Unmarked WRX with Blue Lights....?

[Smiler.]

On my trip to Hillingdon tonight, I rode up on a 54 plate WRX as described with a 'stick-on' blue light thingy (almost as wide as the roof). Hit a short bit os NL & he got it on, I was impressed with the line he took around this bend in the road (which was by now a 40 limit). Needless to say I was right with him, not too close - no red mist or anything, I was keen to see if the driver was BiB.

Anyway, I thought he was a doctor for 2 reasons.

1. He was heading towards Wexham Park Hospital.
2. I read in the local rag last week that a doctor just had his WRX nicked & people were gonna die.

Further up the road, sure enough, he pulled into the hopsital.

My question is - is this setup kosher?

[john57]

At least two Doctors I know have Scoobies kitted out with covert lights, etc .... they are both BASICs doctors (British Association for Immediate Care) who respond a bit like HEMS (as in when HEMS turn up in their cars if the helicopter is not being used for one reason or another).

One of the Scoobies used to be chipped complete with dump valve, etc. All paid for by the owner.

[Smiler.]

john57 said:

One of the Scoobies used to be chipped complete with dump valve, etc. All paid for by the owner.

Game-on

[loaf]

Doctors, including BASICS and even police surgeons, are not permitted to use blues. Might've been HEMS - HEMS cars are, I believe, Scoobies but they're fully liveried up and have blue/green lightbars (HEMS is the only aeromedevac service that always carries a doctor) and the cars operate when the weather or light is deemed outside safe operating parameters. The drivers are LAS paramedics who are response trained.

Or, given that it's Hillingdon, may have been something to do with the airport?

[john57]

loaf said:

Doctors, including BASICS and even police surgeons, are not permitted to use blues. Might've been HEMS - HEMS cars are, I believe, Scoobies but they're fully liveried up and have blue/green lightbars (HEMS is the only aeromedevac service that always carries a doctor) and the cars operate when the weather or light is deemed outside safe operating parameters. The drivers are LAS paramedics who are response trained.

Or, given that it's Hillingdon, may have been something to do with the airport?

The Basics doctor I spoke to with the chipped Scooby went on a three week police response course which he paid for. Therefore a trained driver using the vehicle for 'ambulance purposes', an accepted use which when I last read about it (albeit a few years ago) was not specifically defined but has caused some arguments. This as opposed to trying to say the car was an ambulance which clearly it isn't.

Oh, and Hems don't use Scoobies anymore - they have Skoda Octavia's.

Edited by john57 on Wednesday 25th April 21:54

[PeteG]

loaf said:

...and the cars operate when the weather or light is deemed outside safe operating parameters.

I've been told they send both the car and helicopter, see which gets there first kind of thing. *shrugs*

[Deva Link]

I thought for an ordinary vehicle to be an ambulance it has to be carrying someone injured?

Could have been anything really, unmarked Police, Fire Officer. Coastguard