Real-life 'Baywatch' saves gas with Ford Escape Hybrid

Ford supplied Los Angeles County Lifeguards with Ford Escape Hybrids to patrol and to save gas.

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Ford Motor via Wieck

As summer finally arrives, you might want to think about more than just the sun and the waves when you hit the beach. Think about what the lifeguard is driving.

If you're in Los Angeles, there's a good chance that beach lifeguards --the same ones popularized in the long-running Baywatch TV series -- will be using one of 45 Ford Escape hybrids to race to a rescue. The hybrids have been in use for a couple of years now, and Ford is ready to share some stats.

For instance, the fleet has now saved more than 20,000 gallons of fuel. Easy to do: Escape hybrids get 30 miles in city -- or beach --driving and 27 mpg on the rare occasions that they are on the highway.

After nearly two years of beach patrol, Ford says the Escape has helped L.A. County lifeguards save lives:

The lifeguard version has loudspeakers to direct swimmers to shore if they get too far out. Los Angeles County Fire Department officials, who oversee the lifeguard service, say the Escape hybrids have been valuable in rescuing injured surfers and moving swimmers out of rip currents.

"Our Ford fleet of Escape hybrids is an integral part of our entire lifeguard operation – we're saving lives and the environment." says Mike Frazer, chief lifeguard. Three Escapes took part in the rescue of a man from a small plane that crashed into the ocean.