Firefighters deliver innovative course to reduce biker deaths on Argyll roads
FIREFIGHTERS are working with bikers to reduce the number of motorcyclists killed or injured on Argyll’s roads.
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS) crews regularly respond to serious collisions knowing those on two wheels are by far the most likely to be involved in a tragedy.
As many riders travel in pairs or groups, a fellow biker is often the first person on scene following an incident involving a motorcycle.
In a pilot project, firefighters in Argyll and Bute, Edinburgh and North Lanarkshire are running Biker Down courses, giving riders potentially life-saving skills to help them make the scene of a collision safe and protect a casualty.
The initiative first came to Scotland in 2015 when firefighter John Branney of North Lanarkshire’s Cumbernauld Community Fire Station sought permission to replicate the Kent Fire and Rescue Service project.
His team of volunteers – all firefighters and members of the SFRS bikers section – has delivered numerous courses over the past year.
Their efforts have been bolstered with crews at Oban and South Queensferry also now delivering the courses.
Dozens of motorcyclists from across Scotland have taken part, with the firefighters sharing their experience of attending serious road traffic collisions to make them aware of the dangers that face casualties and those coming to their aid.
Courses are currently scheduled to run in Motherwell on Saturday August 13 and in Oban on two Sundays, August 14 and 28.
Anyone interested in taking part in a course should contact the teams operating in the west and east of Scotland by email to bikerdownscotland@firescotland.gov.uk.
More information on the courses is available by visiting the Biker Down Scotland Facebook page.