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Motorcycle Safety and Awareness
Welcome to think bike, the podcast about all things motorcycle and the voice of motorcycle safety and awareness in Alberta. Your host is Leanne Langlois.
Liane:Hey, everybody. Welcome back to think bike. And on today's episode, I have brought in my somewhat good new friend, Dee Stace, to to come have a chat with us. She is from Maika Medical out of Calgary and wanted her on the show to talk about like a paramedics view of things and specifically some other stuff regarding track. But first of all, welcome to the show Dee.
Dee:Thank you so much. Thank you for inviting me.
Liane:I think that this is gonna be a good conversation with some good knowledge. And first we're gonna start with who you are Dee and what got you interested in what you do and specifically Mohican?
Dee:My first diploma was animal health technology when I left high school and I decided I wanted to use I was always interested in the medical fields and I decided I wanted to switch to patients that had two legs instead of four. So I transferred into paramedicine. And not long after I got licensed as a paramedic in Alberta, I started working at Race City Speedway. And that was my introduction to racing EMS and working at the track. And I've basically been there ever since.
Dee:And that was well over twenty years ago.
Liane:That's a long time. You guys, you and got you and little d and you guys are staples out there.
Dee:Pretty much.
Liane:On track. Yeah. Yep. Is Mohican Medical Services and what kind of services do you provide?
Dee:We are basically a private EMS service. We're all licensed paramedics in some way, shape or form. And we look after anything outside of the traditional nine one one system that requires medical support. So in addition to the racetracks, we also do rodeos. We do concerts.
Dee:We do sporting events. In the wintertime, we look after a large number of hockey teams. And then outside that as well, we also sell supplies and we also do some safety training. So first aid, CPR, etcetera, etcetera.
Liane:And anybody can find that course information on your website access there. Correct. What is your website? Just so we don't forget to get that out there.
Dee:Www.mahikenmedical.ca.
Liane:And that is spelled?
Dee:M A H I K A N. Perfect. Ca.
Liane:Perfect. Thank you very much. Like it's really good for people to have like a full, that's a good question. I know there's other programs that are being offered for free recently regarding motorcycle first aid. Do you think it's important that people have a full first aid training versus Yeah.
Dee:I think it's extremely important that people have a full first aid training.
Liane:What do you think would be the difference between this one hour free kind of, this is how you take a helmet off versus what your course or Adam at head on first aid would teach for first aid?
Dee:Well, I teach for heart and stroke, the Heart and Stroke Society. And my course encompasses everything from bandages to splinting, to CPR, to airway to chest wounds, like, basically an all over body look. I'm not a huge fan of the free course that teaches people to take helmets off because my concern with that is is if there is neck or spine issues there, there is very specific techniques to removing a helmet. And one of the things we've done at the racetrack is we've actually tried to teach the corner volunteers, don't remove it as much as possible. Let us get there and do it.
Dee:And, we find that to be a much safer approach.
Liane:Yeah. I would think so too. But at the same time, you would think that some knowledge is better than none.
Dee:Correct. Some is better than none.
Liane:Okay. As a first responder, what do you feel is the most important for motorcycle riders to consider when they're going out for a ride? I know you deal mostly with like these kind of private events and stuff, but from your perspective, you've probably seen a lot.
Dee:Oh, I have. Yeah. Gear. The my first thought would be gear. The the phrase is dress for the dress for the slide, not the ride.
Dee:And that is so, so, so true. Every year we have helmets that don't fit correctly. We have leathers that don't fit correctly. And that that gear is the difference between a minimal injury and what could be something life threatening.
Liane:The helmets that don't fit correctly, people often, I know for myself, I know what my size is in a showy helmet and it's a small. And when I get one, I feel very compressed. That to me is correct.
Dee:That is correct.
Liane:And some people might say, oh, well I need more room. What does an ill fitting helmet mean when you're in a collision?
Dee:The way I like to think about it is think about an egg in a cup and shake it. Right? That's exactly what happens to your brain. If if your helmet is not fitting right, that egg in a cup is is exactly what's going on. And in fact, one of the most serious incidents we've ever had at track was directly related to an ill fitting helmet.
Dee:So the gear is I can't stress enough how important the correct gear is.
Liane:Did the helmet come off or did it just like the head rattled?
Dee:It was too big.
Liane:It was too big. Yeah. Super unfortunate. And I mean, you can only imagine then you amplify that with like the half helmets or the three quarters that people are wearing out on the street.
Dee:That's correct.
Liane:What other gear do you think is like lifesaving?
Dee:I really like seeing the air vests that have start started coming out more. The air vests can do remarkable, remarkable things. One of the most common injuries we do deal with is dislocated shoulders and broken collarbones. So those air vests can salvage that in in a very large way. That's that is one of the newest developments that I really, really like to see to come out in the sport.
Liane:And I think that's been in road racing for a bit because you get the MotoGP guys like Mark Marquez, Rossi and all them had full air tech. I know here Justin Hapix had air tech for a while. I know that's been picking up. But in your opinion, are those like the air tech fests, are they becoming a little more affordable to like the general public and not just the race folks?
Dee:Yep. Absolutely.
Liane:Yeah. I think, I think so too. I know I'm looking into one personally, so I'm excited to join that air tech club if I end up getting one. But, you know, and my reason for getting it is for land speed racing. And it's like, why wouldn't I wear that on a ride regardless?
Liane:That's exactly right. And then because you deal mostly with track, I'm going to guess that leather would also be your preference versus textile. They don't allow that on the track. But if somebody who's on the street, what would be your suggestion for them?
Dee:My suggestion would still be full leathers just because it is definitely the safest way to go. We understand that it's that it's much more expensive. So a lot of it'll depend on your riding style too. But the more you can protect yourself in my opinion, it's not an if that a rider's gonna go down, it's a win. So the more the rider can take to protect himself, the better off he's gonna be.
Liane:Yeah, I would agree with that for sure. Let's get into something a little kind of heavy. And of course we're never going to out anybody in with privacy laws and stuff with names and stuff, but being out of the track, it's something that we at AMSS really promote is take it to the track, take it to the track. Cause if you're using our streets as a raceway, there's just a lot out there that can go wrong. And at the track it's a safer place to challenge your skills.
Liane:Statistically, though, there aren't that many really bad incidents at the track, would you say?
Dee:Statistically, well, it depends on your definition of really bad. We've we usually have at least one to three very, very serious injuries a year. We've had had a couple of fatalities, which is unfortunate. You know? But I I firmly firmly agree with you is that the take it to the track mantra is the way it should be because the track is a bubble.
Dee:Right? So you're not involving the innocent bystander at the end of the block that's trying to cross the street. So the safest the safest possible way they can do it to to take their skills is take it to the track. And and then we're there as well. So if something does happen, they get immediate care.
Liane:And all of those guys have to, of course, pass tech with all their gear and the quality of their motorcycles. So that also puts you in the best place to challenge your skills. Correct. My understanding is anybody who even goes for a slight slide across the grass and still get up and walk away still need to come and see you though. Right?
Dee:Correct. It's what it's what we call a rider check. So it doesn't matter if they go down in any way, shape, or form, they, at the very least, come in for an assessment. And one of the reasons that that was developed is because concussions can be delayed. So say they had a minimal knock on the helmet.
Dee:Right? That there's no reason why that couldn't turn into a concussion in half hour, twenty minutes, you know, five hours, six hours. So if we get an assessment in and then something changes with them, number one, we can dictate if they're safe to go back out on the track. And number two, we're a better position to help them if if their status does change.
Liane:Outside of the couple of fatalities that have happened in the last few years, I don't know how to ask this respectfully. So I'll just say, what is the gnarliest thing that you have seen that's been kind of interesting to deal with and what could have made that situation better?
Dee:Oh, there's so much. See, to to us, the only thing that we would classify basically as gnarly in your in using your phrase would be something as extreme as a fatality. Right. Right? The the other injuries that we normally see, we're we're so attuned to them, that it doesn't even faze us anymore.
Dee:Right? Like, it's it's just time to go to work is is the way we look at it.
Liane:I guess that'd be the difference between me as a bystander and you as a professional. It's yeah, it's another collarbone. Let's deal with it. How do you get these guys out of their suits if they've got like broken bones and stuff?
Dee:There's there's techniques that we've developed over the years. We we actually are quite proud of that. One of the things that new paramedics are taught in school when they talk about the motorcycle accidents and injuries is just to go ahead and cut the letters. But little Dee and I have been doing this for so long that we've actually developed our own techniques, to be able to get injured people out of the leathers for the most part. I mean, we will cut them if we have to cut them.
Dee:If the injuries dictate or if the state of the patient dictates, we absolutely will cut them. But if they're willing to work with us and let us put some of our techniques into play, then most of the time we can get them out of it.
Liane:And I mean, those suits aren't cheap. So I would imagine they're willing to work with you if they're conscious.
Dee:For the most part, if they're in a good head space, they are definitely willing to work with us. If they're not in a good headspace, then sometimes we just have to, k. Let's go. We're cutting it.
Liane:I remember a friend of mine that was, taken out by a left hand turning vehicle and the paramedics were having a god awful time cutting his Kevlar off, not realizing it's Kevlar. How would you deal with Kevlar?
Dee:We have started carrying a very specific set of trauma shears with us. The normal trauma shears that paramedics carry run about $5 apiece, and they're they're not good. Like, you almost have to saw through stuff to use them. But there's better quality trauma shears out there right now that will cut through literally anything. And we've we outfit the ambulances on the racetracks with those all the time, because then on, like for example, on race weekends, have two ambulances for paramedics.
Dee:So if we get a serious incident, there's four sets of educated hands now that can resolve the issue. And if we need to get them out of the leathers quickly, it can be done super, super fast. That's awesome.
Liane:That's good to know. There's been some movement on that, or at least that you guys have taken some care into understanding the different shears that are needed for things like that. All right, the hard one is the couple of fatalities without naming names and of course respecting privacy without going into specifics. How do you as a paramedic respond to knowing someone has either passed on the track or you know they're going to and and you're, like, the last person to manage them through that? It's part
Dee:of the job, and it doesn't really hit us until later. The one of the first fatalities we actually knew that rider quite well, and we knew that there was no way he was going to survive this incident. So that one was tough, but it it got tough a couple hours later. You know what I mean? Once once you you have time to think about it.
Dee:I I have when you've been doing this as long as I've been doing this, you kinda develop your own systems to deal with mental trauma. And I have got a couple people that I'm very good with chatting with when I do need to get something off my chest. And then once it's off once it's off the chest and off the brain, then it's over. And then you get ready for the next one.
Liane:Yeah. I'm I'm not I'm not sure that like, because we've had this discussion with Justin Knappik on a previous episode in a different season. I'm not I'm just not built like you guys. I I went to one collision site once when I first started AMSS, I was asked to come out there and seeing a person's body under a blanket on a road and this is ten years ago is still so engraved in my brain. Like I said, I can't ever do that again.
Liane:I'm built for that. I'm not trained to deal with that. And I think Justin had said the same thing that there's some mental health avenues put in place for first responders.
Dee:There is. Yep. Yep. Between your own decisions and your own techniques, there is always mental health. I mean, for example, I've got 40 paramedics that work with me right now.
Dee:So if I know one of them has had a bad day or a bad call, then I'm the first one to go, what do you guys need to talk about? If you need to talk, we're here. Right? So they know the option is there.
Liane:Do you also teach mental health first aid?
Dee:I don't. That is not not right now. That's something I'm gonna be looking into, but I'm not not in not in the space to be able to take that one on yet.
Liane:I'm just the the only reason why I bring that up is because you're at the track and and everybody loves the d's at the track. And I I see that love for you guys because of the role, the very important role that you play out there for the road racers in our province and obviously all these other places that you go as well. But I know how much they love the Ds at the track. I can only imagine after a fatality situation, like their mental health and how did they get back out there? And have you ever had to step in and tell somebody maybe they shouldn't go back on the track?
Dee:Absolutely. How
Liane:do you how do you approach that?
Dee:As a from their own try to approach it from their perspective. Like, k. I don't think you should be ready, you know, and here's why. And sit down and talk about it. Like, For dealing with the fatalities at the track, there are some people that are very, very good about getting out there and helping us and some people that we make stay away for that purpose, you know, because it isn't a job that everybody can do.
Dee:And that's perfectly fine. That's perfectly fine. So the tough part about the track is because we know so many of them, and we've known so many of them for so long. Like, we've been friends with Justin for for many, many, many years. And Justin and I had a conversation one day about, how do you guys do it because you know us so well?
Dee:Well, it's the job.
Liane:Yeah. That was one of the tough questions I asked Justin on an episode was when he's responding to a motor vehicle accident involving a motorcycle, does that go through his head of, am I going to know that person? You know, and you guys already have all these bonds and that's like, it's such a different perspective. And yeah, I mean, I appreciate the fact that as professionals, you put yourself in your, it's like game on and this is what we're here to do. And whether someone's you're spending their last breaths or you're cutting them out of their leathers, or you're just doing a check either way, it's, you're always professional first.
Dee:Correct.
Liane:And I can't imagine that's easy, but hats off to you guys for that for sure.
Dee:Some days are awesome. Some days are wonderful. I mean, some days we laugh more than we do anything else, you know, and some days are just tough days at the office.
Liane:Have you done any support for the new track down by you in Yes.
Dee:Yep. We are the primary provider for that track.
Liane:Awesome. So you're out at RMM all the time. That's great. So you work closely then with the Hard Knocks guys and CMRA and that as well. Which there's a lot of overlap between everybody in the road racing
Dee:circuit. It's a small community. It absolutely is.
Liane:Absolutely. Looking at Stratotech RadTorque Raceway RMM in those three tracks from your perspective as paramedic, putting safety standards first, is there still improvements that can be done at the tracks to protect the riders when there is a major incident that happens?
Dee:Absolutely, there is.
Liane:What would you say would be some of the things that the tracks should continue to focus on? Because I know they try and I know they're they're building air fences and stuff, but what else can be done?
Dee:Well, the direction is has definitely been going trending upwards, like you said, with the air fences and the bottle bags and the the gear that goes in and the promotions for the gears to be upgraded. I just think it needs to continue in that trajectory because with every major incident, there's a learning. And if you're if you're open to that learning, then then everything will progress in that same upward trajectory. No different than after the first fatality, they made some changes to rad torque. Right?
Dee:After the second fatality, they made some more changes to rad torque. So it's it's definitely trending in the correct direction. And of all the different groups, hard knocks, CMRA, EMRA, all the different groups that we work with, everybody's got safety really high on their on their priority list. And that's exactly where it should be.
Liane:So regardless of the fact that there have been some some incidents at the track and a couple fatalities, I think you and I are still in agreement that that is still the safest place to be pushing
Dee:your skills. Absolutely. It is. And it's for the same reason that, you know, it's the take it to the track because it's the bubble. So you're pushing the envelope at the racetrack.
Dee:Right? You're testing your skills and you're pushing the envelope, but you're not going to accidentally involved, you know, the person pushing the stroller a half a block down who's just trying to get home. And that's the difference is is there's no you're not involving anything externally here. Like, it's it's not gonna take an ambulance off the road. If like an AHS ambulance off the road, it's not gonna tie up police services.
Dee:You know? It's it's a bubble. So it's if you wanna push yourself in that sport, it's the safest place to be.
Liane:And there's track days. There's race school to learn to become a road racer. Like, there's so many options out there. And especially with the RMM getting off the ground, Now there's even more in CMRA coming back. There's even more.
Dee:That's correct.
Liane:And so really, there's no excuse to be using our streets as a racetrack any longer.
Dee:That's that's my thinking. I mean, even going back to the Race City days, when we knew Race City was gonna close, I actually had a conversation with somebody and says there's gonna be an increase in street racing street racing fatalities. And there was because you take away the bubble. Right? So but now that we've got RMM and and all the Edmonton tracks have got all their stuff set up, then yeah, it's the safest place to go.
Liane:That's awesome. Any last tips for anybody, Dee?
Dee:Just get the gear correctly and never use the phrase that I'm never gonna come and see the ambulance because, yeah, ER.
Liane:Do you have guys that say that on the track? Yeah. I love it.
Dee:Yeah. I'm so happy you're here, but I'm never gonna come and see you. Try again.
Liane:Then next weekend they're at the ambulance. They're like, so how's that working out for you? Yeah. You know? Oh, that's awesome.
Liane:I love people who are, you know, think that everything's just gonna go perfect because something's always gonna go wrong when you feel that way.
Dee:Yeah. And it's, again, it's not an if, it's a when.
Liane:Yeah, exactly. Dee, thank you so much for coming on the show. I can't even imagine your job. I look forward to seeing you out at the track. I was a little ghosty last year, but I'll pop by and say hi if I make it out this year.
Dee:Sounds great.
Liane:For everybody out there, just a reminder, we're getting to the close to the May and we've got another couple of weeks left. We got the Think Bike fifty fifty still going. I'm hoping to give away $10,000 up to $10,000 to somebody on May 31 to put that towards some really good gear. You can get some great stuff with $10. Outside of that, stay tuned for the mixed bag.
Liane:On today's mailbag, we're gonna talk a little bit about things that get stolen off your bike. So Jeffrey from Edmonton asked if anyone out there has ever had anything stolen from their saddlebags. He had some chaps stolen out of his saddlebags while parked in his secure underground parking of the complex that he lives in. So the advice for everyone is if your bags don't lock, probably shouldn't leave anything in there. Even if your bags don't lock to your bike, you probably shouldn't leave them there.
Liane:People are people and they're gonna take what isn't nailed down unfortunately. The only time you're the most secure is in your own garage and even then things can happen. I've had a license plate stolen nearly every year in the fall when I lived in my apartment building. Didn't stop till I bought my house and had a garage. Long advice short, don't leave helmets on handlebars.
Liane:Don't leave stuff in your saddlebags of value, Even tool rolls. If it isn't locked down, it could disappear if not being watched. If you need to, there are solutions out there for locking. And that's our show for today. To make sure that you don't miss out on any of our upcoming podcasts or listen to previous ones, make sure you click on subscribe or follow wherever you get yours.
Liane:If there's a topic you'd like us to cover or a guest you think would be great on the show or even a question for the mailbag, let us know. You can connect with us on all the socials, Email us at info@ab-amss.org or reach out through the website at a b dash a m s s dot org. Thanks for listening to Think Bike. From us, always remember to ride smart, ride safe, and think bike. See you out on the road.