Paramedic Pedal Power

This Memorial Day weekend, I got to see a personal project of mine take off with a very satisfying start. Following discussions with my fire department's EMS Officer, I put together a pilot program for a EMS Bike response team.

Bike response teams are in use by multiple fire and EMS agencies nationwide and provide an alternate (and often times faster) response time in pedestrian crowded areas such as special events, large parks, and promenades. Seaside is a very tourist friendly town with a 1.5 mile promenade and downtown core area. During holiday and summer weekends, the population can increase to 20,000 or more. During certain events, the downtown area can be closed completely to vehicle traffic and turned into a pedestrian parkway. Access to 911 calls during peak summer activity is extremely difficult by ambulance and often, we have to park a block or more away before reaching the patient.

This weekend was the program's pilot weekend and I worked the first two 6 hour shifts. My partner and I staffed a pair of bike's equipped with an AED, oxygen, IV supplies, BLS equipment, and ACLS drugs and patrolled the downtown area and prom. The response from the community and visitors was astonishingly positive. It was our goal to provide EMS service but we acted more as public relations than anything else. We gave out directions, answered questions, assisted the Seaside Police, and even helped to promote a neighboring fire department's annual fund raiser.

Unfortunately, the weekend overall was slower than anticipated and the bike team was not kept very busy. However, during the single 911 call in thier response area, they did arrive ahead of both the transporting ambulance and the fire department's rescue on a chest pain call.

Support from the police department, business owners, Seaside lifeguards, and local ambulance service has been very positive and it made for a very promising and bright weekend. Our next operational event will be the June 14th Muscle Beach Cruz car show, an event where downtown is closed to vehicle traffic.

I'm looking forward to a fantastic program this summer. I'll post more on this soon, or check on the Seaside Fire Department's website in the next week for a page to go live with all the details.