TENYAS’s life-cycle was started in May 2001. LAS (London Ambulance Service) were the first service to trial a cycling paramedic a year and a half earlier. But does this photograph show that cycling paramedics have been around for much longer than first thought?
One of the two TENYAS Lifecycles outside York ambulance station in October 2001.
This is TENYAS’s life cycle in use. It is a top of the range mountain bike fitted with white lights, blue flashing lights (shown) and a siren, alongside two panniers of medical equipment. Ambulance control have just notified us of an emergency by mobile ‘phone.
Paramedic Mark Inman is responding to a 999 call for an ambulance. He knows all of the short cuts through the city of York to rapidly respond to calls.
Mark has removed the panniers of medical equipment and entered the house of an 89 year old lady. She dialed 999 after damaging her hand by a fall when shopping. Mark arrived in three minutes after zipping through the traffic using his blue flashing lights and sirens.
An ambulance calmly arrives and the lady is prepared for transportation to hospital. Mark contacts the control room to let them know the details of the call before standing down.
This was the first bicycle to be featured on UKev. On trial for 16 weeks in York’s city centre (during summer 2001, and then made permanent) is TENYAS’s (Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service) paramedic life-cycle, fully equipped to cope with any emergency. The bike is quicker at getting through the tight, winding streets of York than a regular ambulance.
It is fitted out with white lights alongside blue flashing lights and a siren! The siren is similar to a car alarm, with the power provided by a large battery fitted where the water bottle would normally be. It also has a speedometer fitted.
There are two identical bikes, but only one paramedic to ride them. He responds to 2-3 calls per shift, travels about 30 miles per day, and is only used during daylight hours. Both bikes were donated by a private company. The panniers are heavily laden with equipment including an oxygen supply and a defibrillator. They lift off the bike to be carried to a casualty. The rider is equipped with a radio and a mobile telephone for communications. The real benefit of this system is that it is an inexpensive way of having an extra ‘ambulance’ on the road that can respond to emergencies.
GFB 638W or 06 AF 33 This Bedford CF2 ambulance is an ex-RAF vehicle, hence the dual registration plates (for show only). It started life in 1981 in London and was decommissioned in 1992.
93 AA 13 This Land Rover Series 2 ambulance was previously used by the RAF, entering service in 1969 and retired in 1983. The vehicle is now preserved with its original RAF paint scheme.
RBH 540D This is a preserved Vauxhall Victor that was originally purchased from Bridge Motors, Windsor, Berks and spent all of its working life with Slough Estates Ltd. on the Slough Trading Estate. It later moved to Northumberland County Council’s Ambulance Service. Notice the roof-top storage box and Winkworth warning bell on the front grille.
One of the forerunners of the motorised ambulance is this wheeled stretcher. Looking like a child’s pram, it can accommodate one recumbent casualty. Retractable legs allow it to be stood still. Traveling over cobbled streets in this would have been a bone-shaking experience!
VHO 232H This old BMC ambulance has had all of the ‘ambulance’ wording removed and is now in private use. All that remains is one of its blue lights on the bonnet.
UOA 585 This green Austin Princess ambulance was new in 1956. t was painted green to distinguish it from front line ambulances. It worked until 1979 as a factory ambulance for Hardy Spicer, Chester Road, Birmingham. It then passed through the hands of a number of preservationists who worked to restore it to its original condition. Notice the warning bell on the front bumper.
H537 GPD was the first motorcycle to be used by London Ambulance Service to respond to emergencies. It is now a preserved vehicle in the service’s museum.
The rear view of the Norton showing the panniers built into the motorcycle body.
M762 LPB The Nortons were replaced in the 1990’s by Honda ST1100 Pan-Europeans. This vehicle dates from 1994/95.
JXP 63 is a Daimler ambulance that dates from 1949 and was also used in London. Notice how the warning bell is mounted on the front above the bumper and that there are no rotating beacons on the vehicle.
ELN 235Y is a Mercedes 250 LWB ambulance dating from 1983 which was operated by St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London.
HUC 999W is a former London Ambulance Service Control Unit from 1982. When this Ford based van left the front line ambulance fleet it was kept fully operational so it cold be used in the case of a major emergency.
The rear of the van has two telescoping communication aerials which would be raised once the control is established at an incident.
J529 OPM is a Renault Espace which was also used by the LAS. The green and white chequers on the roof signify that this vehicle was used as a control unit.
The rear view of the Espace.
This view shows the roof mounted telescopic tower extended in order for the vehicle to be spotted at a major incident. Like the Ford above, it has been kept fully operational.
MMF 477L is a Peugeot/Reeve Sovam Concorder Mk 1 prototype ambulance. This ambulance was seen as very futuristic when it was new in 1972.
B322 DPK is a Bedford CF2 ambulance which was typical of London Ambulance Services fleet from the 1980’s.
KGY 597D is a Land Rover Series 2 control unit formerly used by LAS. The large wing mounted mirrors are to help the driver when the vehicle is towing the trailer shown below.
This trailer would have been towed by a similar Land Rover to that above and contains vital emergency equipment.
394 BXA This ex-front line London Ambulance is one of the most filmed emergency vehicle in the UK. It has appeared in numerous TV shows and films
437 BXA is a sister vehicle of the above. It is a preserved 1959 London Ambulance that was used in Wandsworth borough. Notice the bell mounted on the bonnet.
AEF 732C Moving even further back in time, this is a 1965 Commer ambulance maintained by Tees, East and North Yorkshire ambulance service. It has a top speed of 45 mph and throughout its life has only clocked up 8,000 miles.
Inside the back, showing the archaic equipment. This vehicle has been owned by the Civil Defence Corps, Hartlepool Ambulance Service and Cleveland Ambulance Service (all now defunct). The photos here shown it in 2005.
TRB 742R Here is a rusting Ford Transit ambulance at Barrow Hill near Chesterfield.
74 GJ 17 is a 1977 Landrover V8 ambulance. This left-hand drive vehicle was built for the British army and used during the Gulf War in 1991. It left active service in 1992 for civilian use.
SVN 851K An army Landrover ambulance.
The rear view showing the bodywork added to the Landrover chassis.
CSU 597 A rare sight on UK roads is this USA army ambulance. It is registered, owned and kept in the UK by an enthusiast.
The opposing view, showing the back doors create a huge red cross sign and the fuel can and tools strapped to the side of the vehicle.
Road Accident (2007): Here we look at medics working alongside the other emergency services at a major road accident. This is an exercise that was carried out in Durham in May 2007. Casualties were provided by St. John Ambulance and local colleges and universities.
NK03 GWP is a North East Ambulance Service Ford Focus rapid response car. It has been abandoned by the roadside with its blue lights flashing as the crew has left to deal with multiple casualties.
NEAS incident support vehicles soon arrive, one towing a trailer. These secondary response vehicles carry large amounts of equipment, and in this instance their inflatable tent is required.
Quickly inflated, the tent is used as a triage shelter to assess casualties and prioritise them.
Due to the seriousness of the collision, one of the Great North Air Ambulances (G-HEMS) is called. Here it is landing with among the emergency vehicles and triage shelter.
Air ambulance doctors are shown here with Durham and Darlington Fire & Rescue extricating a driver impaled in the drivers seat of the van.
Careful coordination is needed to gently remove the windscreen and roof and then extricate the seriously injured casulaty.
HW09 BPZ This is a Renault Kangoo that is operated as an animal ambulance by Animals At Home. It carries green and yellow checker markings down the sides and across the bonnet. It also has the Defra logo on each front wing. It is part of a national franchised company.
HK08 ANX is a Renault Koleos horse ambulance. It is operated by Racehorse Ambulance Ltd. Notice how the blue light bar has been covered with a black cover for when the car is driven on the public roads. This is because an ambulance must be for the purpose of transporting sick or injured people.
The rear view of the silver Renault Koleos.
YX02 OTP This Fiat Ducco has been decked out with green and yellow battenburg markings and fitted with an amber flashing light bar.
YE06 BYW This silver BMW X3 is a racehorse ambulance vehicle. It is fitted with a full blue light bar on the roof (covered in this photo) and dashboard-mounted repeaters. The car is has permanent 4-wheel drive and a powerful 3-litre engine. These features allows it to travel across rough ground easily as well as pull the heavy trailer.
The rear view of the car and trailer combination. The sponsor’s logo (BMW) can be seen on the trailer, as well as two additional blue flashing lights that are covered up.
M1 CVN This Citroen van is used as an emergency veterinary ambulance in Merseyside. In the back is equipment that allows the treatment and transportation of animals that are in a critical condition. It has a double blue light on the roof and a repeater on the dashboard. These are used at events or when on emergency calls. When the vehicle is not on active emergency duty the lights are covered.
YS53 RYV This silver Nissan Terrano and horse trailer carry the same livery and are both fitted with blue flashing lights.
WA05 UAS This Renault Kangoo is run by an animal ambulance company called ‘Animals at Home Ltd’. It is registered as an ambulance and is kitted out to transfer injured animals to veterinary surgeries.
This is a Nissan pick-up truck which is being used as a veterinary equine response unit. Its 4×4 capabilities and carrying capacity make it highly suited to its role.
The view into the rear of an almost identical ‘large animal response unit’, with some of the patients in the background.
This Renault Kangoo is another veterinary ambulance for a private practice.
This is a Renault Traffic veterinary ambulance. Along with the three photos above, this was donated by Animedic. They have put around 200 veterinary ambulances on the road in the UK (2000-4). They have a range of seven vehicles and also produce specialist vehicles for the human market.
P831 NUK This is a Nissan Terrano II horse ambulance. It is four-wheel-drive and is equipped with a 2.7 litre turbo diesel engine with enough power and torque to smoothly pull a heavy trailer over grass.
The rear view of the same car. It is operated by Racecourse Ambulance Services Ltd.
The view of the Terrano and its similarly liveried trailer.
A three-legged mare gets out the back of the horse ambulance after a short journey from the racecourse to the stables.
A first for UK Emergency Vehicles, a quad bike. Clearly this vehicle is used as a rapid response horse ambulance. It is unclear whether the horse sits in front or behind the rider. Quad bikes are an unusual mode of transport for the emergency services, but there are ay least two examples of marked police quads in the UK.
Y36 TRP A Mercedes-Benz horse ambulance unit, on duty at York racecourse (background). The Merc is fitted with blue lights and the trailer with two sets. The blue lights are used on the road, normally with a police escort, but covered up when not on active duty.
The rear view of the car and trailer. The quad bike (above) is transported in the trailer when moving between events.
Y915 TDH A Daihatsu 4×4 horse ambulance car.
Towed by the donated Daihatsu 4×4 is this horse ambulance trailer. Both car and trailer are fitted with blue lights and are used at equestrian events around the country. The trailer opens at both ends to allow the casualty to walk on and off easily. This is probably the only type of ambulance you won’t see at a hospital!
This marine ambulance is called Flying Christine III. It is based on Guernsey, Channel Islands, and is run by Ambulance and Rescue Guernsey. It is also used to answer emergency calls on neighbouring islands.
The stern view.
EU04 MAA is a Ford Galaxy from the first batch batch of marked cars used by VOSA. It has yellow and black battenburg side markings, yellow and orange chevrons at the rear and a roof bar with amber lights & variable matrix signing.
The front view, as you may see in your rear-view mirror when the inspectors wish to stop you. There are amber repeaters on the grille and a clear ‘VOSA’ sign on the high-visibility yellow bonnet. It has a white tax disc that grants the vehicle exemption from vehicle excise duty.
The rear and roof aspect. The long variable message matrix sign can be seen on the amber lightbar. Also the wording ‘enforcement control’ is written on the roof.
Inside the back of the Galaxy is a small amount of equipment, including temporary road and information signs. There is a very small rear-facing camera at the top left. An identical camera faces forwards on the dashboard. These cameras record whenever the vehicle is in use and have been used for prosecutions.
EU04 MBM The rear three-quarter view of a sister Galaxy. The first batch of vehicles all have matching registration marks: they all start ‘EU03 M’. Later vehicles will have different registrations due to the year number changing every six months.
K518 UJT Dorset Search and Rescue operate this search control unit based on an Optare Metrorider minibus. It has a green and white checkered band down the side and no blue lights fitted.
EX03 UUD is a Land Rover Defender 90 TD5 used by Dorset Search and Rescue, based at Dorchester. It carries no blue lights.
This Land Rover is part of SARA’s (Severn Area Rescue Association) fleet. It is shown here with some of the equipment carried on show.
BX58 RYU This Iveco Daily van is used by the the UK International Search and Rescue Team in conjunction with the West Midlands Fire Service. The UK-ISAR is registered with the United Nations and is on call 365 days a year to respond to humanitarian disasters or accidents anywhere in the world.
BU08 HUV This is a British Red Cross Search and Rescue ambulance. It has been adapted from a standard Land Rover and has been fitted with blue lights and a battenburg livery.