San Francisco airport paramedics will start using bikes to get around

SAN FRANCISCO INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT -- In anticipation of Super Bowl 50 and an increase in overall travelers, paramedics are learning how make their way through the San Francisco International Airport on bicycles in order to improve emergency medical care, fire officials announced.

Paramedics with the San Francisco Fire Department's Airport Division have already completed their first training session on how to use bicycles in and around the airport's terminals, according to fire officials.

Bicycle instructors from the city's police department provided a class to the paramedics on the unique challenges of operating bikes in crowded places, fire officials said.

The bicycles are on loan from the city's police department.

On a bicycle, a paramedic would be able to arrive on scene promptly to begin treating an injury, whereas an ambulance or fire engine normally has a hard time navigating crowds and heavy traffic, according to fire officials.

The team of bicycle-riding paramedics would be deployed when the airport anticipates heavier than normal traffic, such as Super Bowl 50, which is scheduled to take place on Feb. 7 at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara.