Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area has been a
popular spot for years among dirtbike and ATV fans and their
families looking to enjoy the great outdoors, go fast and maybe
even get dirty. And the appeal is growing
– statewide ATV and dirtbike use has increased by more than 85
percent over the past five years.
Hollister Hills State Vehicular Recreation Area has been a popular spot for years among dirtbike and ATV fans and their families looking to enjoy the great outdoors, go fast and maybe even get dirty. And the appeal is growing – statewide ATV and dirtbike use has increased by more than 85 percent over the past five years.
With 300,000 off-road motorists visiting the park every year and more on the way, accidents can happen to even the most skilled or cautious enthusiasts.
“I compare it to a ski resort,” Hollister Hills Ranger Jack Harper said. “A lot of people are really into it and they’re having a great time, but accidents happen.”
And when you or your buddies are the ones involved in a seriously gnarly crash, or even a not-so-gnarly crash, Chief Ranger Jeff Gaffney and his staff are the first ones on the scene.
“We have really good, friendly clientele,” Harper said. “They know that we’re out here for one reason: to help them out if they crash.”
The 3,200-acre state park has areas for dirtbikes, ATVs and off-road vehicles, and an additional 3,200 acres in newly acquired land is scheduled to open for public use in the near future. Gaffney and six park rangers, along with a few lifeguards who help out part-time, and a bevy of volunteers, are responsible for patrolling the entire area and responding to any emergencies that arise while ambulances make their way out to the park.
“We have patrols out on motorcycles all the time who can get almost anywhere in the park within minutes,” Gaffney said. “And then we send out our Suburbans with all of our emergency equipment.”
Park records indicate that around 500 crashes occur every year that require staff to respond. Of those, around 300 need basic treatment and help getting back to the main roads, while around 200 require Advanced Life Support (ALS) services such as ambulances or helicopters to rush them to hospitals or trauma centers. Over the course of a two-day weekend during peak season (which usually runs from October through July) staff may have to deal with 10, 15 or even 20 incidents.
“If you work here long enough, you learn not to get stressed out over most accidents, but it’s not exactly relaxing,” Harper said. “Every once in a while though, when you have to respond to an accident where somebody might have stopped breathing, I don’t care who you are, that’s going to jack you up.”
All park staff carry fanny packs stocked with basic first-aid supplies so they can begin to staunch any bleeding and bandage wounds before backup arrives. Then a ranger, and often an EMT or flight nurse, come to the scene in special SUVs outfitted with backboards and equipment to treat and carry patients down to the main roads – they even come stocked with teddy bears for the kids.
“When we get these we strip out the back and basically rebuild it ourselves,” Ranger Mike Starvo said. “We work with emergency services so that it’s easy for them to work back here – it’s the closest thing to an ambulance as we can get without legally being called an ambulance.”
The most common injuries park staff have to work with are broken bones, but that’s one of the few trends rangers can name when it comes to accidents.
“Kids and adults get into just as many accidents; there isn’t a whole lot of difference,” Harper said. “ATV accidents do seem to usually be a little worse, because if it rolls the rider usually gets tangled up in it, whereas you usually just fall off a bike.”
The SUVs the staff use are uniquely suited to the job of saving patients who can become stranded in the park. Not only do they easily manage the off-road terrain, but their design also is ideal for ensuring that patients suffer no further injuries to their spine or head. EMTs can easily administer treatment to patients on the ride back to the road as well as communicate with the driver, and the climate control can prevent patients from going into shock.
“It’s all about providing the most treatment you can during that Golden Hour right after an accident or injury,” said Gaffney. “These SUVs really make a difference.”
Recently, a state mandate prohibited state departments or their employees from purchasing SUVs due to their effects on the environment and the expense of fueling the large vehicles.
“You had people in office jobs driving them down the freeway every day, and it just didn’t make sense,” Gaffney said. “But this is different.”
Park staff hope the state will consider making exceptions for their team and other parks that cater to the off-road crowd due to the life-or-death circumstances they deal with on a regular basis. Currently park staff use a 2002 Suburban, a 1997 suburban scheduled for replacement this fiscal year and a 1995 Suburban that was scheduled to be removed from service. Staff are reluctant to let it go, however, because even that vehicle is extremely valuable when it comes to saving lives. Land Rover North America also donates a new SUV to the park each year, as Hollister Hills is the testing site for the company’s new vehicles.
“People know when they come here that we’ll be the ones taking down their broken bodies off the hills and that we’ll go back up and bring their broken bikes down, too,” Gaffney said. “All for the price of $5 admission. It’s not a bad deal, really.”
Danielle Smith covers education for the Free Lance. Reach her at 637-5566, ext. 336 or [email protected].
