The Great Chase

Mohawk Ambulance Paramedic Ed Marchand and EMT Becky Rosko are seen “chasing” jockeys during the 2007 Travers Stakes in Saratoga Springs, N.Y. The New York Racing Association (NYRA) requires that an ALS ambulance be on the track and “chase” each race. If a jockey falls near the start, the crew may need to quickly evacuate the patient off the track to avoid being trampled as horses return to the finish line. An additional ambulance is staged off track in case the “chase ambulance” is working with multiple patients. Insets (from left): Marchand and EMT Brady Crooks follow mounted handlers to the starting line to prepare for the next race. Marchand stages his ambulance while jockeys move past him to the starting gates. An NYRA EMT watches each race from a tower to monitor the track and notify the chase crew if any incidents occur.