I’m strapped into a stretcher, held in by three belts. If this situation were real, it might be the only way I could be hauled out – injured – from some remote wilderness, or disaster or war zone. I’m in an Argo, an eight-wheeled go-anywhere vehicle used around the world but built right here in Ontario.
They’ve been around nearly 50 years. ARGO originated out of Ontario Drive and Gear Limited (ODG), a company specializing in transmission and gear development. The Argo was born in 1967 and would become the amphibious vehicle with a dealer network around the world. Christened at the beginning of the era of the ATV in North America, the Argo could go where no other vehicle could; you could easily tackle trails and snow and rocky terrain, but you could also drive this thing in lakes.
Just as I’m thinking we’re not giving the stretcher I’m strapped into much of a test, we suddenly dip forward at an insane angle. My driver, a REACT (a Waterloo, Ont., rescue team) member has pitched us into the overgrown culvert bordering the rather sedate parking lot. It’s one of those ditches you could maybe hop down into, but never get out without someone hauling you up; it’s that steep. Down goes the Argo, I go vertical against my straps, and then up goes the Argo before I have a chance to wonder if this was a silly idea.
The Argo goes in for a swim.
Clayton Seams, Driving
ARGO has long been a huge name among hunters and people who do remote, extreme things. With media focused on our large urban centres, it’s sometimes easy to forget that most of North America is still a rural place for many. As it approaches its 50th birthday, ARGO is laying a clearly delineated path for its future. It will remain the go-to for those who prefer the off-road to the main road, but it is also becoming a force in many other key areas.
Emergency first-responders with an Argo in their toolkit can better service not just remote areas, but, increasingly, the unpredictable fallout from natural disasters. Following the devastating Japanese earthquake and tsunami of 2011, it became apparent that traditional search and rescue vehicles and teams would have to adapt to an ever-changing landscape. What type of vehicle could travel on land, traverse water, put out fires on floating debris and rescue people near that debris? Argos.
Base platforms can be adapted with water cannons which can pull water from a nearby source, transport water if need be and effectively break down fires too hot for firefighters to get close to. Equipment like this does more than save the lives of those hurt in accidents and disasters; it also protects the lives of those trying to save them.
Consider the 10 segments that ARGO has identified in pushing their product to trade dominance: hunting, utility, first responders, military, exploration, reclamation, recreation, agriculture, basic platform remote robots and disability. Until now, it’s those hunters who will most closely identify with the brand. But as they roll out a seemingly endless list of possible customizations – winches, sirens, baskets, bilge pumps, brushguards – these vehicles can effectively bring firefighting and ambulance gear and personnel to the most remote places on Earth.
A demonstration with a robotic Argo proved the deftness that these things can be operated with. Customizing them comes with a price – the Firedog is about $55,000 – but having the capability to send in a piece of equipment instead of risking rescuer lives means first responders everywhere will be paying attention. Base Argo units start around $10,000 but you get the sense that within those 10 segments they’ve identified for growth, there is little that can’t be customized. A bespoke rescue vehicle, if you will.
Emergency first-responders with an Argo can better service remote areas and disaster zones.
Clayton Seams, Driving
The Argos are nimble; they have an incredibly short turning radius, and are simple to operate. I drove one directly up a sharp incline, and you can also basically drive them near-vertical. Splashing down into a pond and powering through as you float is bizarre at first, and steering takes some getting used to. But make no mistake: you can drive this thing over, across and through anything. Even if you blow out several of the specialized tires, these things keep going.
Just give your injured passenger a heads-up she’s about to be hanging by the straps.
