Motorcycle Medics

Los Angeles firefighters and motorcycle medics unit members Wes Schroeder and engineer Greg Pascola ride their Kawasaki KLR 650 enduro motorcycles on dirt roads in the Santa Monica Mountains as they look out for brush fires and hikers/ bike riders needing medical attention.

I just spotted this story about the City of Los Angeles trying out a motorcycle medic unit. Makes sense to me. First responders need to get to the scene as quickly as possible, and who's faster and more maneuverable than a motorcyclist? I like it!

Los Angeles Fire Department tries out a motorcycle response unit

Two-wheeled responders can go where larger vehicles can't, an advantage in certain situations — especially in car-clogged Los Angeles.

(LA Times) Los Angeles firefighter Greg Pascola spotted a column of smoke from the corner of his eye — a fire burning on a distant hillside. He looked east from his vantage point on a mountaintop road near Mulholland Drive and felt wind at his back. It was 3 p.m. on a September Friday that would see record-breaking heat, and cars choked every lane of the 405 Freeway for miles.

He and his partner gunned their motorcycles.

 In this photo taken Sept. 6, 2012, Los Angeles firefighters and motorcycle medics unit members Wes Schroeder, left, and engineer Greg Pascola ride their Kawasaki KLR 650 enduro motorcycles on dirt roads with a view of downtown Los Angeles in the Santa Monica Mountains as they look out for brush fires and hikers/ bike riders needing medical attention. The Los Angeles Fire Department is considering a motorcycle medic unit to improve response times and conserve resources, following the model of fire departments in Seattle and Miami. After a successful pilot deployment during last year's Carmageddon, the motorcycle unit plans to ride again at this year's closure. A proposal for a permanent unit is in the works. (AP Photo/Los Angeles Times, Allen J. Schaben)