PHOTOS: The Los Angeles Fire Department, in partnership with YouTube and support from Google.com and the LAFD Foundation, hosted an event to unveil a new fleet of 30 high-performance, customized electric motor bikes.

These “First Responder” bikes are purpose-built to access rugged mountainous terrain where traditional fire apparatus cannot reach, dramatically expanding the LAFD’s capacity for wildfire detection and rapid medical response.

Fire Chief Jaime E. Moore said, “Los Angeles is a city of neighborhoods, and some of those neighborhoods happen to be mountain trails, canyon paths and open parkland. When a hiker is injured in Griffith Park or a trail runner goes down in the backcountry, we have to get to them. These electric motorbikes are another tool giving our crews access in terrain where every minute determines the outcome. This partnership with YouTube and Google.com is about the people of this city and its visitors. It is about ensuring we can reach anyone who needs us, no matter where they are.”

Los Angeles Daily News – Metered Site