Riders to the rescue

Daily Herald --

Jan 9, 2008 --

Motorcycle volunteer group learns tips on helping others

By John Johnston

Daily Herald Correspondent

Posted Sunday, June 24, 2007

Saturday’s storms could not stop the Rescue Riders from training. In fact, storms are the reason they came together in the first place.

Imagine a tornado so severe that emergency personal cannot possibly help all of the injured people, and panic starts to set in. In a scenario like that, the Kane County Medical Reserve Corps’ Rescue Riders will get on their motorcycles and lend all the help they can.

Founder Dean Akey said the riders, a volunteer group of local bikers, would help first responders with everything from sustaining life to running supplies.

The theory is simple: two wheels often can get places four cannot.

“We’re not trying to take the place of first responders. We’re just working hand-in-hand with them,” Akey said, “We don’t want doctors and nurses doing housekeeping. We want them giving care.”

He said the job is important because a county-wide tornado easily could overwhelm the professionals.

But in order to be prepared, they must practice.

On Saturday, riders met at Nello’s Motorcycles in Batavia before moving to a dispatch office in Aurora. Once there, the Riders were sent to two of four training sites.

At Kaneland High School, representatives from the Illinois Medical Emergency Response Team taught riders how to use a bag valve mask and help the critically injured.

IMERT Deputy Administrator Tim Conley and his family came in from Crete to help train the Riders. His children Sarah and Kevin were mock victims — Sarah with a bad cut on her arm and Kevin with a stick jutting out of his leg.

Riders were given tips on how to treat the injuries, such as to put pressure directly on the cut to stem bleeding.

They also were told about ways to help as many people as possible if there were a lot of injured.

And, they were reminded to have a cool head during chaos. For example, after tornadoes, a lot of debris can be on the road and can knock out a vehicle if people aren’t careful.

“As long as one person takes the lead, everyone else is more than willing to help,” said Rescue Rider and paramedic Pat Hill.