Customized Polaris Machines Used to Raise Funds for Police, Fire and Military Charities; Voting Process Provides Consumers the Chance to Win the Polaris Machine of Their Choice

Minneapolis (Nov. 25, 2019) – Polaris Off Road, the world leader in powersports and off-road innovation, today announced United We Ride – a partnership and fundraising effort with the Diesel Brothers that honors our nation’s military, police and fire departments. The program is highlighted by a Diesel Brothers’ customized series of recently launched Polaris machines. Each machine has been custom-made to honor a specific branch of American “first responders” – the RZR PRO XP Ultimate for policemen and policewomen, the RANGER CREW XP 1000 for firemen and firewomen, and the GENERAL XP 4 1000 for members of the U.S. military. 

The program is powered by a national voting process where consumers vote for their favorite build, and voting totals determine the donation amount from Polaris to each of the program’s three charity beneficiaries – $25,000 to first place, $15,000 to second and $10,000 to third place. By casting their vote, consumers are automatically entered for the chance to win an all-new RANGER CREW XP 1000 with Ride Command, RZR PRO XP Ultimate or a GENERAL XP 4 1000 DELUXE.

“We are forever grateful for the commitment and sacrifice made by members of our military and first responders, and we are proud to continue our 15-year tradition of providing vehicles for their duties and their well-deserved free time,” said Kyle Duea, vice president of Off-Road Vehicle Marketing, Polaris. “Partnering with the Diesel Brothers to customize our machines and drive awareness of these charities is merely one way we can show our appreciation, while honoring their daily efforts to protect us, our communities and our freedom.

The United We Ride program will be donating to the following charities:

·        Concerns of Police Survivors (C.O.P.S.) – Provides resources to support the families and co-workers of officers killed in the line of duty as they cope with the tragic loss and work to rebuild their lives.

·        The Gary Sinise First Responders Foundation – Provides critical funding for emergency relief, training, and essential equipment to ensure our heroic firefighters have the resources they need.

·        Your Grateful Nation – Provides support, guidance and resources to transition special operations veterans into their next successful career.

“The whole Diesel Brothers’ family has a deep respect for those who selflessly protect, serve and care for this great country,” said Dave Sparks, Diesel Sellerz. “That’s why we jumped at the opportunity to work with our most valued industry partners at Polaris to build the unique UTVs intended to honor the hard-working men and women of the U.S. military, law enforcement, and first responders. This is just a small token of our gratitude for their hard work and dedicated service.”

Customers are encouraged to vote for United We Ride at Polaris.com/UnitedWeRide until December 22. For the last 15 years, Polaris’ Commercial, Government and Defense team has proudly partnered with military and public safety organizations across the country to design and upfit Polaris vehicles for professional use. More information on Polaris’ military vehicles, turn-key law enforcement and fire-fighting vehicles, and grant assistance programs can be found on Polaris.com/Gov.

To find more information about Polaris Off-Road Vehicles and Polaris Engineered Accessories, visit Polaris.com/OffRoad.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS – November 5, 2019 – The Spirit of Blue Foundation announced that it has awarded a Safety Equipment Grant to the Glendale Heights Police Department (GHPD) to outfit their entire force of officers with lifesaving tourniquets inside of rugged duty belt cases.  The GHPD uniform policy was amended to include mandatory wear of the North American Rescue Gen7 C-A-T Tourniquet inside of an Eleven 10 RIGID TQ Case with Basketweave finish as part of its official uniform.  The grant was funded in large part by a strategic partnership with Law Enforcement United, along with contributions from North American Rescue and Eleven 10, and is valued at $3,818.38.

“Our officers are now equipped to render life-saving aid to themselves, fellow officers and members of our community,” said Chief Douglas R. Flint of the Glendale Heights Police Department.  “Tourniquets are an essential piece of equipment that every officer should have access to on their duty belts.”

Spirit of Blue Co-Founder and Board Member Todd Parola (center left) presented Glendale Heights Police Chief Douglas Flint (center right) with the safety equipment grant at a recent ceremony.  All 54 officers of the department will now carry a tourniquet as part of their uniform.

Tourniquets have proven to be incredibly effective in stemming blood flow to an injured extremity, and their use has vastly improved the survivability of soldiers in combat over the last two decades.  That learning overseas is now being leveraged to save injured law enforcement officers here at home.  When only precious minutes exist to treat such an injury, tourniquets are able to be applied individually or on a fellow officer to prevent excessive blood loss until that individual can be placed into medical care.  As a secondary benefit, officers who carry a tourniquet are also able to use them to rescue a member of the community who may have experienced a similar type of injury.  Spirit of Blue Foundation will replace any tourniquet that is used in the line of duty for the life of the tourniquet so that no officer who uses their tourniquet will have to go without one in the future.

To date, Spirit of Blue has granted over 3,300 tourniquets nationwide which have resulted in six documented saves – 5 with members of the community and one officers save which came in June of 2019.

“We are honored to place these 54 tourniquets into service here in Glendale Heights,” commented Todd Parola, Spirit of Blue co-founder and Board Member, who also lives in the Chicagoland area.  “We are excited that these officers are now safer, and that they could end up saving a life as a result.”

The lead sponsor for the grant was Law Enforcement United (LEU), who has supported Spirit of Blue with over $280,000 in safety grant funding since 2015.  LEU is an organization of active and retired police officers who honor fallen officers and raise funds to assist charitable organizations that serve the law enforcement community.  Each year LEU members ride 250 miles or more into Washington, DC to participate in National Police Week events and carry flags in honor of fallen officers which are given to the surviving family members upon their arrival.  Since its founding in 2009, LEU has raised over $6,750,000 for law enforcement causes.  Other sponsors included North American Rescue and Eleven 10 who offered special pricing on the equipment.

Statistics released by the Officer Down Memorial Page show that 102 law enforcement officers have lost their lives in 2019.  On average, 150 officers are lost in the line of duty each year.  37 of those deaths were firearm related, which so far has been the leading cause of officer deaths this year.  The reality of these statistics, and the increasing number of underfunded law enforcement agencies across the country, fuel the Spirit of Blue safety grant initiative.

The Spirit of Blue Foundation actively encourages the public at large to honor and appreciate law enforcement officers who serve and protect our communities. By supporting the Spirit of Blue Foundation, the public can make an impact in the lives of law enforcement officers every day. To learn more about the Spirit of Blue, or to become an annual member, visit www.spiritofblue.org.