WASHINGTON — Arlington may consider using motorcycle medics throughout the county.
The idea was raised by the county’s Fire Station No. 8 Task Force at its last meeting as a way to help improve response times.
“Arlington’s response times compared to the rest of the country are very good, but the county board believes that they could still be improved,” said Noah Simon, chairman of the task force.
But the likelihood of seeing motorcycles responding to calls is very slim. Fire professionals told the task force that the county isn’t dense enough to benefit from motorcycles.
“That model doesn’t work really for Arlington other than, say, when they do that for the Marine Corps Marathon,” Simon said. That’s because the county sees a sudden spike of people during those events, and extra mobility would help.
Another reason for the idea’s poor prognosis is simply that it is what it is: just an idea. “It was something they came across and simply mentioned it as a possibility.”
Simon noted that it hadn’t been thoroughly researched or discussed. Other ideas were raised, as well.
Some involved infrastructure, such as upgrading signal control and call center technologies, or setting up mini-stations in parts of the county. Others involved personnel, such as shifting coverage from Rosslyn and Crystal City to residential neighborhoods at night.
But how service is delivered to residents is not the job of the task force. Simon said the volunteer task force was solely tasked with identifying the best location to construct a new Fire Station No. 8.
The reason motorcycles and service delivery were being discussed was to include those considerations when looking at where a new fire station would be best used. “It would be difficult to not look at some of these larger issues and not comment on them.”
The task force has been in regular communication with the county council, which is asking residents to consider costs, along with the needs of the department and the community.
The current station sits at the corner of Lee Highway and North Culpeper Street. The task force is considering several locations for a new station, including the current site. Their recommendations will be delivered to the county council next month.
