Klamath County OKs $69,009 in Search-and-Rescue vehicle purchases

Klamath County commissioners on Oct. 12 authorized two purchases for the county Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue program: a 2025 Polaris Ranger XP Northstar Premium crew-cab side-by-side with tracks and mounts for $37,219.93, and two Polaris Titan S4 utility snowmobiles at $15,895 each for a combined $31,790.

The purchases follow the county’s fall auction of older equipment and were described by Operations Lieutenant Steve Lewis as replacements for vehicles reassigned between the local compound and the North County Search and Rescue contingent. Lewis told the board bids/quotes were solicited through the county’s participation in a national purchasing program and from a local dealer; the lower local quote for the side-by-side was $37,219.93, and the two snowmobiles were priced at $15,895 each.

The county said the side-by-side purchase will be funded from Search and Rescue auction proceeds and that a budget resolution will be brought forward to account for the revenue and expenditure. The snowmobile purchases will be paid from the Sheriff’s Office special-revenue fund dedicated to snowmobile-related acquisitions; a budget resolution will also be submitted.

Steve Lewis, operations lieutenant, described the equipment as vital: “These pieces of equipment sound expensive, but they are absolutely necessary when conducting these search and rescue missions out there in the snow and in the weather,” meeting remarks said. “If we have a searcher with a snowmobile go down out in the middle of nowhere, we’ve taken one problem set and made it much bigger.”

The board approved both purchases by recorded voice vote; the chair signaled approval and the motions passed. County staff said finance paperwork will follow to record auction revenue and the special-revenue expenditures.