Paramedics to work parades on Segway scooters [Archive]

segwaychatadmin

12-15-2002, 05:35 PM

quote:

Paramedics to work parades on Segway scooters

By MICHELLE MILLHOLLON

Santa Claus won't be the only attraction at today's Christmas parades in Zachary and Baker.

East Baton Rouge Parish EMS paramedics will test Segways to see how the battery-powered scooters work in a crowd.

EMS already puts paramedics on bicycles at LSU football games and outdoor events to zip through hordes of people. The bike teams often can reach patients faster than ambulances can.

The drawback is the bicyclists are limited on how much medical equipment they can carry on the bikes.

The self-balancing Segway might resolve the problem.

The device was unveiled last year with much fanfare.

At the time, designer Dean Kamen predicted the machines would displace cars.

The U.S. Postal Service bought 40 of the scooters in June for carriers in Oklahoma, Tennessee, New York, California and Arizona to give them a whirl.

Mark Majors, owner of the Alexandria-based MedExpress Ambulance, saw Segways in use this summer during a trip to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Fla.

Workers were using the scooters to navigate through crowds at Epcot.

Majors thought the devices might work well for equipment-laden paramedics.

"A couple of them came by, and I recognized it as an excellent tool for EMS in crowds where mobility is limited," he said.

Majors called Segway's corporate offices and got permission to distribute the scooters for EMS use.

He then called the cities of Natchitoches and Baton Rouge and offered to let city workers test the Segways.

Earlier this month, Natchitoches put a police officer and a paramedic on Segways for the opening weekend of the city's annual lights festival.

The paramedic got to a chest call before an ambulance did, Majors said.

The officer used a Segway to collar a suspect, he said.

Paramedics in Baton Rouge took the Segways for a test run earlier this week.

The real test is today, when two members of the bicycle team use the scooters to respond to calls at the parades.

"We want to see how well they function, how well they function in a crowd and what they can't do," EMS Public Information Officer Mark Olson said.

The bicycle teams split up medical equipment because the bikes are weight-limited, he said.

One medic carries the equipment for medical calls while another one totes the supplies for trauma calls, Olson said.

With the Segway, one paramedic could carry supplies for both types of calls, he said.

The Segways travel at a top speed of 12.5 mph and go about 15 miles before needing to be recharged.

They cost about $6,000 apiece -- substantially more than the $700 mountain bikes the EMS bicycle teams now use.

The Segways also can be leased from MedExpress.

The advantage for paramedics, Majors said, is that a 250-pound man can transport 75 pounds of medical equipment.

"We're finding this to be a real practical, adaptable use of these things," Majors said.