Visitors to the Warren County A&L Fair might need to move out of the way for first-responders on bicycles if Warren County EMS employee and fair volunteer Joey Clark gets his way.
Clark brought a proposal before the county’s Safety Committee on Monday night. The proposal was for Warren County EMS-Rescue employees to provide a bicycle-based response team of specially trained emergency medical and rescue personnel which would provide pre-hospital emergency medicine and treatment to someone suffering an injury at a crowded special event taking place in the county such as the Warren County A&L Fair, the Autumn Street Fair or the Christmas Parade.
“People have agreed to do this on a voluntary basis. We are asking for a trial run at the fair. If it doesn’t work, we’ll pack our stuff and go home and say nothing else,” said Clark.
Clark had hoped to utilize his bike crew at the upcoming fair. Since 2009, Warren County EMS-Rescue has staffed the fair with a crew assigned to a John Deere Gator. The Gator is a more maneuverable vehicle than an ambulance which can respond to emergencies and transport patients throughout the grounds to a rendezvous ambulance pickup point.
Clark said the Gator still suffers from access issues.
“There is no choice but to go through the crowd with the Gator. It takes several minutes to go through the crowd to get to the midway. With a bicycle, we can bypass the crowd, go through gates down stairs, etc.,” said Clark.
County Executive John Pelham said, “You cannot volunteer your time to do something that is your job.”
Clark said he realizes Warren County EMS-Rescue personnel are legally unable to volunteer their services to their employer in an emergency medical capacity. Clark said two full-time employees, he and one other person, agreed to perform the services required of the bike team for comp time only and would not request overtime pay. He also said the lone part-time employee would agree to be paid straight time for services rendered.
Clark said he does not see a downside to the bike EMS team.
Warren County EMS-Rescue director Brian Jennings said he does not see a benefit to it. “In my opinion, the bicycle won’t be quicker than walking. You can’t ride a bicycle through that crowd. We have the Gator. We can transport individuals and equipment,” said Jennings.
Jennings said he had spoken with his three shift supervisors and they did not see the benefit of having a bicycle EMS team either.
“The majority of shift supervisors were a no. They didn’t think it would be beneficial at the fair at all. We talked and we do not see the benefit unless it is somewhere like the Christmas parade where all roads are blocked off in the downtown area. Being mobile and moving around is not necessarily beneficial. The bike is limited to transport anyone. We would still have to bring in the Gator at the fair.”
In Clark’s proposal, he states, “It is the consensus of the asserting employees based on their experience and the enclosed evidence that the establishment of the aforementioned program is in the best interest of Warren County EMS-Rescue and the citizens of Warren County.”
Commissioner Les Trotman said, “We are having more and more special events. We just had a triathlon. Even if it is only once a year for the parade, if it is a viable useful tool, we need to look into it. If there is something like the street fair or parade where someone has a heart attack standing on the sidewalk and the bicycle could render a faster response, we may want to try it. Even if they save only one person at all the events, it is worth it. Maybe the street fair or parade could be the trial run. Nothing says the fair has to be the trial run.”
Clark said members would receive bicycle special training from Warren County sheriff’s deputy Jared Jacobs, who has advanced training from the International Police Mountain Bike Association. The training would be free to EMS personnel.
The commissioners voted to table the proposal until questions concerning EMS-Rescue personnel pay and liability could be answered. The committee also wants fair board approval, something Pelham did not think would be a problem since Clark is a longtime fair volunteer and has been recently been nominated to the fair board.
The members will meet again Tuesday, Sept. 3.
Members of the Safety Committee present for the meeting were Teddy Boyd, Sally Brock, Charles Morgan and Trotman. Commissioner Ron Lee was absent.