Manufacturing News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

April 8, 2004

Sutherland Fire And Rescue Participates In Kawasaki
Jet Ski® Watercraft Loan Program

Contact:
Freeman/McCue Public Relations
John Donaldson
(714) 557-3663 ext 219

SUTHERLAND, NEB.—Sutherland Fire and Rescue has a new lifesaving tools to use this year—a Kawasaki JET SKI® watercraft.

The Kawasaki 900 STX™ watercraft, which was provided by Eichners Sales & Service Kawasaki of Ogallala, will enable fire and rescue personnel to reach distressed swimmers and tow disabled boats to safety.
Sutherland Dive Captain Kent Lenz says, “ The JET SKI watercraft will be used to properly train and carry out search, rescue and recovery operations on area lakes and rivers.”

The versatile 900 STX™ watercraft has a long and wide, comfortable seat that holds up to three people. The craft’s extra-stable hull and automatically retracting step make boarding easy, even in deep water.

Following successful use of JET SKI watercraft by life-saving and marine enforcement agencies throughout the United States, Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., implemented an ongoing loan program that allows Kawasaki dealers to provide watercraft to qualified agencies across the country for periods of up to one year. Eichner Sales & Service Kawasaki arranged this loan and will service the vessel for the duration of the loan period.

"These JET SKI watercraft are ideally suited to rescue situations," said Roger Hagie, director of public affairs for Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A. "They're quick and maneuverable, and they have no exposed propellers or other moving parts on the outside of the hull that could harm a swimmer. In addition, JET SKI watercraft have a very shallow draft, which enables them to operate in low levels of water that might restrict other boats. We hope the JET SKI watercraft can make a significant contribution to water safety in and around Sutherland in the coming months."

This year marks the 15th anniversary of Kawasaki’s law enforcement loan program. Since the program’s inception in 1989, approximately 1428 individual agencies in all fifty states have borrowed in excess of 5,000 JET SKI watercraft, valued at more than $30 million. Statistical surveys completed by past agencies show that each season hundreds of lives are saved by the use of the loaned watercraft.

JET SKI is the registered trademark of Kawasaki's brand of personal watercraft. Personal watercraft are vessels that are powered by a water jet pump and carry between one and three passengers who sit, stand or kneel on (rather than inside) the vessel's hull.

Kawasaki Motors Corp., U.S.A., (KMC) markets and sells at wholesale Kawasaki motorcycles, ATVs, JET SKI® watercraft, MULE™ utility vehicles, power products and small engines. These product lines are sold through a network of more than 1,500 independent retailers. KMC and its affiliates employ nearly 2,400 people in the United States, with approximately 400 of them located at the Irvine, California headquarters.

Kawasaki’s heritage of creating high-performance recreational vehicles and its tagline, “Let the good times roll.™”, are recognized worldwide. With its illustrious history of breaking performance barriers with such product lines as the world renowned NINJA® sportbikes and JET SKI® personal watercraft, Kawasaki is aggressively carrying this heritage of pioneering leading-edge design and performance products into the 21st century.

Information about Kawasaki’s complete line of recreational products and Kawasaki affiliates can be found on the Internet at www.kawasaki.com.