Station 7 leads way in use of bikes to get to remote spots
By JOHN NORTON, the Pueblo Chieftain, November 18, 20110:07
[Fire Department Engineer Travis Allee and Capt. Barb Huber load bicycles on the back of a fire truck at Sunset Fire Station.]
A Pueblo fire engine can be at the scene of most emergencies in town in six minutes tops, but there are some remote locations that large vehicles can’t access.
That’s been a major concern for the firefighters at Station 7 at St. Clair Avenue and Pueblo Boulevard. Its response area stretches almost all the way north to U.S. 50 and includes the Arkansas River Trail and Pueblo Motorsports Park.
Capt. Barb Huber, one of the shift commanders, estimates that at least 10 times a year rescue crews are called to locations along the trail and at least once a month to the motorsports park.
“We knew there’s got to be a better way to get to people quickly,” she said.
That’s why earlier this year, she and two other members of the station’s crew came up with the idea of bicycles. It paid off well over the summer and, in one case, Station 7’s cycle-bound emergency people arrived at the scene of a problem along the Arkansas River before a truck from Station 5, in whose territory it turned out to be, could get there.
Huber said she hasn’t heard of bicycles at any other fire departments.
But Station 1, which serves Downtown and the eastern portion of the trail system, is getting a bicycle and trailer, she said.
Firefighters spent their own funds, which came to less than $50, to refurbish bikes from the police department’s found property and to purchase a bicycle trailer, the sort used to tow children, pets or groceries.
The trailer folds up quickly and is mounted on the front of the station’s truck. Bikes are mounted on the back bumper. If there is a call on the river trail, everything can be quickly loaded — well within the 60 to 90 seconds it takes to get the truck out of the station, said Engineer Travis Allee.
“Speed and deployability were essential,” Huber said.
Huber, Allee and emergency medical officer Mark Rohar received a commendation Monday night from City Council for coming up with the idea.
Bicycles and a trailer for medical equipment will make it easier to get through the crowds at festivals in the Historic Arkansas Riverwalk of Pueblo area, Huber said.
Calls to the trail often are life-and death, ranging from accidents to injuries to cyclists and runners, heart attacks and water-related rescues.
Besides calls, at least once a shift during summer firefighters ride their bikes along the trail, stopping to encourage people to use the river safely, wear life jackets and warning them of dangers. They also inspect the waterway for obstructions and eddies that could threaten people in the water.