The Waterville Valley Department of Public Safety has been the recipient of a military grade HMMWV or “Hummer” through a transfer from a Federal Program, the Law Enforcement Support Office (LESO). The vehicle will be utilized to enhance public safety capabilities in Waterville Valley during specific emergencies such as: severe weather (Hurricane Irene type storms), search & rescue, and reaching critical infrastructure located in remote locations of the valley. What is LESO? The LESO was created in 1997 when Congress authorized the Secretary of Defense to transfer property that is excess to the Department of Defense (DoD) to Federal and State Law Enforcement Agencies. Since the inception, LESO has transferred over 5-million items, enhancing Law Enforcement Agency capabilities and saving tax-payers more than $2.1 billion dollars. What is a HMMWV? A HMMWV is a military acronym for High Mobility Multipurpose Wheeled Vehicle, commonly referred to as a “Hummer”. This vehicle has replaced the Willys Jeep as the basic mode of transportation for today’s soldier. It comes in many variants. This particular Hummer is a 2008 M1025 with 20,000 miles and runs on a V8 liquid cooled diesel engine. It was acquired from Camp Johnson in Colchester, Vermont. What will this vehicle be used for? This vehicle will be utilized in special emergency situations such as: severe weather emergencies, search & rescue efforts, incident management, wild land firefighting, remote patrol, and taking emergency personnel and equipment to remote critical infrastructure. How much did this vehicle cost? This vehicle was free. It was a transfer from the Federal government. When the vehicle is no longer needed we transfer the vehicle back to the federal government. How does DPS plan to maintain it? The LESO gives us access to obtain hundreds of parts available at no cost to the department. We will maintain the vehicle ourselves with part assistance through the LESO. Any major repairs, the vehicle will be placed out of service and returned to the federal government. When can we see it? The vehicle will be “demilitarized” by DPS in appearance. We have scheduled to have the vehicle painted and lettered in line with the other DPS vehicles. We will announce a formal showing when the vehicle is complete in a couple weeks. Any other questions you may contact Chief Noyes via email or through the office at 603-236-8809 Ext. #2.   WVDPS Receives Mission Capable Vehicle Through Government Program Find out what’s happening in Waterville Valley by visiting these sites! www.watervillevalley.org Town of Waterville Valley www.visitwatervillevalley.com Waterville Valley Resort www.wvnh.com WV Realty Blog Director Breaks Canada to Massachusetts Cycling Record. Raises Money for Fallen Heroes and Commemorates 9/11 WVDPS Director Chris Hodges, broke the New Hampshire north to south (Pittsburg at the Canadian border to Hollis at the Massachusetts border) record by more than an hour, completing the 229-mile trek in 12 hours, 37 minutes. His trek commemorated 9/11 and also raised more than $1,500 for Hoops For Heroes. See the entire article by Jan Stearns here. Dave Cummings shoots 21,000 free throws to honor Army Spc. Marc Decoteau on what would have been his 21st birthday.  Read the Concord Monitor Article Here. Chris Hodges Honors Heroes in Attempt . Chris and Crew at Hollis Finish ”