Sunday, May 07, 2000
Patrol pedals emergency aid
Medics travel via bicycle
By Janice Morse
The Cincinnati Enquirer
NEW MIAMI — Sirens, lights and a revving engine usually signal that help is on the way.
But in the Butler County communities of New Miami and St. Clair Township, help might come with the sound of pedals cranking, gears shifting — and a helmeted medic panting.
The St. Clair Township/
New Miami Life Squad has formed an EMS (Emergency Medical Services) Bike Patrol. The group of a dozen volunteers hopes to more quickly reach emergencies in difficult-to-travel-in areas, such as local festivals, and also intends to better educate the public about bicycle safety.
“A lot of people kind of snicker at the idea of (Emergency Medical Technicians) on bicycles, until they see the benefits,” said Capt. Steve Weigold, the group's coordinator.
The group is one of a scant few in southwestern Ohio and is thought to be the only one of its kind in Butler County, Capt. Weigold said. The Loveland-Symmes and Deerfield township fire departments have EMS bike units.
The Butler County group will be on hand today for the Multiple Sclerosis Walk-A-Thon in Hamilton.
During the EMS bike patrol's first trial run in April at the New Miami Village Easter Egg Hunt, no serious crises arose, Capt. Weigold said.
He said past experience shows EMS bike patrols make great sense.
In Troy, Ohio, north of Dayton, the EMS bike unit is in its sixth year. According to its Internet site, the bike patrol's response times can be three to five minutes faster than traditional ambulances.
The EMS bike unit is also good for public relations, the Troy group says, because people are more likely to chat with a paramedic on a bicycle than one sitting in an ambulance.
Being a bicycling EMT is more difficult that it looks, said Melissa Vordem-Thoren of the Butler County group. Although she said it's great exercise, trying to balance and maneuver a bicycle loaded with heavy medical gear takes practice.
Specially designed packs carry bandages, airway supplies, a blood-pressure cuff and a miniature oxygen tank, among other items.
The group is supported by fire department funding and private donations. The EMS bike patrol is seeking donations to help equip the bicycles with advanced life-support gear, including defibrillators to help heart-attack victims, Capt. Weigold said.
Still, he said, the basic equipment can be used to help a person in the crucial first minutes of a crisis, and, if needed, an ambulance can be dispatched via radios that the bicycle EMTs carry.
For donations or more information, call Capt. Weigold at 896-9058.
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