EMS Magazine's Resource Guide: EMS Bike Medics

Association Profile: IPMBA

The International Police Mountain Bike Association (IPMBA) is a professional, nonprofit organization dedicated to providing specialized training and education to emergency services personnel who use bikes in the line of duty. Since it was founded in 1991, IPMBA has certified more than 700 instructors throughout the United States and Canada, who have trained more than 25,000 police officers, EMS professionals and other public safety cyclists. IPMBA has over 3,000 active members representing over 2,000 agencies in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Canada, the Netherlands, United Kingdom, Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, Finland, Australia and Israel. IPMBA offers a series of training programs, including the IPMBA EMS Cyclist course, the IPMBA Maintenance Officer course and the IPMBA Instructor course.

The Annual IPMBA Conference features preconference courses, more than 20 on-bike sessions, over 50 classroom-based workshops and a product exhibition for public safety cyclists. The conference, which will be held May 1–8 in San Antonio, TX, offers a series of sessions designed for EMS cyclists, including: EMS Night Operations; EMS Scene Safety with Practical Operations; Search & Rescue: A New Terrain to Tame; Advance Planning for Special Events; EMS Specific Equipment Needs; and Effective Use of EMS Bikes. Members of IPMBA's EMS cycling instructor cadre have also presented at EMS EXPO, the National Collegiate EMS Foundation and the International Tactical EMS Association. IPMBA makes a variety of resources available to police and EMS bike units, including start-up information packets, sample policies and procedures, and training tips. The association strongly supports worldwide growth of the profession, and, through industry partnerships, encourages development of products that increase the efficiency, effectiveness and safety of the public safety cyclist.

Membership is open to individuals. Members receive a subscription to the IPMBA News and discounts at the annual conference, as well as discounts on products and equipment offered by participating suppliers. Next year, the conference will be held in Scottsdale, AZ, in April 2005. For more information about IPMBA's programs, or to become a member, visit www.ipmba.org, or call 410/744-2400.

-Maureen Becker, Executive Director, IPMBA

Preplanning for Special Events
By Gene Williams, Jr.

It's November when your agency receives a call to provide medical coverage for an upcoming national golf tournament. Fifteen big-name players, plenty of media and 25,000 spectators will be in your service area for four days.

To EMS, most special events mean a large public gathering in a specific area that is usually confined by some type of barrier. The ability to respond to medical emergencies is often severely limited by these barriers, topography and crowd congestion, requiring EMS to respond effectively using unconventional means. One unconventional response vehicle that is gaining widespread support is the EMS bicycle.

If your agency already has an EMS bike team, you're halfway there. The other half is preplanning for the special event. Surprises are not a good thing during large-scale events. Preplanning should include: the proposal, site survey, equipment, logistics, communications and the actual operations plan.

The Proposal

Event sponsors usually want a written proposal from the EMS agency to justify the cost of providing EMS coverage. Do not quote a price or promise anything until you know all the facts concerning the event and a site survey has been conducted. This proposal reflects on your agency's professionalism.

Site Survey

Physically examine the entire area encompassing the event site. Request floor plans or maps of the site. Ensure that you know what will change or be added during the event. Within two weeks, a golf course will be transformed into a fenced-in village. Locate a secure site for the command post and check out your communications to ensure you have coverage throughout the entire event area. Walk the entire site; locate all entrances and exits; designate perimeter pickup points for responding EMS units; locate staging areas, etc.