American Reacts to Intense EMS Response During RUSH HOUR - England

[@CymruEmergencyResponder]

Hello! I work as a medic here in the UK, and I work on a car like this video. The role of the car is to provide a rapid response to calls that are immediately life threatening and provide treatment until an ambulance arrives. I then hand care of the patient over to the ambulance crew (most ambulance crews in the UK are Paramedic led). If it is particularly bad and 2 Medics are likely going to be needed to treat the patient on the way to hospital then I will travel in the ambulance too and be dropped back to my car afterwards. Some calls I will deal with and will not require an ambulance as it can be dealt with at home. Sometimes I am responding to assist an ambulance crew that are already on scene because the patient is becoming more unwell. In the UK, all Ambulance Service workers receive a full time 4 week emergency driving course which includes driving at speed, box overtaking, high speed cornering, skid control, collision avoidance etc. We are taught all of this whilst using the IPSGA system of vehicle control (Information, Position, Speed, Gear, Acceleration). We are some of the most highly trained emergency drivers on earth.

[@Skullet]

Thank you for everything you do, the men and women who form our emergency services are genuine heroes.

[@michellerhodes5720]

I was gonna put this about ERV and thank you to you and your colleagues for working hard to save ppls lives ❤

[@ZEUS1981GOD]

Thanks mate for your work ,you are my tipe of HERO!

[@lawman1965]

I was a Police Motorway Patrol Officer. Standard driving which is blue light response in lower powered cars such as Ford Focus, 3 week course (including skid pan which was fun and 4x4 off road). Advanced Driving & Pursuit for the high speed traffic cars plus a short section for the carrier driving, the course included J turns and Y turns which I never had to use post training, 4 week course. This qualified me to drive the high speed traffic cars such as BMW 330, 530, X5, Audi A4, A6, Volvo V70's, S60's and so on. My fave was the Audi A4 or A6 (that was a beast on the motorway) Plus, as a dedicated motorway officer we also did TPAC (Tactical Pursuit and Containment) which includes close proximity driving (inches away from the car in front at 100+ mph), 3 vehicle box, 4 vehicle box, quartering on and off at very high speed. That course has now been rolled out to all the roads policing officers in my old force. TPAC and advanced refreshers every 3 to 5 years, my last before retirement was a full week combined refresher. The only course I never got to do was the VIP escort training. After saying all that.....hats off to the Ambo crews that drive those wallowing ambulances through heavy traffic as fast as is safe. That takes some skill and nerve. I hated driving the carriers at speed and they weren't as wallowing as the Ambulances. Same kudos to the firefighters driving the tenders full of their crew and a huge tank of water.......how they do that is beyond me!

[@geoffbentley8774]

I was told that Ambulances are only allowed to go 10% over the speed limit.

[@BrewsterTheBuffalo]

I'm in the UK, I was critically ill in January 2021 and needed to be in hospital A.S.A.P. It takes an hour to get to my local A&E normally by car, the Paramedics got me there in 22 minutes on blue lights!!! Fifty two hours later I stopped breathing and spent then spent the next month in ICU. The Paramedics are my saviours. Love your channel, hello from the UK!!

[@wibbledee]

The idea is that he can get there before the ambulance, and work out what is needed. His knowledge and skill at that point is more important than the ambulance. Ambulance is more for transport and base.

[@bionicgeekgrrl]

Assess and triage, as well assistance with fire brigade and police in assessing safety etc.

[@duckydashcam751]

Crews on the ambulance are still trained to the same, high level as the paramedic on the RRV, just a different way of getting to the patient.

[@PbThunder]

Registered paramedic here, some ambulance services don't use rapid response vehicles except for operation managers who specialise in incident/scene management. Those ambulance services that do use RRV often do for specialist/advanced paramedics or doctors who have additional skills in critical care that are dispatched to more seriously ill patients. In my service you will never see a paramedic in an RRV unless they are a officer or are working with doctor, critical care paramedic or specialist/advanced paramedic.

[@fang_xianfu]

​​@@duckydashcam751that's not true, he's an Advanced Paramedic Practitioner in Critical Care. He is a very highly trained paramedic who they send to the sickest patients. That's why he needs a faster car as well, because there are fewer of him and he might have further to go.

[@duckydashcam751]

@@fang_xianfu they still have to do the fundamental training of a paramedic, he is allowed to administer a few more drugs and use a bit more kit. That's all.

[@iainmckenzie9323]

Not sure if you know but in the UK we are taught to make space for ESV's as it could be going to our home or relative. As such we would hope others will give the same thought and make space for them.

[@automation7295]

*"Not sure if you know but in the UK we are taught to make space for ESV's"* Not just the UK, every country in mainland Europe are taught to make space for emergency vehicles. Even US drivers must make space for emergency vehicles, but too many US drivers tend to ignore the sirens.

[@IWrocker]

That is excellent, yea here in the US.. it is Law that you have to make way for emergency vehicles

[@hazyblue69]

​@@IWrocker It's not actual law here in the UK to give way to an ESV. If you do so and break the law (even minor) you can be fined and given points on your license. Such as moving into to a bus lane, passing a red light, mounting the pavement (sidewalk). Stopping in a yellow box junction.

[@charlielouise2428]

​@Hazy Blue it's against the Highway Code to purposefully obstruct an EMV, you can be fined thousands of pounds.

[@guyq71]

@@IWrocker Check out the UK’s Special Escort Group (SEG). A branch of the metropolitan police that escort royalty and visiting dignitaries around the packed streets of London with little more than a WHISTLE. They are pretty awesome. Think you’ll like it.

[@dann756]

I'm originally from the UK and had a seizure on the side of the road, 3 kids saw and called 999, the ambulance was there in minutes and the paramedics were incredible, the doctors, the nurses, even the food was nice to the point I would look forward to the menu. For the sake of every citizen in the UK I was happy to pay for the NHS. I heard a story here in Arizona how a guy wrecked his bike and literally crawled home with broken bones rather than pay $4000 for healthcare.

[@phoenixheart79]

He's driving a rapid response vehicle, smaller and faster than the ambulance fleet. Someone like him will generally be amongst the first of emergency service personnel to arrive and will assess the situation, determining if a full ambulance is even needed. Those cars are loaded with a lot of kit, so he can also administer care as needed as well. The sirens are carefully structured as well, you can actually easily determine what direction the vehicle is approaching from before you see it.

[@russellmoir2776]

You mentioned rear reds. These are generally only used after arriving on scene to highlight that you are stationary, which is why a lot of videos you watch wont have them on. Also UK law prohibits forward facing red lights - even on emergency service vehicles.

[@MrSebmeister]

Previously in my UK ambulance service career, I worked Neonatal Emergency Transport - we were told to avoid the hard shoulder at all costs due to the risk posed by debris and punctures (Neonatal Trucks are rare, with specialist equipment and medical gas combinations - backup could take too long to get to you). We would push between lanes 2 and 3 on the Motorway. It would not be unusual to be on blues for 2-3 hour journeys between Neonatal Centres. I've driven the Skoda Scout Marked Response cars and unmarked driver training vehicles, which are 4x4 versions of the Octavia. 2 Litre inline 4 turbodiesel, 184hp, 0-62 = 8.4 seconds, 133mph+ capable. Rapid and handle very well in all conditions.

[@geoffbentley8774]

I had a Skoda Octavia 1.9 TDI.took passengers to Manchester airport from chesterfield.Dropped them off at the airport.Normally it takes 1 Hour,and 15 minutes to get back to Chesterfield,I did it in my Octavia in 50 minutes.

[@PropperNaughtyGeezer]

Skoda only has 4 cyl engines up to 2 liters. The diesel 2.0 TDI RS has 147kW (200 hp) at 4100 rpm and 400Nm, which are already available from 1000rpm. With a 7-speed dual-clutch transmission, it runs at 240km/h and consumes just 5l/100km (47mpg). Skoda Octavia is almost the same as VW Passat, just a little cheaper and sometimes even a little better quality. Very good engines, although not as good as the 1.9l Tdi.

[@attenuutinen]

Almost the same as VW Golf, Superb is the Passat equivalent. Also this was the Scout-version (metal shields down low in front and back [or silver plastic]) When the tire monitor light is shown we can see that this is indeed a diesel, the rpm range is way too low for a petrol engine. So i would say it's the 2.0 TDI with 180hp and 350Nm

[@PropperNaughtyGeezer]

@@attenuutinen Sorry, my fault, you´re right. Superb is like Passat. Octavia is like the Golf but in my opinion it looks a bit bigger. Maybe a different wheelbase or seating position? But they drive really well. Volkswagen and Skoda.

[@PropperNaughtyGeezer]

Maybe Mr. IWrocker should borrow it as Diesel. I know that it doesn't have the best reputation in the US, because of the VW diesel gates, but even with the fake values, they're still very clean and the power and torque of these turbodiesels are fantastic. I still have the old 1.9l with pump-nozzle injection and VTG charger. Somewhat different software so that the boost pressure builds up earlier. This means that it does not have more power but torque from 900 rpm and consumes almost a liter less over 100km.

[@BenjaminVestergaard]

Here in DK we have some smaller estates/station wagons in ambulance colours, they're doctors cars, they're usually used for very serious cases where it's vital to have treatment started right away. The regular emergency response team is educated in stabilising a patient, while the doctor can basically start performing procedures that would otherwise not start before the patient reaches the hospital. Also, especially during rush hour the smaller doctors car will often show up before the full size ambulance. I believe that it's most often used in cases where the heart or respiration is part of the problem. Edit: don't know if you follow NFL, but if you are, enjoy the Superbowl 👍

[@fleadust5107]

Nice video mate! Chris Martin is a Critical Care Paramedic (and was at the time of this video) and essentially their role in the ambulance service is to provide some of the most advanced prehospital care to some of the most critically ill patients. As well as this he used to be what we call a HEMS Critical Care Paramedic, (HEMS being the technical name given to the Air Ambulance Charities) so he would have crewed the Air Ambulance (the helicopter itself) and also the Air Ambulance Rapid Response Vehicles (RRVs) whilst providing the most advanced level of pre-hospital medicine (this is the main role of UK Air Ambulance charities, as well as transporting the patients, which is why they commonly say "Bringing the hospital to the patient" as they can provide the best level of care to the patients on the scene and perform daring procedures, such as thoracotomies on the roadside. I know that was long winded but I hope it makes some more sense now!

[@awmperry]

Glad you got to his videos - they’re fascinating. A couple of particularly good ones are the one where he ends up in the middle of a police TPAC exercise, one where he goes through what he carries in the critical care car, and the one where he explains how the LUCAS device works.

[@mediamaker]

In fact just watching one of the other IWrocker videos and immediately wanted to recommend he look at these by EMS Chris Martin - then glanced at the videos he has done and found this one where he has a look at the work by Chris. Absolutely wonderful stuff - great work by all the EMS crews!

[@philiprowney]

Proud to support the East Anglian air ambulance. These guys are always there for us in the humble 'Shires' 😊

[@598Hans]

Hi, here is some knowledge from Czech Republic. Škoda Octavia RS is made either in four cylinder petrol FWD 2.0 TSI 180kW (240hp) 370Nm at 1600-4300 rpm OR four cylinder diesel FWD or AWD 2.0 TDI 147kW (197hp) 400Nm at 1750-3500 rpm.

[@stevekenilworth]

this is the diesel one, sound gives it away but at end of vid when shows warning light the rev counter 3k half way rpm so sure a diesel. even tho a diesel it's dam fast

[@davidhall7811]

Paramedics are despatched along to incidents separately to ambulances, and often arrive on scene first. They can then begin treating casualties before the ambulance arrives to transport to hospital, this means the patients are receiving critical care as soon as possible, especially important in time sensitive cases. As a manager his job is more to respond to calls where his experience is needed to assist an ambulance or respond to major incidents, which is why you will often see him travelling relatively long distances.

[@Alishaan2002]

Here in the uk, police and responder vehicles such as the Škoda Octavia vrs estates are always diesel 2.0L 4cyl engine which push out 190ish BHP however they are usually remapped to around 220 to 240 bhp as they're quite economical and are quick enough to keep up or accelerate rather quickly.

[@kevinblankenburg4816]

The paramedics are in the ambulance van. In the estate there is a ER doctor, normally an anaesthetist. They are called to for life threatening injuries.

[@AlexEwan1]

Usually doctors are part of the air ambulance which when they travel by road tend to be in cars that are red rather than yellow. I would guess this is an advanced/senior paramedic or maybe a rapid response paramedic.

[@kevinblankenburg4816]

@@AlexEwan1 well at least in Germany there is a doctor in the car. Trust me, my sister does this job.

[@coover65]

Strange that Germany still uses doctors so much. In Australia, doctors working for the ambulance service are few, and mainly in the bigger cities. Generally only registered paramedics work on ambulances, with advanced care paramedics in the stretcher units and critical care/intensive care/MICA paramedics in the response SUVs.

[@CymruEmergencyResponder]

In the UK Paramedics work in both cars and ambulances. This is a Paramedic car.

[@coover65]

@@CymruEmergencyResponder From what I've read and heard, it seems that the British ambulance model is very similar to how we roll in Australia. Quite different to the US, and to the French/German model.

[@misterflibble9799]

The "complex road system" you mentioned at 10:50 is just a big roundabout, with traffic lights (signals) to control the flow of traffic joining/circulating. In terms of navigation (working out where to go), you can see the sign for it at 10:22. If you're not using a SatNav (and don't already know the route), then you look at the sign; this gives you an idea as to which lane you should use for approach (the further the way you have to go around the roundabout to reach your exit, the farther to the right you want to be on the approach); also most multi-lane roundabouts will have the destinations written on to the road surface for each lane. He wants the A1001 which is the 3rd exit, so if you were driving a "normal" vehicle, you'd approach in the right-hand lane. You can normally then follow the lane markings around the roundabout to your exit.

[@warrmr]

The amount of people who dont know how to use a spiral roundabout is infuriating. Choose a freaking lane and stick to it and you will get to your exit (as long as you choose the correct one)

[@occamraiser]

I think that road signage in the UK is excellent. When my son started driving and was concerned about a long journey, I told him that all he needed to know was the road number he needed and the town he needed to head towards. If you know that than every junction has sufficient signage to keep you on the right track.....until he went into london.... old roads, delapidated signage and mainly local destinations.

[@clemstevenson]

The Emergency Response car footage was shot between Stevenage, Hertfordshire, and Hatfield, Hertfordshire. I recognised all of the roads, because I live in that area. It would have been difficult on the part of the A1M Motorway south of Stevenage to the turn off for the A1000, because they'd underestimated the number of lanes that the motorway would need at the time of its construction (circa 1960).

[@magorkapusta6248]

As a Czech 🇨🇿 ... You pronounced that right the Š is pronounced same way as SH in shopping. Skoda cars are used everywhere across Europe because they are cheap, reliable and Škoda offers special version for emergency services Police cars have more power, are more robust and have 24/7 support / mechanical help Emergency škoda card are less robust, but have more mobility, they are often used in some serious incidents as a first responder. Because they allow u to swerve through traffic in bigger speeds and less time Škoda offers more space in back of car, cages for K9s, easy access compartments etc. You will see most often škoda Superb or Škoda Kodiaq Kodiaqs are often stock , 140kW 2,0L engine, 4x4, 7 gears and around 170 HP Police superbs are something more fun gas engine 2,0 tsi, 206 kW, 0-100 km/h in 5.8 seconds They also use older octavias or scalas, but those are out dated

[@arthur_p_dent]

Don't know about "cheap". That said, Skodas are certainly better value for your buck than their technically almost identical counterparts sold with VW or Audi badges.

[@jukka7697]

Yeah, really cheap. Starting price here in Finland for Skoda Octavia Combi is 32 keur. Diesel 2.0 4x4 200hp is 53 keur.

[@magorkapusta6248]

@@arthur_p_dent there's a reason why u see škoda cars everywhere across Switzerland🇨🇭. ❤

[@magorkapusta6248]

@@jukka7697 cheap, reliable and if something breaks, part are usually cheap

[@thetableflip]

Skoda cars are popular in Russia too. Our traffic police still has a lot of mk3 Octavias 1.8t, it was the fastest car you could buy here in that price range without going for premium brands like BMW and Merc. Also the ease of modding and tuning appealed to many, I even saw full Golf R drivetrain swaps into Octavias.

[@ChannelReuploads9451]

Chris has some great videos as example of the required driving for Emergency. He is an advance EMS designated to arrive before the ambulance to provide critical care before regular Ambo's take over.

[@popcornshiner3937]

Man he was moving, I am amazed at the complience of the other road users doing the right thing and moving over to let the esv through, very cool.

[@Bub123]

Fantastic driving. Much respect for those drivers!

[@TonyMay-nj9ez]

Maybe you'll be interested to see "The Liver Run". The Metropolitan Police had to transport a transplant liver 27 miles through London traffic in 30 minutes. The video was originally from a mid 80s TV series "Police, Camera, Action", it is most impressive. Jacques Pitt channel : Rover SD1 - The Liver Run (Police, Camera, Action)

[@marcellslage]

Chris Martin actually operates in the same county as myself. It can become very heavy with traffic come rush hour. The users of the road are very typically inpatient here if not worst than some other places. We struggle a lot in this area due to there being a fair bit of back road/country road shortcuts which can lead to interesting situations. We also have a lot of historical towns, building and most annoyingly historical roads. These roads make it 10x worse as they are typically not as nice and can be very tight. Chris' job is extremely important as he is a Advanced Paramedic and his main job is to be one of the first on scene, this may not actually happen but he would be the one responding the fastest. He would also be called to scene for more advanced procedures that normal Paramedics are not able to do. Happy to explain more if needed

[@WatchingDude]

We have a very similar system here in Australia. They are called MICA which is initials for mobile intensive care ambulance. When there is a clear certainty that lives are in danger the Mica ambulance will go to the site as fast as they can as will the usual ambulance. If the standard ambulance Crew get there first they will do their best to stabilise the patient until the Mica unit arrives. As soon as the Mica unit arrives that officer takes full charge of the scene and is much more highly trained in intensive care operations. The Mica officer will stabilise the patient on site using equipment or drugs that are not normally available in an ambulance. Then the Mica officer will send the patient off to hospital in the standard ambulance or they may go with the ambulance if they believe the patient needs much more intensive monitoring. One of the standard ambulance officers will drive the Mica vehicle behind the ambulance if this occurs.

[@richardhargrave6082]

Great footage, I work in Stevenage and it can get a lot busier than that! They use the fast response cars for initial help, they can tread the needle! Most of the Skoda's are diesels! Interesting stuff, especially on roads I know well

[@leontingen6145]

I am following the blue light response channel for a couple of months, he actually has a video where you can see his equipment in his response vehicle. I think it’s really interesting to see. 😃

[@kenballacoan]

Can I suggest "Cases from the Races" 2 videos explaining the emergency responce motor bikes used at Northern Ireland road races. Features the late Dr. John Hinds. These are lectures explaining to medical audience the equipment and procedures pioneered specifically to ensure rapid emergency medical interventions at motorcycle accidents.

[@ಇಲ್ಲ]

Roundabouts in the UK : Milton Keynes (town/place) in the UK had 129 roundabouts, that may have increased

[@guido69x]

Hi Ian! The smaler car usually is the INEM(National Institute of Medic Emergency),its the fast response emergency team!I dont know about other countries,but here in Portugal,where I live the INEM driver is the same guy that drives the Safety car in the Race track!I know him personally from the hospital(my bro used to work there )and from the Race tracks (I used to work with All motorsports doing custom paint jobs on the Riders and Drivers helmets). This "small" cars usually are some heavy monsters under the hood ;)

[@tomaisbitt9810]

I live locally to wear this was filmed and where he operates so it’s so interesting to see roads I use daily being commented on by a fella from the states!

[@jasontholen]

A good video to react to is “The Liver Run.” It’s about getting a liver for transplant across London in less than 35 minutes. Superb driving by the police.

[@skull_stone9707]

Here in the uk we have 2 main types of paramedic responders, the gent in this video is referred to as a fast/ rapid responder compared to the ambulance vehicles as he has a more manoeuvrable car and can provide quick medical attention. Ambulances will always take over the transportation of casualties but are slower due to their size and lack of manoeuvrability. Both are critical for the ambulance service. Another interesting fact about the ambulance service, they have a specialist team known as HART (Hazardous Area Response Teams) they attend any incident that is too dangerous for a normal ambulance team to attend such as chemical spill, or hard to reach casualty’s. They also carry different tools including drones.

[@saladspinner3200]

The Belgian ambulance & paramedic system is based of the British one (our ambulances look almost identical). Over here, the EMS is known as 'MUG' (Medical Urgency Group).

[@taranoakes4103]

My late dad used to be on call 24/7 for the paramedics in Hampshire and Wiltshire UK, as he'd go out to repair the tail lifts and ramps if they'd been damaged by people driving over them, paramedics accidentally backing up into bollards, hydraulics hoses and motors failing, etc. more often then not he'd fix them at their depots, but a few times he had patients still on board at the hospital, and one time a NICU incubator ambulance, that the paramedics brought straight to our house for my dad to fix its tail lift, as its where his workshop was

[@jenniferharrison8915]

I have watched Ambulance Call Centre and Emergency shows, it's heartbreaking sometimes and so intense! The Ambos are seriously overworked, the paramedics are essential! 😰 Wow, tough drive! 👍

[@James_cooper_89]

so in the UK, we have cars, not normal ambulances that you have state side. but solo crewed cars that are sent to cat 1 incidents. such as, not breathing, severe allergic reaction, severe blood loss, seizures etc. they are crewed by a solo paramedic, and they carry the same equipment as a standard ambulance, but scaled down, so the 02 cylinders are smaller etc. they are there to get to the most critically unwell or injured patients quickly. most trusts have these FRV (fast respose) vehicles now, ranges from cars, motorcycles to pushbikes (london mostly, and heathrow airport) but we also have responders like me, that are paramedic, or beyond trained that have contracts with services to respond to calls that require extended skills. thats where for the most part, the unmarked response cars/vehicles come into play, as most of the time they are personal vehicles as well, so having a huge lightbar on the roof isnt great also i use runflats, so i can always get there

[@TimmyKGames]

I'm a trucker and I got 2 ambulances behind me on a narrow 1+1 road. Slow down, indicate that you have seen them, keep going and check traffic ahead and indicate to them that they can pass.

[@joachimmahoudeaux8619]

Yep the UK system is the same as the french one I’ve described some weeks ago: an « opener » car (une ouvreuse in french) that is mostly an SW like the Octavia here and a follower that is the paramedics van that will transport the victim. There are 3 scenarios: - the opener comes first, then the follower van transports the victim when he/she is stable, most of the time provided by a private company - they both run to the accident, mostly when facing busy traffic: being alone the van would not be able to come soon enough, so the opener SW… opens the road for the van to follow, this is the most intense scenario cos’ you have to keep up with the driver in the SW. Most of the time it’s a public emergency float from public hospitals that does the job. The guys train together, they know each other so it’s easier - The SW can’t come soon cos’ it’s busy elsewhere, so the paramedics in the van go to the accident first and do the first aid, then the doctor, nurse and SW driver that is also a graduated paramedic arrive some minutes, sometime an hour after. I’ve done all the 3 scenarios, the most intense for driving is the 2nd one, but the most difficult one overall is the 3rd one of course cos’ you have to sometimes do the CPR on your own. I’m graduated since 1998, it’s a 6 months to 1 year professional training, and it’s state diploma, as a nurse or a doctor, named in french « Diplôme d’État d’Ambulancier » (DEA, no… not the US acronym of course hahaha) -

[@CymruEmergencyResponder]

We don’t actually need to have the car at all in the UK. Our ambulances carry Paramedics too and Paramedics are autonomous clinicians here. Most calls will just have an ambulance responding.

[@lowrangemaniac5326]

In this channel, you have to watch the video where he caught up with a police chase training on the highway while he was in emergency!

[@davidcruse6589]

You should look up Aussie paramedics You get to ride alone with them it's shown weekly here for years Another one called ambulance as well

[@sugoruyo]

These are usually powered by the 2.0 I4 TDI engines that make about 200bhp and can run about 55mpg when you're not putting your foot down; they make about 300 lb ft of torque between 1800-3500 RPM. They normally get paired with a 7-speed dual-clutch automated gearbox (not a planetary gear automatic with torque converter; think of something like a stick shift type gearbox with automated operation of clutch and gear switching) in either FWD or AWD configurations.

[@EastSussex999]

In the UK, pretty much all emergency vehicles have "rear reds" which are exactly as they sound. They are red lights to the rear of the vehicle. These red lights can be turned on independently to the blue lights. Under the Road Vehicle Lighting Regulations (UK law), no vehicle other than a fire service control vehicle (incident command unit) is allowed to show any kind of red light to the front. However, red lights can be on the rear of emergency vehicles as a warning. These rear reds are used when stopped on a road or in a dangerous or hazardous position or if you need to provide extra visibility behind you, for example when performing a rolling road block (if you don't know what a rolling road block is I recommend watching a video of it as it is very interesting to see) and for example, police cars often put their rear reds on when they are in a pursuit.

[@AnimationsN1]

Always fun to watch these... especially when they're in your local town! This clip starts in Stevenage, Old Town!

[@Dewree69]

The Škoda Octavia vRS only comes with two engine choices. It's either the VW EA888 2.0L turbocharged 4 cylinder petrol with front wheel drive or the VW EA288 2.0L turbocharged 4 cylinder diesel with either front or all wheel drive. I believe UK uses the petrol variants for their emergency vehicles.

[@vHindenburg]

Just was about to comment that its probably had a 4 cylinder turbo diesel.

[@Idubb307]

Another institution in the UK are the Blood Bikes. They are everyday motorcyclists and volunteers who run blood packs and pathogens from one hospital to another when required. They are blue light trained and the bikes they ride are donated by the public. Just type Blood Bikes UK and you will get a whole list of different videos. I am an ex Army Medic and became an Ambulance Technician when I left the Army after 22 years. To answer your question about the paramedic going ahead with the fast response car, it generally gets the person with the knowledge and kit to the incident first and rapid. They also have motorbikes which can get through busy city traffic a lot faster too. The ambulance crew will be following up with a two Ambulance Technicians on board who can transport the patient/casualty to hospital or sometimes the Air Ambulance will be called in. Great series by the way, keep up the good work!

[@lsvlestudiovaillant5223]

Good pronunciation for Skoda 😉👌 it's the Skoda Octavia VRS (as VW GTI) 😊

[@Colin_Shapton]

Hey, good reaction video... I live near where this was filmed. At the end when he gets the warning light, on the right hand side of the road used to be De Havilland Aircraft manufacturers, the Ww2 Mosquito and the Comet (world's first passenger jet) among others, were designed and built there... Just a bit of random info for you 😁

[@wessexdruid7598]

And 'Band of Brothers' was filmed there.

[@richt71]

Paramedic cars are usually sent to more serious situations. My neighbour had a heart attack in the block of flats where I live and the paramedic was sent first to try and stabilize him. There are also in most UK towns and cities air ambulance cars. These guys usually use helicopters but do have cars to use as well. They carry senior consultants and surgeons for immediate at scene treatment including lifesaving surgery.

[@IQEGO]

11:30 most Škodas have a 2 liter 4 cylinder (with turbo of course). Petrol or diesel. 6 cylinders are not used since 2015 (Škoda Superb 2nd gen.). This Škoda (Octavia 3rd gen. facelift) has 1 to 2 liter 3/4 cylinder motors with 66-180kW.

[@russellpetrie119]

the liverie is called battern burg after the cake the ambulances are 120 thousand pounds each to build over 8 miles of wiring in each one

[@jamesm875]

Tyre is a write off. In the UK a puncture is repairable only in given situations. >>> A tyre can only be repaired if it is a small puncture (less than 6mm in diameter) in the central ¾ of the tyre, anywhere else is deemed unsafe as it is too close to the sidewall.

[@petergaskin1811]

The block pattern is known as Battenberg after the cake and is used by most Police and First Response vehicles except Fire Brigade vehicles which are mostly red.

[@Przemro9]

These cars are usually driven by advanced paramedics, incident officers and also doctors from time to time, idea is to get there before ambulance and not only provide quick assist but to prep the patient and also work out whether other units need to be called in. So its to coordinate as well.

[@sparenovations7176]

For your Information, red lights on the rear of an emergency vehicle in the uk are only supposed to be used whilst the vehicle is stationary and shown to the rear. They are warning Lights. Very rarely are they use in motion.

[@VarissNI]

The Skoda Octavia VRS and standard both use a 2.0 4-cyl petrol engine: The Non-VRS produces 190bhp, and the VRS puts out 246bhp.

[@dreadlindwyrm]

The whole point of an emergency vehicle's colour scheme is to be easily seen. :D The yellow is *particularly* selected for visibility, along with the green of the ambulance service, the blue of the police, and the red of the fire brigade. If it doesn't scream "I'm here" then it's not doing its job. Same for the sirens - with all the variations that get used for different siituations. It comes down to "get the hell out of my way, I'm in a hurry". The cars are usually used for getting a doctor or advanced paramedic and gear to a major incident quickly, allowing the bigger ambulance to get there in its own time. Sometimes it's more valuable to get smaller treatment there *now* than to wait on the bigger van, and sometimes a specialist and his bag can do most of the immediate treatment short of transport to the hospital, and sustain a patient until transport can arrive.

[@jonathanfriedel]

Roundabouts don't work when there is too much traffic. In Ireland many roundabouts now have traffic lights on them.

[@ablair37]

the Skoda Octavia that the ambulance and police use are 2.0 single turbo diesel with 170 hp the cars are for rapid response and have 1 person unlike the van which has 2 they also have everything needed for urgent first aid including defibs and oxygen the cars can get to emergencies a lot faster then the vans as you seen in the video at some points the vans wouldn't of got through till the lights changed

[@shelleyjackson8793]

He’s a first responder tasked with getting there more quickly than the ambulance. He can start emergency treatment. But oh god the panic when you’re in heavy traffic and hear the siren and see the flashing blue in your rear view mirror! I’m getting the angst watching this 😅

[@3lmodfz]

I have the same car, but the petrol version and can confirm they go pretty fast when you need them to lol. Although for the sake of my fuel economy I stick to the speed limit, mostly ;)

[@svnshin3xi151]

what powers most normal sized ambulances is a battery, they charge the ambulances at the station when they're not being used

[@alancoee789]

11:26 2L petrol or diesel i4 turbo

[@n3xxuswt]

its the same engine as the golf 7 gti/r and the seat leon cupra (vw 2l i4 tsi) but the golf r engine is a bit different and the hp from all of these are also different

[@RazudMezeghis]

Emergency vehicles are mainly diesel cause of having more strenght to pull more weight due the amount of equipement. Also diesel cars can have tax deductions in companys tax declarations. Nails, screws, small punctures in tyres can be easily fixed, so no need for new tyres.

[@Chris_GY1]

A first responder is normally sent then a ambulance will be called for if needed or hasn’t been sent as well. On British motorways you come off at a junction which will have a number if using a sat nav you will be told by the voice where to turn off. Cars use diesel or unleaded petrol, gas is for heating doesn’t go in cars.

[@rward393]

Just realised this is in my town Stevenage in Hertfordshire joining the A1M southbound, the small car are first responders mainly heart attacks and serious RTC(Road traffic collision) .

[@stevesmith7530]

I have read through a few comments, and seen most of your questions answered, but as a little bit of extra information for you, the base yellow colour is standard across the EU for ambulances. At 5:55 you talk about leading the way for a bigger ambulance. Not so, his job is to get there quickly, to break the traffic for a full size ambulance would slow him tremendously, and in most regions using a car to escort a full size is not permitted, even to hospital once there is a patient on board. The full size ambulance could be dispatched from almost anywhere, probably even closer than he is initially. For the most urgent calls the target time for first on scene is 8 minutes or less, a 5500kg Sprinter box back ambulance is not what anyone would class a high performance vehicle:)

[@richardpeel6056]

In the civilian population we have First Aiders at Work, Outdoor First Aiders, Lifesavers and even Beach Lifeguards, when an incident occurs the nearest person with first aid training will respond and call an ambulance or an untrained member of the public will call an ambulance. The civilian first aider will commence life saving treatment to keep the casualty alive until the ambulance arrives. In the 1960's ambulances were very much scoop and shoot, getting the casualty to hospital as soon as possible while doing as little treatment as possible. Now ambulance crews are paramedics and ambulances are equipped as small emergency rooms. The paramedic ambulance cars are super first aiders, keeping the casualty alive until the big ambulance can get there. The ambulance car will be carrying a defibrillator and oxygen cylinders. The Iraq and Afghan Wars changed everything, if you can stop traumatic bleeding and keep someone breathing they can survive massive injuries. Everything depends on getting trained people and the right kit in place fast.

[@walteradriaensen7203]

In Belgium, the most emergency vehicles do have run-flat tires to prevend such problems.

[@oakwoods55]

The car is a 4cyl diesel, engine with an output of, 150bhp or 190bhp. The tyre will not be repaired. Emergency vehicles in the uk do not run on repaired tyres and normally changed at about 3-4mm tread depth. Uk legal is 1.6mm. The car in the clip is basically the same car, a VW Golf, Audi A3 and the seat Leon. They share the same platform, engines, running gear. Just a different body and interior but share a lot of the same switch gear inside.

[@esraeloh8681]

"He could pick something up in the tire" 'Me, who's already seen this 1 a few months ago waiting for the end' hahaha Ah you're finally watching someone's channel I already watch myself

[@mauricerudiger1967]

In Germany we also have the small emergency cars but in those cars are doctors includes, so if the is an emergency where it depends on death or life, they can do smaller operations at the emergency area to stabilize the patient.

[@vcvrk5334]

you say it realy 95% close to perfect. Great Ian! This Škoda Combi (Wagons) are inline 4 cilinder 1.6 liter TDi 85 kW, or RS 2.0 liter TDi 135 kW. And i think its not 2.0 TSI 162 kW RS, because in this rush it must eat grass around the street :D

[@barni_b]

Bit confusing for US viewers I am sure, but Chris is an advanced paramedic. This means he's further trained than many paramedics and drivers a high performance car to get to scene quickly even if he's not the closest unit. Due to the fast car, he may often get there first.. but in reality, most cases there are ambulance units much closer who deal with the initial incident until Chris as the more advanced paramdic arrives on scene to take the lead. As for the driving, I've commented these before, but our emergency driving repsonse courses in the UK are much stricter than US or Europe and there is a much higher focus on safety when responding. The handbook says "No emergency is more important than the safety of the public and first responders" meaning we will never put anyone in unecessary danger when repsonding. Usually on motorways you stick to the inside lane and wait for everyone to move out, approaching roundabouts we make sure not to force out cars into dangerous positions, and at red traffic lights if there is not a clear gap we turn sirens off and wait for greens. In fact, if cilivians cross a red light even if its to let an emergency driver past, they still get fined. UK drivers are not required to give way to emergency vehicles and therefore we never force them to. However, Chris is an advanced driver which means he is trained to a much higher level and so you see him drive much faster, etc. We would never very rarely use the hard shoulder for obvious reasons.. you'll end up with a screw in your tyre haha.. and unfortunately due to strict safety regulations, his run is then over and he cannot respond to that incident. Also, this is rush hour in a very rural county area haha Rush hour in London for example would be still traffic backed up all the way along the motorway with no hard shoulders 😁 maybe I could get you to come out with us on a few blue light runs if you come to the UK

[@prrin1971]

We have a few companies in western New York that run a paramedic first responder unit so they can assess the situation while the ambulance is getting going as we have a lot of volunteer fire companies

[@goose289]

the car he is driving is called a rapid response vehicle which is driven usually by advanced paramedics which only go to cat 1 emergencies which are the most life threatening. the whole point of the vehicles is to get to the emergencies in under 10 minutes and to keep the patient alive until the ambulance arrives and the patient can be transported to hospital

[@Granny_Cat_Lady]

I drive a Skoda Octavia, diesel & I love the car, she’s fast, responsive & looks good on the road … that guy handles the Skoda better than though 😂

[@sem_tb]

Correct me if I am wrong, but the smaller ambulance vehicles are sometimes used for like special units, they got equipment and the drivers are educated to perform other medical stuff that the regular ambulance can't do, for example do surgeries on the scene. Also they are used for the Incident Managers and air ambulance.

[@Kroyer102]

Skoda is owned by Volkswagen, so they use the same engines and "platforms" that share basic parts with Volkswagen, Audi, Seat (all belonging to VW). Both diesel and gas engines are mostly turbocharged inline 4 cylinders. We got a Octavia 3 wagon and when you open up the hood, on the side of the engine it says VW AG, meaning it's a VW engine.

[@nathanshinn2016]

Skoda vrs are usually 2.0t petrol or 1.9/2.0 diesle this, older ones used the pd engine newer ones used the 2.0 tdi which usually had a common fault with oil pump called the hex key issues where the gear would wear and undo itself. Either way they were pretty rapid

[@jamesgreen3417]

Chris is a EMS in my home area. He is an advanced paramedic who is sent to fast prioritise emergency care

[@paulj5080]

Skoda is VW's best kept secret. IIRC the current gen Octavia vRS (which is what they tend to use for blue-light vehicles) come with a choice of a 250bhp petrol or a 200bhp diesel, both are turbocharged inline 4s.

[@henningmogensen9144]

Its fun how you like Skoda. When I was young (1970), Skoda was a cheap car from behind the iron curtain. And the joke: How du you tune a Skoda? answer: put another rubberband in. It helped when VW took over.

[@DaChaGee]

I think he's an emergency doctor who goes ahead of the Ambulance. In London they also use motorbikes to get through the traffic.

[@abigailjohnson4270]

He’s a rapid response vehicle. Control will send them out (depending on the type of emergency) if they know that they can get him there faster than an ambulance. That way he can start assessment & treatment, sometimes either cancelling the truck if not needed, or ringing thru to control for increased response. But rapid response vehicles are so important as part of the potential emergency response package. One of my must gulp worthy moments when working in OOH GP Service was requesting the air ambulance- the knowledge of the cost of that, & knowing there cld be other patients who may need the chopper is a huge deal. But I knew re the geography of our area that there was no way to get the patient to a hospital quickly enough by road. Looks like he had been on an M road and then came off into smaller A roads. Even the M25 has a lot of lovely views from it round most of it… 😊

[@phil1898]

For some very high traffic areas there are paramedics on bikes (high powered motorcycles that look very much like police bikes) to get on site quickly.

[@R598A]

He’s got a video where he goes through all the kit he carries in his black skoda, that’s quite good to see.

[@thevintagecatnsw]

Hi Ian & family, I've been enjoying your channel for about a year now. Always love watching your vids especially the Aussie based ones lol. You have such a lovely family. Have a great week, and yeah, that Skoda was pretty cool. 😀

[@bbdvxx]

The skoda scout is a 2.0L 4 cylinder diesel 4x4 184bhp, the black vrs is a 2.0L 4 cylinder diesel 184bhp but more sporty suspension ect

[@ivanh.d3297]

He drives a car as an intensive care paramedic, so arrives to a scene the fastest. The car is fited with the esencial equipment for life support. In europe it is common for EMS to have first response vehicles such as caravans or suv for emergency doctors and paramedics. Skodas are quite frequent.

[@coover65]

Interesting that the Brits use the Skoda. We have ambulance response vehicles in Australia which vary from state to state. In Queensland it's the Isuzu MU-X, and in Victoria the Toyota Kluger V6 (Highlander).

[@nath042]

I was thinking hmm that looks familiar at the end, then i read the signs and thats just down the road from where I used to live!

[@davidkelsey2864]

Here in Newcastle in Australia they can send an Intensive care Paramedic ahead in a Subaru Forrester to get to the patient with life support before the main ambulance arrives.

[@iallso1]

In New Zealand the Skoda Octavia come with a 110kw 1.4l turbocharged 4-cylinder petrol engine or as a PHEV option.

[@namewithheldbygoogleforsec673]

@IWrocker, i am a huge Emergency Services Vehicle Fan. Have been since i was a little kid (under 10 yo). My oldest cousin, whom i adored, and went almost everywhere with him, was a St. John's Ambulance Officer, and whenever they washed the vehicles (those that were not needed and were off service for maintenance), he would take me with him and they would put me on the roof to clean the roof as i didn't weigh much. Some of my best memories are my times spent with my cousin. A few years ago, Victoria Police would have Open Days at their local stations, where families and supporters could visit, get a guided tour through the station, and sit in the cars. They also had a mobile investigation vehicle, where they had information on how Police investigated and solved crimes through forensics, like bullet identification, finger printing, etc. They had to stop the Open Days when someone made b*mb threats or something serious. P.S.: Did you see the pics of my RC Boat Christina and my Trans Am Pontiac? The pics arent of my actual RC vehicles but they are what they look like. I also forgot to mention that when the Trans Am drove forward, the headlights lit up! 😊

[@Flirkann]

Yeah, drive smoothly and at a steady pace to maximise the time for other drivers to notice and make way for you, and in a predictable manner so there is minimal confusion as to which way to veer when giving way

[@lordofnumbers9317]

Impressive. The driver does a damn good job.👍

[@alanmoore2197]

Let's acknowledge that people got out of the way really well too...

[@peterbrown1012]

There is also paramedic first responders on motorbikes so they can get to a urgent incident fast and give treatment before the ambulance arrives.