Big crowds can also create big emergencies in Mobile. First responders are ready. A 14 hour day on Sunday starts with a meeting. Crews get their gear and start wheeling it out. All Mardi Gras Emergency calls are routed through a command center at the fire station on Francis Street. It creates a city within the city for greater speed.
âEfficiency, certainly our ability to be able to respond in a crowded area, that would be impossible otherwise,â said EMS Chief Jim Cox. Sure they have traditional ambulancesâbut also a fleet of pedal-powered bicycles loaded with gear.
âIf thereâs a medical emergency or any emergency itâs difficult for an ambulance to navigate or maneuver through a crowd so we use our bikes to quickly and easily access someone in a medical emergency,â said Steven Millhouse with MFRD. Other lifesavers include specially modified golf carts, used by MFRD as mini ambulances.
