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| Lewis County Search & Rescue Adds Bicycles to Fleet to Efficiently Cover Events 07/14/18 04:15pm By: Nick Altmire |
responding to an incident during large events, one that can make a big impact for a relatively small investment. The agency has added a pair of bicycles to their fleet, equipped with basic life support equipment that can quickly reach a patient in a number of situations where it's complicated getting an ambulance, or even a UTV unit, through. "This is a way to get the medical personnel and the medical treatment to the patient quicker, without delaying care by trying to get an ambulance through," Search & Rescue's Chief of Operations Justin Astafan said during a demonstration of the new bikes. Paramedic Josh Genter and EMT/Search & Rescue board member Brandon Roggie presented the idea of a bike team to the organization's board after recognizing the efficiencies it could add to their operations while covering large events. "We recognized the need for it at bigger events where it gets congested..., the fair, the Cream Cheese Festival and some of the runs," Mr. Genter said. Mr. Genter added that he noticed a lot of paramedics on bikes at the State Fair last year, which seemed to work pretty well, prompting him to present it as an option to implement at Search & Rescue. "We did a lot of research, as far as what was needed, and contacted some other agencies, especially city agencies using bikes, and this is what we ended up with to start," Mr. Roggie said. The bikes will always travel in tandem, with equipment split between the two bikes in bags secured to the back. Each bike is equipped with a head light on the front and emergency lights on the front and back, in addition to an audible alarm and siren. Sgt. Richard Knight, with the Lewis County Sheriff's office, provided the bike team volunteers with a safety training session. The bike team will make their first appearance during the Lewis County Fair parade on Tuesday night, and will be covering events at the fairgrounds the remainder of the week. The team is available to travel to events throughout the county, at the request of the jurisdictional agency. Lewis County Search & Rescue is always seeking more volunteers. For more information, visit their website or Facebook page.
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| Search & Rescue Paramedic Josh Genter (L) and EMT Brandon Roggie (R) Demonstrate the Agency's New Bike Team |