A cycle responder is a medically trained responder, such as a

paramedic A paramedic is a registered healthcare professional who works autonomously across a range of health and care settings and may specialise in clinical practice, as well as in education, leadership, and research. Not all ambulance personnel are p ...

first aid First aid is the first and immediate assistance given to any person with either a minor or serious illness or injury, with care provided to preserve life, prevent the condition from worsening, or to promote recovery. It includes initial in ...

er that uses a

bicycle A bicycle, also called a pedal cycle, bike or cycle, is a human-powered or motor-powered assisted, pedal-driven, single-track vehicle, having two wheels attached to a frame, one behind the other. A is called a cyclist, or bicyclist. Bic ...

to respond to a

medical emergency A medical emergency is an acute injury or illness that poses an immediate risk to a person's life or long-term health, sometimes referred to as a situation risking "life or limb". These emergencies may require assistance from another, qualified p ...

. They are used by professional ambulance services to respond to emergency calls and also by private and voluntary providers of medical cover at events. Cycle responders are provided in order to provide fast, effective medical assistance to patients in areas in which a traditional road

ambulance An ambulance is a medically equipped vehicle which transports patients to treatment facilities, such as hospitals. Typically, out-of-hospital medical care is provided to the patient during the transport. Ambulances are used to respond to medi ...

or response car would have a delayed response time, and where responders on foot may not be fast enough, or cannot provide sufficient cover over an area. This means that they are primarily deployed in areas of high traffic congestion, such as city centres, with large cities such as

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

and

Manchester Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The t ...

making extensive use of them. They are also used in specialist applications such as inside large shopping precincts and

airport terminal An airport terminal is a building at an airport where passengers transfer between ground transportation and the facilities that allow them to board and disembark from an Fixed-wing aircraft, aircraft. Within the terminal, passengers purchase ...

s, and for covering first aid at events.

History

First aid response on bicycles has been used by event first aid organisations since at least the 1990s, to provide rapid response over an event site. Cycle responders for ambulance work were piloted by

London Ambulance Service The London Ambulance Service NHS Trust (LAS) is an NHS trust responsible for operating ambulances and answering and responding to urgent and emergency medical situations within the London region of England. The service responds to 999 phone cal ...

in 2000, as the idea of paramedic Tom Lynch, based at the Waterloo ambulance station. The trial successfully demonstrated that response times to pedestrianised areas were reduced, and with the responder able to deal with a number of illnesses and injuries, the single cycle saved over 250 hours of ambulance availability per 6 months. St John Ambulance operate the largest fleet of cycles in the country.

Equipment

The equipment carried by cycle responders will vary depending upon role and the level to which the rider is trained. Typically the responder will carry

oxygen Oxygen is the chemical element with the symbol O and atomic number 8. It is a member of the chalcogen group in the periodic table, a highly reactive nonmetal, and an oxidizing agent that readily forms oxides with most elements as wel ...

and a

defibrillator Defibrillation is a treatment for life-threatening cardiac arrhythmias, specifically ventricular fibrillation (V-Fib) and non-perfusing ventricular tachycardia (V-Tach). A defibrillator delivers a dose of electric current (often called a ''coun ...

as these are primary

basic life support Basic life support (BLS) is a level of medical care which is used for patients with life-threatening illnesses or injuries until they can be given full medical care by advanced life support providers (paramedics, nurses, physicians). It can be pr ...

items for dealing with conditions such as

cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and possib ...

. They may also carry additional equipment including

airway management Airway management includes a set of maneuvers and medical procedures performed to prevent and relieve airway obstruction. This ensures an open pathway for gas exchange between a patient's lungs and the atmosphere. This is accomplished by either cl ...

equipment (such as airways or

bag valve mask A bag valve mask (BVM), sometimes known by the proprietary name Ambu bag or generically as a manual resuscitator or "self-inflating bag", is a hand-held device commonly used to provide positive pressure ventilation to patients who are not breathin ...

s) and drugs appropriate to their skill level. They are also likely to carry

equipment such as

bandage A bandage is a piece of material used either to support a medical device such as a dressing or splint, or on its own to provide support to or to restrict the movement of a part of the body. When used with a dressing, the dressing is applie ...

s and dressings The equipment can be carried on the bike (in

pannier A pannier is a basket, bag, box, or similar container, carried in pairs either slung over the back of a beast of burden, or attached to the sides of a bicycle or motorcycle. The term derives from a Middle English borrowing of the Old French ''p ...

s), or on the responders body (using a rucksack or modified utility jacket).

Training

Some organisations operating cycle responders offer specific training to staff or volunteers undertaking the role. They may use their own training, or conform to an external standard, such as Bikeability or the International Police Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA). Training may cover areas such as hazard avoidance,

observation Observation is the active acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the perception and recording of data via the use of scientific instruments. The ...

, how to manoeuvre in low speed areas,

traffic Traffic comprises pedestrians, vehicles, ridden or herded animals, trains, and other conveyances that use public ways (roads) for travel and transportation. Traffic laws govern and regulate traffic, while rules of the road include traffic ...

safety Safety is the state of being "safe", the condition of being protected from harm or other danger. Safety can also refer to risk management, the control of recognized hazards in order to achieve an acceptable level of risk. Meanings There are ...

and crowds.

References

External links

IPMBABikeability
{{DEFAULTSORT:Cycle responder Emergency medical responders

History

Equipment

Training

See also

References

External links