter Chris Kizziah said the ATV will be a “huge asset” to the fire department.

In addition to the Firehouse Subs grant, the fire department also received a grant from the Shelby County Community Health Foundation to purchase equipment for the ATV and a CSX grant to purchase a trailer and skid equipment for the unit.

“It’s an $18,000 value, and the cost to the city is almost nothing,” Shirley said. “We came out pretty blessed with all three grants coming at the same time.”

Chelsea Fire will conduct training with the ATV in off-the-beaten-path locations in Chelsea. Shirley said injured hikers could use their smartphones to communicate their GPS locations to the fire department, which is how the department will train to locate team members in the woods.

Firehouse Subs Co-Founder Robin Sorensen said the Firehouse Subs Public Safety Foundation has awarded about $5.7 million in grant funding to 500 police and fire departments in 36 states. Customers fund the grants by purchasing empty pickle buckets, rounding up their orders to the nearest dollar and participating in fire safety month.