Bicyclists Practice Emergency Response in Seattle Disaster Relief Trials

Hi! I’m Madelena Romansic, the Program Assistant since December at the NN/LM PNR. I recently participated in Seattle’s first Disaster Relief Trials (DRTs), held at the University of Washington as part of the Bicycle Urbanism Symposium. Inspired by an annual event of the same name in Portland, OR, Seattle’s DRTs illustrated the unique advantages of bicycles for providing aid in emergency situations, and showcased their cargo-hauling capabilities. FEMA at Seattle DRT station 2, photo courtesy Fred Bretsch More than forty participants attended the event, having enrolled in one of two classes. About half rode as cargo cyclists who were given eggs to carry, simulating fragile medicine vials, and tasked with accumulating 100 pounds of emergency supplies at four checkpoints over the ten mile course. Over the course of the competition, they had to portage their bike and supplies over a meter-high barrier, and navigate through six-inch-deep water in the University of Washington marshland. Two cargo-laden riders in the UW marsh Since I don’t have a cargo bike, I rode in the other class as a civilian/support bike. Cargo cyclists and civilians alike had to navigate rough terrain, stopping at all four checkpoints, gaining emergency response skills such as how to fashion a tourniquet with a tie or belt, how to splint a broken arm with cardboard, and how to staunch bleeding with disposable diapers or sanitary pads. The first cargo cyclist to return made the full 10 mile tr...
Source: Dragonfly - Category: Databases & Libraries Authors: Tags: Emergency Preparedness News From NN/LM PNR Source Type: news