Post by fernwood on Apr 1, 2023 7:07:14 GMT -5
Anonymous donor gifts SPFD a First Responder motorcycle — the first in Wisconsin
Fresh on the tails of a major FEMA grant for new air packs, Stevens Point firefighters continue on their wave of luck with equipment acquisition.
Thanks to an anonymous donor, SPFD will soon take receipt of a 2023 Harley Davidson Electra Glide. It’s a model typically used for police departments in dense urban municipalities, but Fire Chief Jb Moody said their model will carry medical gear to facilitate a faster response to life-threatening emergencies.
The Stevens Point Police and Fire Commission last week approved the acquisition. President Jerry Moore called the gift, given by a city resident who wishes to remain anonymous, “an exciting idea that will put SPFD on the map.”
Moody told the Commission that SPFD will be the first fire department in the state of Wisconsin to have such a vehicle in its fleet.
“It’s one more tool in our quiver, so to speak, that will only help improve services to the public, and our continued climb towards an ISO rating of 1,” he said.
The vehicle will be known as MRM1, short for Medical Response Motorcycle.
The $29,000 bike — $38,000 with custom fire department add-ons courtesy of Gamber-Johnson — gets about 43 miles to the gallon. It will hold the most common emergency medial gear in one saddlebag; the other is outfitted to carry a fire extinguisher known in the fire industry as a “water can,” or “silver bullet,” used to fight small fires in the incipient stage.
The department typically sends one member, driving in an SPFD’s marked squads, to an emergency scene ahead of an engine for the fastest possible response, but Moody said a conventional vehicle is subject to traffic snarls or a delay at a CN crossing. A motorcycle would allow a department member to become more nimble, using unorthodox methods to reach a scene where every second counts.
“We have excellent response times, but we always feel we can improve,” said Assistant EMS Chief Joe Gemza. “A motorcycle would be more able to traverse a scene in heavy traffic. For example, they could operate fairly safely via the shoulder of the highway to reach a patient who was stuck in their vehicle behind a long line of traffic on a busy two-lane road like I-39. That’s not an uncommon scenario.”
Only select members of the department will be permitted to operate the motorcycle, Moody said. Interested department members would be required to obtain a motorcycle license from the Department of Transportation — and undergo additional emergency vehicle operation training annually.
The motorcycle doesn’t carry firefighting turnout gear, but Moody said it’s not intended for a fire response. Operators will be required to wear a helmet and other safety gear while using the motorcycle, he said.
Moody said he expects the vehicle will be delivered to the department sometime in May.
--Posted in a local print/on-line newspaper today. They are doing a variety of articles in honor of April Fool’s Day in addition to some actual ones.
What do you think? True or false?
Fresh on the tails of a major FEMA grant for new air packs, Stevens Point firefighters continue on their wave of luck with equipment acquisition.
Thanks to an anonymous donor, SPFD will soon take receipt of a 2023 Harley Davidson Electra Glide. It’s a model typically used for police departments in dense urban municipalities, but Fire Chief Jb Moody said their model will carry medical gear to facilitate a faster response to life-threatening emergencies.
The Stevens Point Police and Fire Commission last week approved the acquisition. President Jerry Moore called the gift, given by a city resident who wishes to remain anonymous, “an exciting idea that will put SPFD on the map.”
Moody told the Commission that SPFD will be the first fire department in the state of Wisconsin to have such a vehicle in its fleet.
“It’s one more tool in our quiver, so to speak, that will only help improve services to the public, and our continued climb towards an ISO rating of 1,” he said.
The vehicle will be known as MRM1, short for Medical Response Motorcycle.
The $29,000 bike — $38,000 with custom fire department add-ons courtesy of Gamber-Johnson — gets about 43 miles to the gallon. It will hold the most common emergency medial gear in one saddlebag; the other is outfitted to carry a fire extinguisher known in the fire industry as a “water can,” or “silver bullet,” used to fight small fires in the incipient stage.
The department typically sends one member, driving in an SPFD’s marked squads, to an emergency scene ahead of an engine for the fastest possible response, but Moody said a conventional vehicle is subject to traffic snarls or a delay at a CN crossing. A motorcycle would allow a department member to become more nimble, using unorthodox methods to reach a scene where every second counts.
“We have excellent response times, but we always feel we can improve,” said Assistant EMS Chief Joe Gemza. “A motorcycle would be more able to traverse a scene in heavy traffic. For example, they could operate fairly safely via the shoulder of the highway to reach a patient who was stuck in their vehicle behind a long line of traffic on a busy two-lane road like I-39. That’s not an uncommon scenario.”
Only select members of the department will be permitted to operate the motorcycle, Moody said. Interested department members would be required to obtain a motorcycle license from the Department of Transportation — and undergo additional emergency vehicle operation training annually.
The motorcycle doesn’t carry firefighting turnout gear, but Moody said it’s not intended for a fire response. Operators will be required to wear a helmet and other safety gear while using the motorcycle, he said.
Moody said he expects the vehicle will be delivered to the department sometime in May.
--Posted in a local print/on-line newspaper today. They are doing a variety of articles in honor of April Fool’s Day in addition to some actual ones.
What do you think? True or false?