Where pavement ends: Hill AFB acquires unique off-road firefighting asset

  • Published
  • By Richard Essary
  • 75th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
HILL AIR FORCE BASE, Utah --  Hill Air Force Base firefighters are extending their emergency response capabilities far beyond the paved runway, thanks to a new, off-road transportable firefighting vehicle.

The Polaris DAGOR off-road vehicle was retrofitted with the WARD Mobile Airfield Rescue Kit, or MARK 1, to become the newest Air Force transportable firefighting apparatus.

Recently, Hill AFB Fire and Emergency Services showcased its maneuverability during a live-fire demonstration. The vehicle gives the base a versatile platform to respond to diverse off-road missions, ranging from aircraft mishaps to wildland fires, across Utah’s rugged terrain, before transitioning into a rapidly transportable asset for deployment to any contingent location.

“The MARK-1 firefighting vehicle and our mobile F-35 propane training prop are our newest expeditionary equipment that allow us to bring high-fidelity, realistic combat training directly to the flightline,” said Lt. Col. Cory McCart, 775th Civil Engineer Squadron commander. “This will ensure our teams are fully prepared to sustain operations and save lives under both home station and wartime conditions.”

According to Staff Sgt. Daniel Ray, a lead firefighter with the base’s Fire and Emergency Services, Hill AFB is one of only three installations across the Air Force to have the MARK 1 permanently assigned to its department.

While most Air Force crews only operate this vehicle during temporary training or overseas deployments, Hill’s permanent assignment will allow local firefighters to integrate the truck into daily operations.

“The MARK 1 [will have] an important role in our day‑to‑day training here at home,” Ray said. “Whether it’s supporting base exercises or contingency‑focused scenarios, it gives our firefighters the flexibility to create training that feels real. That realism helps ensure our teams are fully prepared and confident when it matters most.”

Traditional airfield crash trucks perform exceptionally on paved runways, but their massive weight limits their capability in muddy, sandy, or uneven terrain. The lightweight, high-clearance Polaris DAGOR serves as a supplemental tool designed specifically to navigate these unimproved surfaces and inclement weather.

“During UTTR operations it can be utilized on the rough terrain for fast extraction of patients or fast evacuation from danger,” Ray said.

He noted that during wildland missions, the vehicle’s versatility allows crews to access areas other trucks cannot reach to establish critical “wet lines” using the bumper turret and handlines to stop spreading brush fires. Fire officials also plan to partner with local explosive ordnance disposal teams, who operate similar tactical vehicles, to share operational handling experience and collaborate on future platform upgrades.

In addition, the vehicle is configured for F-35 Lightning II emergency response. Ray said the compact design allows a crew to deliver rapid suppression from safe positions, while carrying specialized tools to quickly access the cockpit and egress the pilot.

These specialized response capabilities can now be replicated locally using the base’s newly acquired F-35 mobile propane training prop. The mobile trainer simulates realistic aircraft emergencies—including engine, auxiliary power unit, brake, and fuel spill fires—complete with onboard smoke machines and replica aircraft cockpit shutdown systems. The prop allows instructors to configure hundreds of real-world exercise scenarios for both traditional airfield crash trucks and the MARK 1.

Having the asset permanently stationed at Hill provides an added layer of operational readiness for the department.

“The MARK 1 apparatus eliminates the boundary between off-road vulnerability and rapid rescue,” Ray said. “It means our team is no longer just waiting at the runway, but is fully equipped to project life-saving fire and rescue capabilities into the most rugged, remote environments on Earth at a moment’s notice.”