QAS INSIGHT | Summer 2017-18 edition

On ya’ bike: new BRT rolls out on Gold Coast

As QAS ramps up preparations for the Gold Coast 2018 Commonwealth Games – GC2018 – there is a new team already weaving its way through the glitter strip’s high-rises and big crowds to assess and treat patients.

“It just seemed like a job that was made for me – to be able to combine riding whilst at work and be involved in a program in its infancy, that’s really nice,” Jane said. “I love riding my bike – when I get to do it at work it’s even better.” The team tested its big-event capabilities during Schoolies where members honed their local knowledge. “Our hotel knowledge since Schoolies has lifted and continually improves everyday – we’re all getting really good at knowing where we’re going. “We now know the arcades – we know where we need to get to and we can utilise those arcades, smaller side streets and the malls as well.”

Launched in November, the team works seven days a week between 10am and 8pm. They cover an area from Southport down to Mermaid Beach and are riding Merida Big7 hardtail mountain bikes with safety livery, lighting and a primary response kit that includes an automatic external defibrillator (AED), advanced airway kit and major/minor trauma kit. First, though, they were put through a practical two-day training course with the Queensland Police Bike Squad, learning bike handling skills and maintenance. For former elite cyclist and Coral Gardens ACP2 Jane McDonald the BRT was an opportunity too good to pass up.

The smooth sound of nobbled tyres rolling along the Gold Coast’s pathways belies the urgency of the situation CCP Ricky Arnold and ACP2 Warren Herlt are about to face. It is 11:01am on a Monday and the pair has just been dispatched from the tourist strip’s iconic Cavil Mall. Utilising the bikeway along the Esplanade and Northcliffe Terrace, within three minutes the pair has reached Northcliffe Surf Club where a man has been pulled from the surf. Fortunately, the male patient is conscious but has swallowed water so is assessed and eventually transported to Gold Coast University Hospital in a road unit. What is different about this incident is that it is the first for the new Bicycle Response Team (BRT). The BRT was formed to bolster the QAS response to GC2018 – allowing paramedics to reach patients without having to negotiate traffic snarls, closed roads or pedestrian-only areas. In particular, Festival Zones in place during GC2018 are expected to draw large crowds and the BRT adds to the suite of response options available.

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Top ■ Training was rigorous and expertly conducted by experienced QPS officers.

Right ■ Media conference at the official launch, with BRT members and support vehicles behind.

Summer 2017–18