Motorcycles Saving Lives From Utah to Israel, Emergency Responders Are Arriving Faster on Motorcycles
When
something terrible happens and you need the help of an emergency
responder, seconds can make the difference. But with the streets and
highways of the world getting more and more congested with traffic,
ambulances can be held up and prevented from reaching the scene in
time. That’s why EMTs from around the world have turned to motorcycles
to help them reach emergencies faster.
TEDTalks, a well-known
speaker series known for showcasing modern innovators and forward
thinkers, recently featured an EMT named Eli Beer. Born in Jerusalem,
Beer witnessed a bus crash as a child that inspired him to become an
EMT at the age of 15. After noticing that traffic was preventing
ambulances from reaching emergencies, he founded United Hatzalah
(United Rescue). Utilizing, “ambucycles,” motorcycles equipped with
emergency equipment, Beer and his fellow EMTs are able to decrease
emergency response times to just three minutes. Once they arrive at the
scene, they can stabilize victims and care for them until an ambulance
arrives to take them to a hospital. The ambucycles are equipped with
everything an ambulance would be except a gurney. To date, the
ambucycles have saved over 200,000 lives in Israel.
A similar
program in Davis County, Utah has equipped its paramedics with
motorcycles. Their program was inspired by another motorcycle paramedic
program in Miami-Dade County, Florida that decreased its emergency
response time from 15 to 3 minutes. Motorcycles help the paramedics
maneuver through traffic more quickly and traverse dirt roads and bike
paths with greater ease. "We can carry everything we need to treat a
critical patient and a regular patient immediately, and then we have a
partner that shows up in a regular SUV with full gear in the next few
minutes,” explained David County Deputy Christopher Pope. Among a
multitude of lifesaving gear and medical equipment, the motorcycles
carry IVs, an oxygen tank, breathing tubes and pain medication. Most
recently, the motorcycle paramedics saved the life of a woman having a
heart attack. They bypassed the ER and had her transported straight
into surgery, after which she made a complete recovery.
We love
to hear stories about motorcycles being able to help people around the
world and around the country. Tell us your thoughts about motorcycle
paramedics on The Eagle Leather Facebook Page!
Yet, there’s no denying it: Unless you plan to ride exclusively around the Southern United States, you’ll face some chilly winters. And even before it...
Motorcycles Saving Lives
