Medical first responders in Brandon get bikes
By: Erin Debooy, Brandon Sun, Posted: 08/15/2019
Brandon Area Community Foundation executive director Laura Kempthorne cuts the ribbon introducing St. John Ambulance's new bike patrol program to Brandon on Wednesday. (Erin DeBooy/The Brandon Sun)
Brandon MB -- Volunteers with the St. John Ambulance Medical First Responders team now have a quicker way to get around.
The organization’s new bike patrol program now has a pair of fully equipped bikes in Brandon available for use at the numerous events the Medical First Responders team attends.
The bikes, which are equipped with full trauma bags, automatic external defibrillators and oxygen, will be rolled out in pairs, said Teresa Toutant, director of community services with St. John Ambulance, and a team of 15 volunteers are now fully trained to use them.
"We train to up to a medical first responder level, which is a pretty high level; it’s almost $1,000 in free first-aid training, and in return volunteers go out into the community and provide this service," Toutant said. "Event organizers need to know we’re sending out qualified people with equipment that’s going to make a difference, and we do. We’re really proud of what we do, and we think it’s a really important service to the community."
The Medical First Responders team covers approximately 500 events across Manitoba annually, Toutant said, including the Manitoba Summer Fair, Wheat Kings games, and local concerts, walks and runs.
The addition of the bikes will allow responders to attend to an emergency situation faster.
"When you are medical first responders, and you are attending to people who are hurt or in an emergency situation, time does matter, response time is imperative. So in large footprint areas, this gives us a much, much quicker response time," Toutant said. "If you are suffering from a heart attack or a cardiac issue, for example, timing is of the essence."
The bike patrol program received $4,500 in funding from the Brandon Area Community Foundation, and Paladin Security Brandon provided additional training for first responders.
Stream N Wood also supplied the bikes to St. John Ambulance at a discounted rate.
"This has really been a community initiative. Brandon is a great community in that everyone kind of bands together to help each other out, and this really became even more evident to me with this project," Toutant said.
The bike patrol program in Brandon is the second in the province, Toutant said, with one launching in Winnipeg recently.
"It’s fantastic just to add to the services that we already provide with our medical first responder program in the community and to continue to build what we can service through the first aid program," said Ruth Howard, manager of volunteer resources at St. John Ambulance. " To keep growing and being more involved in the community in a variety of different ways is amazing."
Anyone interested in volunteering with St. John Ambulance is encouraged to contact the Brandon office at 204-727-4466 for information as to how to get involved.