Community First Responders (CFRs) are saddling up to take SECAmb’s latest innovation off-road to improve patient care.

Three e-bikes have been specially kitted-out with life-saving medical supplies, aiming to improve response times and increase accessibility in hard-to-reach locations.

It’s an idea that Frank Doel, an ambulance technician and CFR team leader for the Manhood Peninsula area of Sussex, first had several years ago.

“It’s so good to finally see it realised,” he said. “It should really help us make a difference.”

The peninsula is a large coastal area south of Chichester that is very popular with tourists, who enjoy its coastal walks and scenic views.

As well as making it easier to respond to incidents in areas that are harder to reach by car, the bikes are also seen as the best way to beat traffic gridlock. During spring and summer, good weather brings in thousands of extra visitors. Frank has tested the viability of the e-bike idea himself, recording times along the same route.

Frank Doel and the e-Cycle Response Unit team.

“It gets very busy in the summer, the roads here are heavy with traffic. With a bike, it took me 12 to 15 minutes. In a car, it was half-an-hour or more. From an emergency response point of view, if you’ve got a good cycle route area, why not take advantage of it?”

Frank got support and funding to develop a prototype after making a successful pitch at Innovator’s Den, a SECAmb initiative designed to turn colleagues’ inspiration into innovation.

Parts of the kit were adapted to help with balance, with the interior of bike panniers designed to carry a carbon fibre oxygen cylinder in each of the bags to equalise the weight.

He said local stakeholders such as the district and city councils are fully supportive of the e-bike project and are keen to see it in action. The e-Cycle Response Unit (e-CRU) will operate mostly on the Manhood Peninsula as well as some shifts in Chichester, and this pilot scheme will assess its impact from now through to the summer next year.

“It feels amazing to see the project finally come to fruition and a huge achievement,” said Frank.