K862 BSG Here is a Land Rover 110 Defender which is used by St. John Ambulance in Chorley, Lancashire. Notice the heightened roof to make it easy to move around in the rear.
In this shot the same ambulance has been called into action at a motor cross event. The injured patient has been loaded into the North West air ambulance ‘Helimed 08’, which is taking off in the background.
J466 HVK is a Land Rover Discovery that is used for ambulance purposes by the voluntary organisation ‘Emergency Mobile Medical Unit Rescue’. It has an unusual yellow and green stripe marks up the sides and has numerous sponsors mentioned on all sides.
YK55 AEZ This Honda CRV is a rapid response ambulance car with the Yorkshire Ambulance Service.
The rear view of the same CRV. The Honda spare wheel cover has not been changed to a high-visibility version.
Y947 LJX Another rapid response vehicle is this Land Rover Freelander. This used to be an emergency doctor car before the ambulance service took over the service. They changed the light bar from green to blue and made some amendments to the livery.
NU54 NYL is a red Vauxhall Corsa that is used by an ambulance service first responder in the Hurworth & Darlington area. It carries identifying signs on all sides. First responders are are usually local people who have been trained in emergency medical care. They are dispatched at the same time as an ambulance to a 999 but often arrive sooner.
N999 TAO This beefy Nissan Patrol is used as an events ambulance by ‘TAO’. It has two full blue light bars on the roof which flash from left to right and back simultaneously. These light bars are complemented by repeater blue lights around the periphery of the car.
HX05 EBA This Mercedes Benz ambulance conversion by UV Modular is in service with Hampshire Ambulance.
W657 PRB This is an Iveco ambulance that is used by East Midlands Ambulance Service. It has white bodywork, but the bonnet and wind deflector on the roof of the cab are both coloured yellow.
Y985 JFC This is a Volvo V70 XC that is used for ambulance purposes by the private company Haven Ambulance Service.
NK06 FLM Here we have a yellow Ford Focus estate which is used as a paramedic rapid response car by the North East Ambulance Service in North East England. It has a slim LED light bar on the roof, with additional blue lights behind the grille and in the middle of the dashboard.
The rear and side view of the same Focus. Its colour follows the European standard for ambulances and on top of this it has the common green and yellow battenburg markings. Heavily-tinted windows on the rear portion of the car help to hide any medical equipment from thieves, and also offer some privacy for seated patients that may be transported to hospital.
M161 XYA This imported Mitsubishi Delice is a very unusual vehicle. It is run by the private Severn Ambulance and Medical Services and is used for off-road response work.
The rear view of the Mitsubishi. Notice the small but effective LED blue lights on the rear bumper of this compact, four-wheel drive ambulance.
X597 DKU This red Ford Mondeo is used as a medic car at the Center Parcs campsite in Sherwood Forest. It has a green and white checkered stripe up the sides and a blue light with integral siren on the roof.
OU54 DXJ This is a Nissan Patrol ambulance conversion that is used by St. John Ambulance in Shropshire. Notice that the heightened roof contains all of the flashing lights.
M343 SNT Also with St. John in Shropshire is this 1995 Land Rover Defender ambulance.
Here is a photograph of a silver Honda and black Yamaha motorbike which are used for blue light work by MedicPlus Ambulance & Medical Service in Bristol. Also pictures are two of the riders who are first responders.
FJ55 OEX is a VW Transporter TDI which is with East Midlands Ambulance Service. It is liveried as an ‘ambulance incident support unit’ and a ‘communications vehicle’. Its yellow paintwork has a row of battenburg down the sides as well as the checker markings along the roof line which show it’s a control unit. On the roof are two double blue lights and two green lights. Ambulance control vehicles are allowed to show white and green checkered flashing lights.
K499 RTN This Renault Master ambulance is shown as belonging to St. John at Peterlee (County Durham) and being used as a first aid post. It is an ex-NEAS front line vehicle. Since this photograph was taken, the blue lights have been removed ands the livery altered.
HX04 NPC is a mk.4 Crusader belonging to St. John Ambulance Durham. It is based at Peterlee and the small crest on the door indicates that much of the funding for it came from Peterlee town council.
Y814 TNV This is a silver Land Rover Freelander ambulance car. It is run by a private ambulance service called M&L in the London area.
PO54 DDK Also on the run with M&L is this Renault Master ambulance.
EO52 FLA This Ford Mondeo estate is also used by M&L as a Medical Response Unit. The blue light bar is attached to the roof rails so no drilling is needed, helping the re-sale value.
LX04 BNK M&L also run this VW ambulance which is fully battenburg marked.
This is a new, unregistered Ford Tourneo that is also used by M&L. It is liveried as a Medical Response Unit.
HK55 KNJ is a Mercedes-Benz Hampshire Ambulance in the European standard yellow ambulance colour.
The rear aspect of the ambulance. The right hand side folds down to make a stretcher lift. Some ambulances have this lift folded up inside the rear doors.
LKZ 9218 This Range Rover Ambulance (Call sign SA003) is with Severn Ambulance & Medical Services. It was formally with St. John Ambulance and the NHS. It is used in the South Gloucestershire area for off road events. It carries a Northern Ireland registration mark.
The rear view of the Range Rover with ambulance coachwork.
Here are a number of physically and mentally disabled children helping to receive a cheque for the charity that helps them called Snappy. Ambulance staff collected money that they would normally have spent on Christmas cards for each other. Their mascot, a human-sized, walking, mute crocodile, can be seen in the driving seat of the ambulance!
X644 VOG This white Ford Transit is used by TENYAS for vehicle maintenance purposes. An ‘out of service’ sign can be seen inside the van. This can be displayed on an emergency ambulance when the maintenance team are driving it or working on it.
W547 EAG This private events ambulance is run by the commercial side of Tees, East and North Yorkshire ambulance service. The clear wording on the front and rearmost side windows show its use. It was previously a rapid response car on front line duties.
YK55 AEL This silver Honda CRV is used as a rapid response car with Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service. Notice the repeater blue lights above the registration plate and on the front wings.
R151 NCF This posed photograph shows a Fiat Ducato operated by Severn Ambulance & Medical Services. The vehicle started life with Staffordshire Ambulance Service, and has had a full make over from the usual Staffs. sparse livery.
WU53 FUT One of Avon Ambulance Service’s all-yellow Mercedes ambulances. This vehicle’s call sign is 2202 and is based at Yate ambulance station in the South Gloucestershire Area.
H945 UHH This Ford Transit ambulance with Customline bodywork is used for emergency medical cover at Warden Law Motorsport Centre in Sunderland. It carries a simple livery with numerous ‘ambulance’ signs. It is not taxed as it only operates on private land.
The rear view of the Transit, which has also been photographed in previous years at Croft motor racing circuit and when it was in service with the British Red Cross.
OW04 GZM This is a Renault Espace which is being used by Oxfordshire Ambulance service as a rapid response unit. It has a silver body with full height yellow and green battenburg marks over. On the roof is a clear light bar and around the front there are four blue flashing lights.
The rear view of the Espace, showing the large ‘Paramedic’ wording.
OU05 LYW Another Renault with Oxfordshire Ambulance is this long wheel base Master. It has two clear light bars on the roof and four blue lights around the front. The blue light mounted at the front-most part of the side of the ambulance is for conspicuity when emerging from a side road.
The rear shot of the Renault Master. Notice how the rear doors are yellow in base colour, whereas the rest of the vehicle is in white.
N84 NHT An overhead look at a Wiltshire Renault Master T35 ambulance dating from 1996. It carries the out-dated diagonal stripe livery on the front and sides. Notice the additional blue flashing lights mounted awkwardly on the sloping bonnet.
YD52 TWF is a TENYAS Mercedes ambulance (with WAS bodywork) receiving a patient from the air ambulance behind.
YX55 FUJ This sparsely-liveried Renault Master ambulance is privately run by Mediswift Ambulances Services Ltd. Notice that it carries a green star of life logo rather than the traditional blue.
PO54 DDK This yellow Renault ambulance is run by a private company called CT Patient Transport. It is a Neo-Natal Tech Unit. You can see an amber light on the roof which will be used when the ambulance is on airport taxiways.
LT02 OEN is a Mitsubishi Shogun Sport belonging to the British Red Cross. It is used by the duty officer at an event. In the background can be seen a Red Cross LDV ambulance and trailer.
AE05 KTF The rear view of a British Red Cross Renault ambulance in London.
YH02 ZBX is a TENYAS Vauxhall Frontera ambulance rapid response car. It has a green and yellow battenburg colour-scheme over silver bodywork.
This is the same Frontera in its previous role as a senior officer’s car. It has a small crest on each front door and a removable blue light bar on the roof. This is supplemented by permanent flashing blue lights behind the grille and in the rear window. This photograph was taken during its first week of service in April 2002.
This is a Bombardier Outlander Max quad bike developed for ambulance use by Quad Tech. The boxes on the front and rear of the bike can carry specialist equipment. This example is not fully liveried and carries no blue lights. A similar police version is also available.
This is an Iveco-based command and control unit of the Royal Berkshire Ambulance service. It is a high specification vehicle featuring satellite communications and flood lighting. It is also fitted with both blue and green flashing lights.
Next we have a Mitsubishi Shogun belonging to Dorset Ambulance Service. It is fitted with additional clear LED flashing lights both on the front grill and on the front bumper.
This Peugeot 1007 is designed to be used as a paramedic rapid response car.
One of the most novel features of this car is its electric sliding doors. Each door weights 42 kg and takes five seconds to open and six seconds to close – not ideal for emergency use.
E400 DPK This Renault Dodge is a London Ambulance Service control unit. Dating from the late 1980s, this vehicle has been re-liveried since first introduced to keep it looking modern.
M947 JPB This LAS Vauxhall Cavalier 2.0i is used as a control unit vehicle. It has green checkers down both sides and a double blue light on the roof as well as repeaters on the grille. Written down the sides is ‘London Ambulance Service Central Ambulance Control’. This vehicle was still in use on London’s roads in Summer 2005 (at 10 years of age!).
Y544 CGO Another LAS control unit is this VW Transporter.
The rear view showing the clear wording on all sides.
LG51 AYC This LAS Renault Megane Scenic has a yellow stripe running around it as well as ambulance logos. It does not have any blue lights. Inset: the rear view.
BG51 PKX This is a Mercedes Benz Sprinter that is used by the LAS as a mechanics’ support unit. It is fitted with amber flashing lights as it may have to stop in a dangerous position to assist a stranded ambulance. It is run by a private company that is contracted to provide services to the ambulance service.