Motorcycle medics saving lives in the South West

 Emergency services across the UK are looking at ways to get to accidents on motorways and major roads more quickly – and one group of paramedics from South Western Ambulance Service have been specially trained on motorbikes, hoping to improve response times.

It is often difficult for ambulances to get to an emergency when there is heavy traffic – but a motorcycle can weave in and out of the queues. Sgt Jim Whatley of the Tri-Force Roads Policing Unit said, ‘Conventional ambulances, they’re big vehicles. They need to get down the hard shoulder to get to an incident. Our colleagues on the motorcycles are a lot more responsive to the weight of traffic, can get to us quicker – can give us that decision-making vital support a lot more efficiently.’

The police have also teamed up with South Western Ambulance Service’s motorcycle paramedics – to get to incidents on motorways quickly. Scott King is one of four motorcycle paramedics who work across the region. Talking about the scaled down kit, Scott King, said, ‘we’ve got everything you’d expect from a rapid response car – just a smaller version to fit within the tight boxes that we’ve got. We’ve got drugs, oxygen, pain relief and anything to stop any serious bleeding.’

The specialist unit, a team of four paramedics, all with advanced motorcycle response training, base themselves throughout the region at strategic points on the major roads and motorways and can deploy at a moment’s notice, particularly at peak and busy times. They can also intend to try and bring an end to long road closures, as they can immediately assess an incident.