How You Can Help / Volunteer / HEMS Doctor or Critical Care Paramedic

HEMS Doctor or Critical Care Paramedic

In our pilot study in Dorset, 80% of those motorcyclists who were killed or critically injured, could have avoided being in a collision altogether, had they had the skills and awareness taught on BikeSafe and advanced riding courses. The challenge is raising this awareness amongst motorcyclists, many of whom have been riding for years and “know how to ride a bike”.  

Police motorcyclists are amongst the most skilful riders on our roads. They also have the greatest awareness of why motorcyclists crash and how to avoid it; but being the police, people are often less keen to approach them.  

Doctors, paramedics and particularly those who work on air ambulances are not only approachable, but people are keen to chat to them, often acting as a magnet at large biking events. Supported by motorcycling volunteers who have experience of BikerDown and BikeSafe courses, your role is to encourage motorcyclists to participate in a course that will help to reduce the chances of them being in a collision in the future.  

Nationally, agencies across the UK are signposting motorcyclists towards BikerDown, a fire service course, ran throughout the UK which is free to attend. It teaches in one evening: 

• How to manage the scene of an incident 
• How to keep someone alive until the ambulance arrives 
• How to avoid being knocked off your bike in the future 

Most importantly, BikerDown helps riders to appreciate that there are things that can be done to avoid being in a collision and to promote riders to go on to do a course which will help increase their awareness of this and make them a better rider – a win win situation, because being a better and more skilful rider is more satisfying and more fun!  

The DocBike rider has to be medically credible. You will find yourself when engaged with injury prevention work, attending the scene of a crash. Whilst this is not the mainstay of our work, we have a duty of care and the public would naturally expect us to be able to respond and help those in need. Doctors or paramedics need to be capable of dealing with critically injured patients on their own until assistance arrives. They also need to be part of a pre-hospital governance framework to cover any medical aid provided whilst on the DocBike.  

The DocBike work is voluntary. Depending on your organisation, it may be possible for some of your clinical shifts to be undertaken whilst on the DocBike where agreed locally; otherwise we depend on good, kind individuals, who are credible within their profession, to give up some of their valuable time, to help prevent motorcyclists from being involved in a collision and save more lives than they do already. 

If this sounds like something that you would be happy to support, please get in touch. All rider equipment and advanced rider training to standard response level will be provided.