This is a vehicle that would be very useful in Canada right now, and from coast to coast. Ford has just unveiled a new version of its Bronco Badlands through the organization Bronco Wild Fund. This organization is already on its second vehicle intended to fight forest fires. On this subject, we remember, in 2020, the partnership between Ford and Filton and the creation of 2 Broncos dedicated to fighting forest fires in the Seattle area.
Here we are three years later with a new project that uses exactly the same concept. Ford is donating a Bronco Badlands equipped with the Sasquatch accessory kit to Bronco Wild Fund, which the organization will convert into a vehicle capable of providing specific assistance during a wildfire. This time, it is the Park Bandelier National Monument, in New Mexico, which will receive the two copies of this new creation.
We know the main characteristics of the Badlands equipped with the Sasquatch set. The vehicle receives 17-inch rims shod with 35-inch tires, raised suspensions, self-locking differentials and generous skid plates. In order to optimize the Bronco, the manufacturer called on the equipment supplier Darley, which added a front winch, a roof basket, a front roll cage, light and emergency bars on the the roof as well as a communication system compatible with the instruments used by emergency government authorities. To ensure the quality of the communication, it is transmitted by satellite.
In the passenger compartment, a host of transformations are also carried out, as evidenced by the integration of an iPad-type tablet on a tripod. The latter is used in particular to broadcast the images provided by the assistance drone that comes with the vehicle.
Of course, Bandelier National Monument Superintendent Patrick Suddath is very happy to receive these gifts through the Bronco Wild Fund: “I want to thank Ford for this generous donation. Over the past 20 years, warmer temperatures and stronger winds have caused larger fires that are harder to predict and fight. »
Conclusion
It’s really not uncommon to see donations of this kind in the United States by an automobile manufacturer. It is, of course, a great marketing campaign, but the vehicles are actually used in action, which makes the gesture honorable. My question goes directly to Ford of Canada. Without reducing the problem of forest fires south of the border, all of Canada is burning this year, we even feel it on a daily basis. Americans even openly blame us on newspaper covers for the poor quality of their air. So why, for once, this kind of donation has not been made to one or another of the fire departments in Canada?
