May 29, 2014
MEDICINE HAT – A group of Alberta Health Services’ Emergency Medical Services (AHS EMS) paramedics in the city are now trained and equipped to travel by mountain bike, enabling them to provide emergency response services to community events with large gatherings.
The four members of the new Rapid Access Paramedic team wear earpieces that enable them to hear incoming 911 calls, and carry many of the treatment supplies and equipment normally found in advanced life support ambulances, including basic first aid supplies, a portable defibrillator and other medications needed to deal with a range of emergency situations.
Travelling by mountain bike means paramedics can quickly and safely move through large crowds to get to an individual needing EMS assistance.
“This allows us to serve our community in a new way and it complements our existing ambulance services,” says Chris Abela, EMS Manager of Contract Operations and Projects.
“We can respond to heatstroke and dehydration, cuts and falls, and even the most serious emergencies. Residents requiring hospital transportation will continue to access ambulance services but the mountain bikes help us to provide life-saving services in a more timely fashion, particularly when access to patients can prove challenging as a result of large gatherings at community events.”
The EMS bike paramedics will be teaming up with members of the Medicine Hat Police Service High Visibility Response Team, who also travel by mountain bike, to provide emergency response services this summer.
Members of the High Visibility Response Team trained the Rapid Access Paramedic team on bike safety, cycling in different traffic and road conditions, how to avoid collisions, and the basics of bike maintenance and repairs.
“Medicine Hat Police Service has had a seasonal bike unit every year since 1997 and has found it to be a very effective and popular policing initiative for the community,” says Sgt. Tony Schmidt of the Community Safety Unit. “This year we’re excited for the opportunity to work alongside the AHS EMS bike team during the summer festivals and large outdoor events.”
The bike paramedics will be available during the Spectrum Festival (May 31-June 2), Canada Day celebrations (July 1) and the Medicine Hat Stampede (July 23-26).
If this year’s pilot is successful, the Rapid Access Paramedic team might support more events next summer, and possibly expand to serve other areas in the South Zone, Abela says.
The four EMS bicycles and medical bags were purchased through a $5,000 donation to the Medicine Hat and District Health Foundation.
Donor Relations co-ordinator Heather Bach says donations like this play a vital role in improving care within our local community.
“This a great example of how the generosity of local donors creates innovative ways to improve health care services in our community,” says Bach.
“We’re grateful for this donation because we can pay it forward to help our local EMS paramedics enhance and expand the critical services they already provide.”
Alberta Health Services is the provincial health authority responsible for planning and delivering health supports and services for more than four million adults and children living in Alberta. Its mission is to provide a patient-focused, quality health system that is accessible and sustainable for all Albertans.
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