The Cambridge, MA, Fire Department has placed four mountain bikes in service for EMS response and is in the process of purchasing two additional bikes, which will roll out in the spring of 2019.
These bikes are all-terrain Safariland®/Kona® 7005 Patrol Bikes. They are aluminum frame with Shimano hydraulic disc brakes and Shimano 30-speed drive train with high-performance frame and shocks. They are built to safely clear obstacles, such as curbs and stairs. In-service bikes carry saddle bags with EMS equipment including defibrillator, oxygen, medications, IV bags, bleeding control equipment such as gauze pads and tourniquets, Narcan, Band-Aids, ice packs, and other equipment.
All members are in communication via portable radio. The 28 members of the bike team have taken a 16-hour course and are certified in urban emergency bike operation and response.
The Bike EMS Team is staffed by firefighter/EMTs and paramedics and is deployed for special and high-profile events in the city, such as the Independence Day Celebration, River Festival, Dance Festival, Cambridge Carnival, Head of the Charles Regatta, road races, and University Commencements. The Team is also deployed every Friday and Saturday evening throughout the summer to enhance the customer service delivery to the community.
The Bike Team has the ability to respond quickly and safety through crowds in an urban environment, on and off street. Bicycles have the flexibility to ride up and down stairs, over curbs and sidewalks, through grassy areas, parks, and pedestrian plazas, and through many other areas where a motorized vehicle cannot travel. During one recent major event, the Bicycle Team arrived first at a cardiac-arrest call. Team members were able to successfully revive and stabilize the patient who was then transported to a medical facility by conventional EMS ambulance.
In response to another recent emergency incident of a child’s hand trapped in a subway station fare-gate, two members of the Bike Team arrived on scene first and were able to extricate and treat the 7-year old’s injuries prior to arrival of the Engine Company and ambulance. This response confirms that the bikes can travel quickly over curbs, through crowds, and down stairs into a subway station fully equipped to initiate action.
In addition to the EMS and emergency response aspect, the Cambridge Fire EMS Bike Team is well received and is a unique way to positively interact with community.
Thanks to Fire Chief Gerry Mahoney and City Manager Louis DePasquale for the foresight in supporting this outreach of the 21st Century all-hazards fire department.
