Cody EMTs hit the streets on bicycles to provide prompt care
By RHONDA SCHULTE The Cody Enterprise, Posted: Sunday, April 19, 2015 12:00 pm
Photo: Raymond Hillegas/AP Photo; Paramedic Ryan Winchell of West Park Hospital EMS shows off mountain bikes used by the hospital’s new Bike EMS Team, Monday, March 23, 2015 in Cody, Wyo. The team is available to provide quick, life-saving procedures at large outdoor gatherings.
CODY, Wyo. (AP) — It's a hot, sunny morning as you stand along Sheridan Avenue watching Cody's Fourth of July parade.
Awake since 5 a.m., you've had a hectic morning with little time to eat or drink.
As you watch children scramble after candy in the 90 degree temperature. You start to feel nauseous. Your heartbeat races. Feeling faint, you collapse.
A family member dials 911. But before the hospital ambulance cuts through traffic, two paramedics on mountain bikes quickly maneuver through the crowd. By the time the ambulance crew shows up, the bike paramedics have assessed the situation and administered aid to keep heat exhaustion from elevating to heat stroke.
As with most emergencies, a few minutes is a big thing. That's why West Park Hospital has a new bike program whose purpose is to more quickly bring advanced life support to patients.
WPH's Bike EMS Team debuted, without incident, at the Cody chamber's Spring Fling and St. Patrick's Parade on March 14. Wearing bike patrol uniforms — black and yellow polo shirt, shorts and helmet — the medics patrolling the parade route were ready to respond to an emergency.
A pannier saddled behind the bike seat is packed with equipment you might see on a basic life support ambulance: cardiac arrest drugs, oxygen bags, airway kits, Automatic External Defibrillators (AED), oxygen tanks, trauma gear and IV bags.
Medical control physician Dr. Kirk Bollinger, who supervises the WPH paramedics, said staffers including Bike Team leader Josh Campbell started thinking about adding a bike team several years ago to provide visibility at community events.
"The paramedics had heard of other bike teams," Dr. Bollinger said. "Many of the guys here are active. They like the outdoors and mountain biking."
About four months ago WPH paramedics decided they would like a bike team in place for outdoor gatherings this spring.
"Many emergency medical services throughout the country use bike EMS teams and we felt it would be a useful addition to the services we offer the public," paramedic Ryan Winchell said.
Participation on the bike team takes physical conditioning, bike safety awareness and training on how to provide medical care as an EMS bike team member. Staff with all levels of training, including most of the 10 emergency department paramedics, will participate in the hospital's bike team program.
In search and rescue situations in remote areas, first responders will haul bikes to the site with the department's specially outfitted wilderness response vehicle. When the road ends, the two EMTs — at least one paramedic — can peddle up and down trails inaccessible by four-wheeler or ambulance. Working in pairs, the medics can use teamwork to haul a patient out of rugged areas.
Since the 1980s, modern EMS bike teams have gained popularity nationwide. In 1991, Denver Health Paramedic formed one of the first officially organized EMS bike teams.
Emergency services on bikes was "huge" in Alabama, home state of WPH emergency services director Phillip Franklin. He spent 18 years there before moving to Wyoming last June .
Winchell, who brought 10 years of experience from California, is familiar with using alternative transportation in crowded settings. The large private ambulance company where he worked operated about 20 ambulances daily and used an off-road utility vehicle at large events.
Cody has the only full-time paid paramedic service in the Big Horn Basin and has the only bike team in Wyoming qualified to provide advanced life support, the highest level of care provided outside a hospital.
According to WPH paramedics, Jackson has the only other EMS bike team in Wyoming. Services, however, are limited to basic life support.
"We are fortunate to have the level of service our EMS team provides to Cody and the region, said Keith Ungrund, director of acute care and critical care. "The EMS Bike Team is just one example of what EMS has provided to improve patient care."
WPH has two ambulances ready to go 24/7. Adding EMS bike service is part of the hospital's move toward developing top regional emergency services.
"We're seeing big town EMS services in a small town," Franklin says. "We have a great staff and they're all dedicated.
"There's great knowledge here."
WPH made a dramatic change about a year ago, putting the focus on ways to provide a higher level of care and to more quickly bring quality care to patients, according to EMT Tom Fitzsimmons.
"The overall theme is to bring more care sooner," he adds.
Paramedics credit anesthesiologists, trauma and ER doctors dedicated to training staff for recent advancements. The hospital and foundation boards also have spent money for special equipment to enhance positive outcomes for patients.
"(The administration) always does their best to make sure we are equipped with the newest and best equipment to provide the highest level of care for our patients," Winchell says. "We also get enormous amounts of support from community members and local businesses."
The hospital and foundation boards paid for bike team training, uniforms, bikes and equipment. Compared to equipping an ambulance, the costs to outfit an EMS bike team are minimal. A bike, pannier bag and supplies run about $2,000.