Kern River Bike Patrol assigns director, but has much to do before it can start pedaling
The all-volunteer Kern River Bike Patrol tentatively began to take shape at a meeting Thursday evening in downtown Bakersfield.
About two dozen people gathered at Community House at Central Park to begin the process of making the idea of a bike patrol into a working organization made up of bike trail ambassadors who promote safety, offer an informed trail presence, trailside information, bike safety advice, flat tire assistance and simple bike repair, as well as first aid skills and other assistance.
"We had to start with a couple of basic members," said Billy Owens, park ranger manager for the city of Bakersfield, who also has volunteered as a reserve police officer for the Bakersfield Police Department for 34 years.
Owens has been chosen to be the volunteer interim director of the patrol to help get the organization off the ground. His stint as director will be temporary, he said, as the ultimate vision is to build a community-based service, including a board of directors.
Jeff Goines, who has had experience with the National Ski Patrol — the origin of the National Bike Patrol — was installed as the second member. He was also present Thursday.
Plans to establish a well-trained, well-organized group to watch over the "lake-to-lake," 36-mile bike trail along the Kern River Parkway was first proposed publicly in mid-February when Shawn Biglari, bike adviser for the National Ski Patrol SoCal Region, introduced the idea, with local support, to the Kern County Parks and Recreation Commission.
Biglari told commissioners the American River Bike Patrol in the Sacramento area can be used as a model for the Kern River Bike Patrol.
Formed in 2020, the American River Bike Patrol is affiliated with the National Bike Patrol, which is an outgrowth of the federally chartered nonprofit National Ski Patrol, formed in 1938.
In four years, the American River Bike Patrol has grown to more than 105 members.
"Some good news," Owens told the gathering Thursday. "We are a sanctioned section with the National Ski Patrol."
The American River Bike Patrol, also affiliated with the National Ski Patrol, documented nearly 2,000 patrols last year, with close to 1,700 incidents classified as informational, such as providing directions, advising trail users about trail etiquette, the correct lane to walk in, trail rules, speeding, minors riding without helmets and more.
Nearly 200 of them involve helping trail users with their bikes, flat tires, chain repair and other problems.
And many cases involved medical assists, from bee stings and cuts to dehydration and broken bones.
Volunteers with the local bike patrol will need to have basic cycling skills, be CPR-certified to Red Cross standards and have first aid training, Owens said.
Patrol members are not to get involved in any law enforcement activity. However, they will be able to call for park rangers when the situation merits it, Owens said.
Patrol members will be identified by a red jersey, embroidered with a white cross.
Volunteers must also undergo Live Scan fingerprinting for criminal history record checks.
"If you've ever done a Live Scan, it's a real simple process," Owens said.
"The other key thing tonight is establishing some type or form of chapter leadership," Owens said.
Establishing the bike patrol is not about the city or the county running the patrol; it's about getting the public involved.
"We want the leadership to be developed, and that leadership should run the program," Owens said. "The city will be here to help guide, and offer suggestions, maybe facilitate meetings, things like that.
"The county is on board, too, assisting in similar ways," he said.
Brian Dooley, who described himself as a "returning avid cyclist," attended Thursday's meeting, and filled out an application before it was over.
'I think we're on the right path," Dooley said. "I'm hoping to see attitudes of service, people who aren't out there to police anything, but are out there to help people."
