Bike EMS

[Jon]

Hi, All:

I'm involved in re-starting the bike team at my Ambulance Company. I'm looking for help on what equipment should be on the bike. If anyone has a bike team and has any equipment inventory lists they might be able to share with me, it would be greatly appreaciated. I'm trying to come up with ideas as to what I need to have on the bike for BLS supplies.

I've already talked with IPMBA's EMS division and have their sample SOP's, etc - but they don't really have equipment lists.



~Jon

 

[emtgirl_in_training]

all i can really think of, off hand, to have on a bike, is well.... a beautiful male medic in biking shorts. is that too much to ask?!:blush:

 

[VinBin]

This website goes over stuff related to the "Use of Bicycles as Response Units", most of it is common sense but a good place to look, if you scroll down to the part about equipment, it links to a good list...Although its not reasonable to carry all that on a bike, its a good place to start...

http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/ems/policy/00-08.htm

List of Supplies...
For a BLS first response using a bicycle, the equipment required by Part 800.26 shall be carried.http://www.health.state.ny.us/nysdoh/ems/part800.htm#800.26

 

[fm_emt]

all i can really think of, off hand, to have on a bike, is well.... a beautiful male medic in biking shorts. is that too much to ask?!:blush:

Yes. You're gonna get someone that looks like me. And believe me, you don't want to se ME in biking shorts.

 

[MedicPrincess]

Jon-

My partner heads up our services Bike Medics teams. I will talk with him on Sunday and ask him what kind of stuff they carry.

Can you wait that long??

 

[MMiz]

We are also starting a bike team. We have the bikes, built the stairs and a ramp, and I understand the crews are still trying to fit into those damn spandex shorts.

I'm interested to see too Princess

 

[TTLWHKR]

Band-Aids......

 

[Chimpie]

Our Red Cross Chapter is now forming its FAST teams. (First Aid Station Team) We're looking to do many public events, including a big sail boat race in July. We're looking to have at least two first aid stations, some mobile people on either bikes or golf carts, oh and yes, we will have water rescue teams.

Should be interesting.

 

[TTLWHKR]

 

[TTLWHKR]

If you added a backboard without handholes, you could have an airplane prolly...

 

[BrandoEMT]

In regard to that EMS Cart....EWWWW....sorry if that offends anyone...our vollie service is looking for funding to devise our own cart. We have about 2700 acres of land including about 6 lakes that require us to respond with the appropriate vehicle. Right now we are looking at a Club Car XRT so it has 4x4 and a higher ground clearance. Anyway back to biking...don't have bikes and we don't have much use for it...If anyone wants some cool pics of EMS Carts let me know!

B

 

[JJR512]

I'm having a hard time understanding the purpose of an EMS bicycle system. Obviously there is a practical use for such a thing, or else it would not exist; I just can't figure out what it is.

I'm trying to imagine bike-riding EMTs in my county, a mostly suburban county. I just can't. A bike isn't going to get anywhere faster, and obviously can't transport someone, so...?

Don't get me wrong...I'm not knocking it, because I would never knock something I don't understand...I'm just asking to be enlightened as to how such a service is useful.

 

[Flight-LP]

Here's a description of an urban bike team for your reading pleasure........

http://www.ccems.com/bike_team

they are quite useful in the urban environment!

 

[Flight-LP]

Sorry, double post..............

 

[MedicPrincess]

Our Bike Medic teams are used at festivles, outdoor concerts, they supplement the beach medic teams, carnivals, the county fair.

In order to be accepted on our team you have to pass an agility course. Its 4 miles long and tests the riders ability to safely negotiate all the different types of terrain. They ride uphill, down hill, through sand, across grass, gravel, dirt, cement, down sets of stairs, through small openings, in standing water.

They work out really nice because for instance, there is a fesitvle we have every year. The Mullet Fest. It attracts 10's of thousands of people from all over the country. While it can be done, getting an ambulance to someone who suffers an emergency in the middle of the festivle ground is extremely difficult. But the Bike Medics and go cross country and manuever a lot easier. It allows for ALS treatment to reach the patient in sometimes seconds, versus the time it would take to get the closest Ambulance to respond then make their way through the crowd.

They also help for those gatherings that are inaccessable by Ambulance. The bike medic team can get to the patient, have the patient ready for transport when the Medic Unit arrives. They can then load them on the stretcher and carry them out.

On the flip side, they can also assess, and treat they same as we can on the road. They have the equipment to administer D50. And we all know what a diabetic will do when they get their D50. Most of, if not all, of ours refuse transport. Our bike medic teams can take the refusal, thus not tieing up an ambulance.

As for supplies, ours carry....

bandage and dressing supplies
3 - 1000 bags of NS each, and the required drop sets
Various sizes of IV needles, at least 3 of each size each
Intubation supplies - ET Tubes, Styletes, Larygoscope, ect
BVM
pocket mask
AED
blood pressure cuff
stethoscope
glucometer
O2
NRB and NC
Sunscreen
"Sting Thing" (a commercial product for treating sea life stings)
PDA - for complete reports and obtaining refusals as needed
Paper copies of Refusals, No Injury forms, HIPAA forms
They all wear their helmets.
(I think thats it...I left my list on the truck)


And the most important piece of equipment that every good medic needs, whether they are bike, beach, wildfire, ski, S.W.A.T, any other special kind, or a road Medic...

SUNGLASSES!!!B) B) B)

 

[Jon]

Ours will be doing "evening patrol" in a small college town with a "vibrant night life"

We will also be covering several large yearly events.

Jon

 

[fm_emt]

I'm having a hard time understanding the purpose of an EMS bicycle system. Obviously there is a practical use for such a thing, or else it would not exist; I just can't figure out what it is.

I'm trying to imagine bike-riding EMTs in my county, a mostly suburban county. I just can't. A bike isn't going to get anywhere faster, and obviously can't transport someone, so...?

Good example is our local Art & Wine festival. One long main street closed down, with booths set up on both sides of the street and in the middle of the street, and 100,000+ people attending. The side streets are pretty small and also clogged with people & vehicles. We get in there, assess the patient, deal with any immediate issues, and if they need to be transported at all, AMR picks them up.

 

[Jon]

Good example is our local Art & Wine festival. One long main street closed down, with booths set up on both sides of the street and in the middle of the street, and 100,000+ people attending. The side streets are pretty small and also clogged with people & vehicles. We get in there, assess the patient, deal with any immediate issues, and if they need to be transported at all, AMR picks them up.

See... AMR can be useful!

 

[TTLWHKR]

May as well go all out...

 

[Jon]

How many of these do you keep in YOUR garage?