Insurance hurdles have held up the start of a volunteer riders group acting as first responders to injured motorcycle riders while they wait for the ambulance to arrive.
It’s called MotoMedics Queensland and they will finally be operational this Sunday on Mt Glorious and Mt Nebo near Brisbane with hopes of extending their free service to other motorcycle destinations including Mt Mee, Tamborine, Springbrook and Beechmont.
Co-founders Ryan Chase and Jade McGuinness say they have three other qualified paramedic volunteers who will ride on roster between Friday night and Sunday afternoon.
“There’s been a lot of interest from volunteers, but we’ve had too pick and choose,” Jade says.
“Our skill base has definitely gone up to a level that would be more than what would be expected.”
Vital service
Ryan believes there is a vital need for a first-responder service to fill in the waiting time between the crash and the arrival of the ambulance.
“Response times on the mountains for a Queensland Ambulance Asset can take time as they need to come from the Gap or Samford/Maleny,” he says.
“By placing ourselves already on the mountain we have the ability to proceed to an incident when QAS is responded but begin administering critical first-aid until an ambulance can get on scene.”
So far, the not-for-profit MotoMedics only has one suitably equipped Yamaha FJR1300 but they hope to raise funds through a Gofundme campaign for more bikes.
Insurance bills
It has only raised $1753 of the $15,000 goal and Jade says some of the money will have to pay the expensive insurance bill.
“Insurance has been a pain in the arse,” Jade says.
“It’s costing an absolutely bloody fortune. We’re looking at $5500 for 10 months public liability, plus personal accident cover for the volunteers and we have medical malpractice which we don’t really need according to the insurance companies but we want to be sure.”
Jade says he has been in contact with local politicians and is hoping for government funding.
MotoMedics would have started the service on Saturday, but they will be providing medical coverage at a motoDNA training day at Lakeside this Saturday.
MotoMedics respond
Ryan says they may also attend crashes where they rider does not feel as though calling an ambulance is necessary because their injuries are minor.
“We can also attend these incidents and assist where it’s not advantageous to allocate QAS to non-life-threatening scenes,” he says.
“Of course this is a call the rider needs to make and we request 000 be called for any incident involving a bike and rider going down.”
Ryan says riders should always dial 000 first, then dial their Operational Duty Phone Contact on 0456 159 146.
They won’t break any speed limits and won’t be running lights or sirens, but when they arrive at the crash scene, they will activate emergency lighting for safety.
Rostered times and dates will be confirmed via their social media channels including Facebook and Twitter with constant updates on patrol days.
All volunteers have re-certified in Queensland with Advanced Senior First Aid and Advanced Resuscitation.