No bikes left behind: Patient bikes no longer remain at scene
BY GARY KIMSEY, The Coloradan, December 29, 2014
Photo: Kelly Tracer/University of Colorado Health
Poudre Valley Hospital's ambulances that serve Fort Collins—one of America's more cycling-enthusiastic cities—recently received a new add-on: bicycle racks on the front bumpers so bikes can be transported to the hospital at the same time as their injured riders.
Fourteen ambulances have been retrofitted since summer to carry bikes of patients transported to PVH or Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland. The ambulances also serve other communities in Larimer and Weld counties.
Now, on average, two to four patients a day and their bicycles—some of which cost thousands of dollars—are transported by the ambulances in Fort Collins, a city of tens of thousands of cyclists that in 2013 was designated as a Platinum Bicycle Friendly Community by the League of American Bicyclists. The high-ranking platinum designation was for the community's commitment to safe biking and encouraging cycling for transportation.
Better than before
Before the bike racks, paramedics and EMTs carried locks to secure an injured person's bicycle to a tree or other stable structure near the site where the injury occurred. Many patients, however, did not like having their bikes left behind, said Steve Main, director of emergency medical services for the two University of Colorado Health hospitals.
So then the ambulance service began sending a separate vehicle to the site to pick up the bike. This became a time-consuming endeavor, Main noted.
He said patient bicycle values vary widely, with some possibly ranging up to $5,000. But in most cases, he continued, owners had emotional attachments to their bikes, regardless of their monetary value.
"People don't want to leave their bikes at the scene," Main pointed out. "Once a patient is stabilized and ready for transport, it takes only a second to attach the bike to the ambulance. And it often helps the person gain a peace of mind."
In many cases where ambulances respond, the bike owner is injured in a vehicle-bike accident or a bike-only accident, Main said. In other cases, patients need emergency medical attention at their biking destination—a cyclist, for example, who suffered a cardiac problem while grocery shopping.
After a biker patient enters a hospital, the ambulance's paramedic and emergency medical technician deliver the bike to the hospital's security staff. The bike is stored securely until the patient or a designated representative picks it up.
Another step
The story behind the ambulance bike-rack project reflects efforts to match the enthusiasm of city residents for cycling and involves an innovative former Marine who honed his skills as a mechanic for the U.S. military in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Rob Collett, an EMS captain and avid cyclist who thought of the idea to retrofit the ambulances, said the bike racks are another step in the ambulance services' goal to match services with the increasing cycling needs of Fort Collins residents.
In 2012, for instance, the service created a bike team of emergency medical responders who staff large public events—such as marathons and outdoor concerts—where it may be quicker for a first responder to reach an injured person by bicycle than by ambulance.
Meanwhile, ambulance employees volunteer on community groups focused on enhancing bike use and safety.
"Fort Collins is a growing cycling community," Collett said, "and our ambulances' ability to carry along a patient's bike helps support the cycling infrastructure and growth."
The retrofit project was helped along by Collett's connection as an EMS instructor for the International Police Mountain Bike Association, a Baltimore-based nonprofit association that promotes the use of bikes for public safety.
Because of his connection with the association, Collett was eligible for a significant discount on the purchase of bike racks from Swagman, a Canadian manufacturer. The total cost for the racks was $1,840, Collett said. "That's a minor expense when compared to the loss of a bike for a patient."
Challenge
Still, the project presented a challenge because the designs of the ambulance front bumpers and bike racks were incompatible. So it took a healthy dose of innovation by Sean Jennings, coordinator of fleet maintenance for the ambulance service, to fit the proverbial square peg into the round hole.
"Sean did a remarkable job of figuring out how to securely mount the bike rack," Main said.
Jennings learned his skills as a diesel mechanic for four years in the Marine Corps. After he left the military, he became a contractor for the Marine Corps deployed in Iraq and Afghanistan. He was working in Afghanistan when he was offered the ambulance position in May 2013. A week and hasty travel of 5,000 miles later, he was busy working on PVH ambulances in Fort Collins.
For the retrofit project, he developed a prototype of a load-bearing receiver hitch for attaching a rack, and modified the bumper so a mount for carrying a bike could be attached securely to it. Once the prototype proved successful, he replicated it for the 14 ambulances.
The services' remaining four ambulances are scheduled for replacement, so new ambulances, as they arrive, will be outfitted with racks, too. A fifth ambulance is used for police SWAT incidents and does not need a rack.