BENGALURU: The Bike Ambulance or the First Response Unit (FRU) is gaining popularity among Bengalureans. These ambulances, which are basically first-aid on two-wheelers, are popular because of their ability to beat traffic jams and navigate through narrow lanes to reach emergency cases.
Sandeep, an emergency management executive at GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute, which manages Bike Ambulances, said, "There is nearly a 65% increase in demand since the inception of this concept.
People were unaware of Bike Ambulances earlier, but now most of them call us during emergencies."
The Bike Ambulance, launched in April 15, 2015 as a supplementary to the existing 108 four-wheeler ambulances, was aimed at reducing deaths due to road accidents. It was the first of its kind service in the country. The city now has 19 Bike Ambulances, which have attended to 64,070 emergency cases till February 28, 2018.
Gowramma, a Peenya resident, said, "My mother is a diabetic and she has sustained an injury. As it is difficult for her to go to a hospital, I call up Bike Ambulance and they have been dressing her wound for a long time now."
Sandeep said that Bike Ambulances are sent to the accident spot first and if needed, the four-wheeler ambulances are sent.
There is one trained paramedic per bike with medical equipment like BP Apparatus, Glucometer, Stethoscope, Finger Tip Pulse Oxymeter, Ambu bag, Portable Oxygen Cylinder (2 litre cylinder - 1.9 kg), Hand held suction apparatus (250ml capacity, weighing 100gms, 4" dia X 8" ht), LED torch and scissors.
Thippeswami, a bike paramedic, said, "There used to be around 30 cases per month when the Bike Ambulance service was introduced. But now, we handle more than 200 to 250 cases per month. We take care of all kinds of cases, including deliveries."
Mayor Sampath Raj said, "As these Bike Ambulances are necessary, we announced 100 more such ambulances in this year's BBMP budget."
