Paramedics back on their bikes for final Six Nations clash at Murrayfield

Paramedics are set to get back on their bikes as Scotland take on Italy in their final Six Nations clash this weekend.

The emergency responders from the Scottish Ambulance Service will use pedal power to get to casualties around Edinburgh’s Murrayfield stadium on matchday on Saturday, and are part of a team of 11 recruited for the east region cycle response team.

Andrew Cook, paramedic team leader, said paramedics on bikes “can respond quicker to emergencies in busy areas that are difficult to travel through in a car or ambulance”.

He added: “The bikes have equipment that will enable them to respond to life-threatening emergencies and we hope that the cycle responder paramedics will be able to treat and triage patients appropriately on scene, which could potentially free up another resource for conveying patients to hospital.”

The bicycle paramedic team can be deployed anywhere in Scotland if needed.

Last year, the response team which Mr Cook leads was used at The Open in St Andrews and other sporting events, and is set to take to the streets for the second year running during the Edinburgh Festival Fringe in the summer.

The team was on patrol at Murrayfield for the Scotland-Ireland game last weekend, which the hosts lost 7-22.