Gold Coast ambulance bicycle trial so successful it will roll out in Brisbane
Updated
A trial of ambulance bicycles on the Gold Coast has been so successful it will now be rolled out in Brisbane.
The Queensland Ambulance Bicycle Response Team trial began in November and sees cyclists hit the pavement to pedal to emergency calls in the busy Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach tourist zones.
The program aims to ease the load during the 2018 Gold Coast Commonwealth Games.
Former Australian elite cyclist Jane McDonald was one of the paramedics in the trial.
She said the bikes had been so successful they would be extended to Brisbane.
"I'm not sure that anyone quite predicted the success of the program," Ms McDonald said.
"Our response times on average are eight minutes quicker than an ambulance [vehicle]."
The paramedics carry cannulas, defibrillator, as well as burns, haemorrhage and airway kits.
They have responded to a variety of calls during the trial: paediatric near-drownings, cardiac arrests, and anaphylaxis.
"Within four minutes of the [anaphylaxis] patient making the phone call, we had a bicycle response team member arrive … which is astounding," Ms McDonald said.
"We're able to get our medical equipment through tight pedestrian areas, we're able to respond quickly and we're able to provide that life-saving intervention."
The teams can give the ambulance vehicle a situation report and advise them whether to downgrade or upgrade the response.
Ms McDonald admitted it was a tough job.
"It depends on the amount of work that we have but generally 20 kilometres for the day would be considered a quiet day on the bikes," she said.
"But our record so far has been about 63 [kilometres]."
The trial is due to roll out in the Brisbane CBD and Southbank in the new year.
Topics: emergency-planning, health, doctors-and-medical-professionals, surfers-paradise-4217, brisbane-4000
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