Bikers rehearse rescue skills

Chicago Tribune --

Jan 9, 2008 --

Bikers rehearse rescue skills

Kevin Botterman/Triblocal.com staff reporter 06/25/07 03:15 PM

Steady rainfall couldn’t keep some area bikers from joining emergency workers and health officials in rehearsing disaster responses Saturday morning.

Members of Rescue Riders, a volunteer group of bikers who assist first responders following a disaster, huddled with officials from the Kane County Public Health Department at Nello’s Motorcycles in Batavia before deploying to mock “trouble” sites throughout the county.

The bikers work with the Kane County Medical Reserve Corps, which assists local governments in responding to crisis situations. Bikers and other members of the medical reserve helped officials respond to a medical crisis at a restaurant earlier this year.

The scenario for Saturday’s exercise had Rescue Riders responding after a tornado passed through Kane County.

“Motorcycles can play a key role in the initial response to a natural disaster, said Dean Akey, who leads Rescue Riders.

“Two wheels can go where four wheels can’t go after a tornado knocks down trees and power lines,” said Akey, a Batavia resident.

Organizers said Saturday’s rain might have kept some from participating in the exercise, but those who took part in the drill benefited from practicing in adverse weather conditions, Akey said.

“Disasters don’t happen only on sunny, 70-degree days,” Akey said. “You need to practice in all kinds of conditions, so this isn’t so bad,” About a dozen bikers took part in the exercise, which also included Red

Cross volunteers and medical professionals, said Carolina Rios, a spokeswoman for the Kane County Department of Public Health.

For more information about the Rescue Riders, visit www.rescueriders.org



Kevin Botterman

Triblocal.com reporter