TULSA, Okla. — The Tulsa Fire Department recently launched a bicycle response team to respond to calls at Turkey Mountain.
The team will respond to injured hikers or bikers, as well as those who get lost in the mountain. They will also appear at big events in the area, such as the Route 66 Marathon coming up later this month.
Brittany Sparks says she comes to Turkey Mountain at least five times a week. She says she has gotten lost only once and was able to find her way out, but she thinks the new response team will be helpful.
The bicycles will allow first responders the ability to get much closer to victims in the woods than they currently can with their ATVs. But perhaps one of the most important aspects of the bike team is a quicker response time for those who need help.
“It's going to dramatically improve our ability to be able to get to patients more quickly," says Kayle Greiman, Fire Captain for Engine 6. "We have conducted a lot of time tests out on Turkey Mountain with a walk to a known location versus a bike response to the same location. And we are able to get there in about a third of the time.”
TFD says with new trails being developed along with added accessibility, more families are heading out to Turkey Mountain. They say over the last couple of years, the number of people who go has doubled which makes the bike team that much more important.
TFD says the bike response team will hopefully be in full swing at Turkey Mountain sometime next year.
Trending Stories:
- Elon Musk confirms Twitter verification charge, introducing other features
- DOWNLOAD the 2 News Oklahoma app for alerts
- Four more burials discovered at Oaklawn Cemetery
- FOLLOW 2 News Oklahoma on Facebook
- Small electronics being collected for recycling throughout Tulsa
Stay in touch with us anytime, anywhere --
- Download our free app for Apple, Android and Kindle devices.
- Sign up for daily newsletters emailed to you
- Like us on Facebook
- Follow us on Instagram
- Follow us on Twitter
