Remote rescues are no easy task for local law enforcement, but the Rochester Police Department has a new, safer way to help those injured in hard to reach places.

Chief Paul Magee said a local parent, who wished to remain anonymous, donated a $5,000 rescue stretcher that will benefit people across the South Coast region.

The Stokes Basket attaches to the back of an ATV or snowmobile and is made for rugged terrain with wide wheels and shocks.

“This is a much safer, much more efficient way to transport anybody to the point where we could meet up with an ambulance,” said Magee.

The chief said the stretcher has a number of applications. “When dirt bike riders crash, to extricate them out of the woods is miles of non-travelable trails,” he explained.

Additionally, Magee said the department has dealt with plane crashes in cranberry bogs and Alzheimer patients lost in the woods, both situations which could also benefit from the new trailer.

One stipulation of the donation is that the junior high students have access to the basket during the annual Survival expedition, in which they spend a week in the wilds of Northfield—something Magee helps with each year.

The Southeastern Massachusetts Law Enforcement Council, a regional team, will also be able to use the off-road trailer in emergencies.

Magee said the department researched the trailer thoroughly before the purchase, and it is one of only two on the South Coast.

“It’s the best product out there to meet our needs,” he said.