Frustrated Paramedic

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Discussion

loafer123

Original Poster:

15,404 posts

214 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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On my journey to the station, I see a Mazda 6 with removable blue light on top, lots of lights in the rear and grille.

He's a paramedic - I see him in uniform sometimes - but he does his best to act as if he were an unmarked police car.

He is very reluctant to let anyone overtake him, staying in lane 2 on a fast dual carriageway on the route.

This morning, having watched him tailgate a car for a few miles, I decided to overtake him on the dual carriageway.

He did, reluctantly, move over, but not until we had both reached illegal speeds by some margin.

I then pulled into lane 1, and he switched on all of his blue flashing lights.

When we reached the roundabout, he told me off for speeding via open windows, whilst I told him that if he ever used his lights to pretend to be a police officer, I would report him.

I admit I was stupid to drive so fast, but it does annoy me that this guy is behaving like this, and I would be interested in the view of professionals on here.

paintman

7,669 posts

189 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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You could make a complaint about him either to the police or to the local ambulance service, but in the absence of any other evidence I can't see a lot being done.

Drumroll

3,738 posts

119 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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Are you sure he is even a paramedic? There are several sad people who claim to be things they are not.

loafer123

Original Poster:

15,404 posts

214 months

Monday 1st September 2014
quotequote all
Drumroll said:
Are you sure he is even a paramedic? There are several sad people who claim to be things they are not.
I am not certain, but I have seen him in a green uniform, so I suspect he is.

I don't want to particularly get this guy in trouble, but neither do I want him intimidating other road users - I am not one to be bullied, as he discovered this morning, but it is only because I have spotted him before that I was willing to challenge his "authority".

Elroy Blue

8,686 posts

191 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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Thee are quite a few very sad people who drive around in Paramedic uniforms. Some go as far as marking their cars up.

Sheepshanks

32,522 posts

118 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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Sounds like he might be a First Responder, although as said above, there have been cases of pretend paramedics turning up at accidents.

loafer123

Original Poster:

15,404 posts

214 months

Monday 1st September 2014
quotequote all

I hadn't even considered that. There are some truly odd people out there!

covboy

2,573 posts

173 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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Is the car marked up as an Ambulance ?

If so, surely it should have permanent Lighting all over (as opposed to a removable light)

If it’s a first responder, I would think they would be restricted to a green light – as per Doctors.

Drumroll

3,738 posts

119 months

Monday 1st September 2014
quotequote all
Green lights on the public highway are restricted to the use by Doctors only (see Highway Code)

Sheepshanks

32,522 posts

118 months

Monday 1st September 2014
quotequote all
covboy said:
If it’s a first responder, I would think they would be restricted to a green light – as per Doctors.
Almost anyone can use a blue light now. What First Responders can do depends on their local policy - some have vehicles fully marked up that look just like paramedic fast response vehicles.

loafer123

Original Poster:

15,404 posts

214 months

Monday 1st September 2014
quotequote all
covboy said:
Is the car marked up as an Ambulance ?

If so, surely it should have permanent Lighting all over (as opposed to a removable light)

If it’s a first responder, I would think they would be restricted to a green light – as per Doctors.
No it is a plain black Mazda 6, 2009, one of the two exhausts is missing, so likely to be a personal, rather than officially maintained car.

He has lots of electronics atatched to the windscreen, small blue light on the roof over the drivers head, flashing lights in rear windscreen and behind grille.

mph1977

12,467 posts

167 months

Monday 1st September 2014
quotequote all
Is he a Paramedic - I doubt it very much - as regardless of the police attitude , i can that going down with the HCPC about as well as tonne of lead bricks ...

Not all ambulance Staff are Paramedics - and unfortunately like any organisation there are a proportion of walters in the support staff grades doesn't matter if it's PTS or ECA ambulance staff, HCAs/ Nursing Auxiliaries, PCSOs or Security guards ( espcially those with 'close' protection SIA badges) - because they haven;t gone through the additional filter of the professional training ...

It's also why the recruitment and training of Speicals, Retained FFs and the voluntary Sector ambulance organisations has had a paradigm shift in the past 10 or so years ...

does he work for the NHS ambulance service - possibly ?
does he work for an 'Ambulance service' ? probably
does he work for a legitimate CQC registered ambulance service - possibly not - there are plenty of people trying to skirt the law on the topic becasue they know they wouldn;t pass the CQC registration progress but in doing so wouldlose the opportunity to tool around on blues (whiich in many cases they were denied when they were thrown out of the NHS ambulance se service or the VASes foe being one or both of useless and a walter )

First responders and green flashing beacons - no greens are for Dcotors who are not responding on behalf of a legitimate Ambulance Service ( as if they are responding on behalf of an ambulance service they use blues under 'ambulance purposes' - dual lit vehicles ( e.g. the London HEMS cars and some of the other ground vehicles operated by the Doctor carrying Air Ambulances / ground based Mobile Medical teams ) tend to be using the greens as a 'badge of office' to identify the MERIT vehicle from ordinary RRVs/ Officer cars - and before the recent Manchester Hatzola case is brought up - the judges avoided settign precedent there and it remains that Manchester Hatzola are not CQC registered and do not operate with the cooperation of NWAS who are the statutory 999 Ambulance agency for Manchester.


Edited by mph1977 on Monday 1st September 10:09

Drumroll

3,738 posts

119 months

Monday 1st September 2014
quotequote all
Sounds like a "Walter Mitty" to me.

Please remember just because someone wears green it does not make them a Paramedic.

I really can't see a genuine Paramedic risk losing there registration (and there lively-hood) by playing pretend cop.

Osinjak

5,453 posts

120 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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Feck all that, I'd report the little tt for sticking his blues on and pretending to be plod. They'll take quite a dim view of that.

Tunku

7,703 posts

227 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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Put it this way; if he is real, his actions have to be exemplary, otherwise he is bringing himself and his colleagues professionalism into disrepute by his actions. If he is a Walter Mitty he's not legal.
Either way his behaviour needs reported.

Slidingpillar

761 posts

135 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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Another voice for reporting. Strong chance he's a Walter, and the badly injured do not need 'treating' by one with time expired stuff.

Medic-one

3,105 posts

202 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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I would definately report him, especially if he uses blue lights, but then stops to start lecturing people over speeding.

Unfortunately not everyone in a green uniform is a paramedic. Patient transport services and some private ambulance services wear similar uniforms, whilst they are mainly a taxi service, taking people to and from their hospital appointments etc, but without any medical training or equipment.

In my area only some ambulance officers (managers) drive unmarked cars, and they will only use the blue lights on the way to actual emergencies, after being send there by the 999 call centre, so something doesn't sound right with this guy you keep seeing.

If you don't want to go to the police you can always just email the ambulance service in your area to ask if he works for them.

Medic-one

3,105 posts

202 months

Monday 1st September 2014
quotequote all

Good example here, and this clown even had a marked up car...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeuJ_6skbF4

elanfan

5,516 posts

226 months

Monday 1st September 2014
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OP - what was his reaction to you telling him you would report him? I think you could possibly infer a lot from that?

loafer123

Original Poster:

15,404 posts

214 months

Monday 1st September 2014
quotequote all

He kept saying "you should not be doing over xx mph"

I kept saying "what you are doing is illegal - you are an ambulanceman, not a policeman, and if you do it again, I will report you"

He didn't say anything to deny my accusation, he just kept repeating the same thing.