Austin, Texas has initiated a pilot program to utilize motorcycles to expedite the arrival of emergency medical personnel.

EMS personnel use BMW G650 in Austin, Texas

The idea is not new- biker medics have been employed in London, England for many years and Miami-Dade County in Florida has been doing it for about five years.

"Motorcycles can arrive two to three minutes faster than an ambulance — especially during large congested events like Austin’s South by Southwest music festival," said Eric S. Jakubauskas, commander of Austin-Travis County EMS Special Events. "And those extra minutes can mean the difference between life and death, he said. “That can be special if the person is in severe respiratory distress or was having a cardiac problem — two to three minutes can mean whether you resuscitate the person or you don’t.”

The EMS personnel ride BMW G650 X-P motorbikes. And the best part is the taxpayers haven't paid a dime– the motorcycles have been donated.

Read the full article from Government Technology...

Post date: 
3/5/2012

 

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