VIDEO: In the Arizona extreme heat, fire crews often put themselves at risk when they conduct rescue operations on valley trails. Now, Scottsdale firefighters have brand new tools that they said are making rescues faster and safer. The Scottsdale Fire Department got two off-road e-bikes last month. The bikes are at a fire station in the northeast part of the city near the McDowell Mountains. Firefighters have them on a bike rack on the back of one of their engines. When they get a rescue call, the engine responds, the bikes are rolled off the rack, and the firefighters hit the trail. How much faster is the e-bike response?
“We can go a mile on a trail in about seven minutes,” said Captain Bill Gutman of the Scottsdale Fire Department. “If we have to hike that same distance, it can take an hour or more.” The bike riders wear backpacks full of lifesaving gear, including an IV bag and even a “screamer suit” that can be attached to a helicopter to lift a victim off a trail. Scottsdale Fire said it has gotten interest from other valley fire departments, who say they now want their own e-bikes. Scottsdale Fire has four more bikes on the way, and eventually wants them posted at all their main trailheads so they can be used by any responding crews.
