Bedford on Blues part 2

[@Baopand]

Great job! Especially the awareness with the horse! 🐎

[@jonaudis5432]

I didn't even see the horse till text came up!

[@jbeaverhausen3809]

Hey, he's already responding for one patient.... no need to create more patients on the way to the call lol

[@thisthingsibelief4791]

Nice editing. I like at 4:16 where you show the decision you have to make as a question, then give the viewer a second to think about what they would do before showing/explaining the correct one, very engaging.

[@ChrisMartinEMS]

Thanks. I'll try this out a few more times and see what people think. Thanks.

[@britishgang7413]

OI MATE, WOULD YA' LIKE TO JOIN THE BRI'ISH GANG?

[@DrYeet2704]

@@britishgang7413 You sound Australian. Or a brommie. We don't speak like that in East Yorks.

[@PedroConejo1939]

Kudos the lowloader driver at 2:03 who held way back from the horse situation.

[@MindOfNick]

I love watching these, they are just so entertaining :) Thank you for uploading them

[@polopowered]

Amazing driving. Stresses me out watching you. Yet you need to arrive calm. Thank you for for your work. My 18mth old boy almost died choking, and you heroes were here within 2 mins. You are Angels and I thank you.

[@jbenekeorr]

These videos have helped me understand what someone driving on blue lights actually wants from me as a driver - not ‘get out the way at all costs’! More of an acknowledgement that I’ve seen you and move aside where possible. I also observed an ambulance this week switch it’s siren off while the car ahead negotiated a few obstacles so not to panic the driver into trying to get out the way - never noticed that done until I watched your channel.

[@Demun1649]

I love it. The way you treat horses with the respect due to them is just great, sirens off, speed reduced, and the horse doesn't get stressed or panic stricken. Nice work.

[@eamonnsaunders7066]

Now that’s skilled road-craft! Especially when seeing the horse! A very good job Sir!!

[@charlessmith1704]

Hi there. Firstly fantastic channel and a great insight. I know it may not seem like it but at 3:19 the artic may have also decided to stop there to block access onto the roundabout. I drive large vehicles myself and know that a lot of us will pull across junction exits so you have the choice to turn or keep going without needing to worry about that particular junction. Secondly keep up the great work and videos. I would love to see more do’s and don’ts... every days a learning day. Thanks.

[@Demun1649]

I too have blocked access onto a roundabout by stopping in a postion that blocks anyone coming on. Ambulances, Fire and Rescue, ALL appreciated it.

[@stuartfalco3364]

Chris, Thank you for your service mate, Absolutely loving these videos!

[@quliux6986]

THAT HORSE REACTION WAS SICK

[@Dave-dm7vt]

Wow! Slowing down for the horse is fantastic!!! I know it’s the right thing to do but that was phenomenal.

[@decentdiy4215]

Great standard of driving as always. Your calm manner behind the wheel comes across in the smoothness & flow of the drive. You've given me inspiration to start recording a few blue light runs during our blue light training courses at work, I'm just in the process of getting permission - hopefully there won't be any objections!

[@ChrisMartinEMS]

Excellent, well done As long as its done properly with all aware of why its being done and not breaking any social media policy rules, all should be well as its turning out to be a useful tool for raising awareness. Good luck.

[@thefinn0tube_]

Unreal driving Chris. Great work. Stay safe!

[@zeb3144]

Impeccable driving!

[@extremehugo88]

Would love to see the kind of speed you are doing to get a feel for the reaction times you have. Would be great to have an additional camera aimed at the speedo if thats possible :)

[@richardskeggs3726]

Fantastic these are being shared, we can all learn they better ways of dealing with making safe passage for emergency services

[@Dreddingbath]

Usual great driving Chris but wanted to comment on the public around you; in your vids there are always a lot more examples of good responses than bad, even the bad ones are usually well intentioned but don’t quite work out. Really like your comments and praise for helpful responses or understanding the difficulties other drivers face, it’s not always easy to help blue lights to get through. Atb.

[@peachteagirl]

Thanks for the pointers. We don't have roundabouts where I am so thankfully I don't have to worry about those.

[@blackiechan6049]

Another great video Chris, love what you’re doing!!

[@lennardvanetten9764]

Really interesting videos, very nice to be 'part of' the decision making process!

[@benpaynter]

At 2:44 EEAST have an exemption to use the bus lane on the left. It cuts through to the next roundabout where you met the trucks. The bollards have been out of use for years.

[@ChrisMartinEMS]

Good to know, thanks.

[@keithhaynes8079]

Brilliant Chris the standard of driving and calmness A1 mate thank you for the video and take care .

[@WebExtension1]

1:32 That's what makes me nervous. I've never done anything wrong, but I get stressed over what I could have done to make it easier

[@LordAsney]

Chris' videos sell the VRS really well. I cant believe it doesn't understeer on those tight bends and roundabouts

[@MindOfNick]

Congrats on 10k 🥳

[@GooseMcSwan]

You passed Cardington. I've worked a few film set ambulances there.

[@jonaudis5432]

Incredible stuff, but of course remember the real incredible stuff starts when what we're seeing ends 💙🙏

[@peter1001pp]

Chris is driving like real pro racing driver :) Regards from sweden :)

[@steventhomas9461]

First minute or so ,a couple of overtakes that were on the edge close to a corner where you couldn't see and there was the opportunity to pull into a safe space.

[@Bob18818]

Class driving must be some engine in that car 🚙 good 👍 going with the 🐎

[@masterbond9]

i dont know how i feel about the siren being linked to the horn, but i can see the usefulness of having the ability to turn the sirens on/off from the steering wheel itself. However, i do like how the blinkers can be seen, as its sometimes hard to see the blinkers on some american emergency vehicles. but, good job anyways. its interesting to see how different countries do certain things

[@lozhell]

I would’ve gone down the bus route just as you had come into Shortstown.

[@xkaywz]

Do you cover the whole of Bedfordshire?

[@artemkatelnytskyi]

Do you have time to look in your mirrors at these speeds? Or do you rely more on your other sense, as well as peripheral vision to judge your surroundings? And do you know that it is safe to go into gaps, because you go much faster than the rest of the traffic, so it must be safe? I did rewatch the video a couple of times, but it's hard to see on a mobile, and I didn't see head movements that would indicate mirror checks. Thanks in advance!

[@ChrisMartinEMS]

Thanks for this. When I get the other camera view back it will show a bit more clearly where I am looking but mirror views are less obvious. Thanks for watching.

[@reBlink]

I always wondered why are you honking so often and weird. But you do it everytime to activate siren or change it, right? Damn I was so confused

[@hugobosswood9002]

Amazing stuff 🙏🏽

[@freshtoast3879]

How often do you need to change tires and brakes because of this kind of driving?

[@IJ_uk]

Can you explain different sirens and why there is a beep from the horn when changing between them?

[@Willdu87]

Long wail travels long distance so used on fast roads. Shorter woo woo one tends to help people know what direction it’s coming from and the very rapid noise is very directional. Changing tones also helps awareness. Change of siren is controlled from the horn button so that’s why you hear the horn at each change. Double press of horn turns the siren off.

[@Lee-eu6wf]

Is this a Skoda ? what's the specification ? Tyres brakes Suspension etc

[@R8DTF]

Love these videos. But tell your boss the petrol vRS may save more lives 😉

[@MrDominicg90]

When you hear sirens and you don’t know where it’s coming from and it’s you phone in your pocket! I really thought I was going crazy!

[@belfastmafia]

1:30 in Canada they are taught to pull over and stop, even if the emergency vehicle is on coming apparently. other parts of the world its ingrained to move to the right to allow emergency vehicles through. i've seen instances where is has happen simply because that is their reflex action even though they are driving on the left here

[@Julmaa87]

Interesting, here in the UK I find it extremely annoying when someone in front of me stops for an emergency vehicle traveling in the opposite direction that has no traffic to negotiate.

[@belfastmafia]

@@Julmaa87 i know. i had an uncle over here visiting from Canada. i was confused as hell when he pulled over to a complete stop for a police car coming the other way with zero traffic in front of it. "just what we're taught to do back home"

[@fndjfgsdk]

As much as I appreciate the stabilised camera, I often prefer to look to the inside of the turn rather than the outside. Is it possible to turn horizontal stabilisation off and only have vertical?

[@ChrisMartinEMS]

Yes, I can reduce the level of stabilisation for next time. Thanks for the feedback.

[@fndjfgsdk]

@@ChrisMartinEMS Thanks, I really enjoy watching these videos :)

[@GB_Rusty]

Genuine question so don't read it as sarcastic :) How does the stabilisation affect where it looks? I thought it just reduced jitters? Does having it turned off force it to move when gforce hits it?

[@fndjfgsdk]

@@GB_Rusty It tries to keep looking in the same direction all the time to stabilise the image. Which is all good until you start turning corners and then the "same direction" becomes the outside of the corner until it slowly adjusts back to the centre of the gimbal

[@Stepqen]

Whats the thing on the bottom of his steering wheel?

[@PoliceBodycamVideos]

What car you driving?

[@howardgunn754]

There are some very long blue light runs! Serious question though, why the need for EMS to have an "unmarked" vehicle? Is it multiple agency use?

[@evanross7995]

It's his own private car as well

[@stuartfalco3364]

It’s been mentioned before, it’s a personal vehicle so being unmarked it can still be used for his private life

[@Maverick47100]

Doubles as private vehicle when off duty.

[@GooseMcSwan]

His role as management plus his clinical grade as a critical care paramedic means that he will be "on call" even when off his rostered duty. He will have to have a car that allows him to go about his personal business but be able to respond to assist ambulance crews who need his specialist skills when required. This also explains the long distance. Local resources will have got to the scene quickly but his specialist skills will cover a larger area.

[@Jehty_]

@@stuartfalco3364 but he could also just use a marked car as a private vehicle. I would think that the added safety of a marked car more than outweighs the small drawback of having a marked car as a private vehicle.

[@devinbroadhurst1534]

is it bad that i drive like this normally

[@craigcooper75]

How does it work if you go through a speed camera and get flashed, whats the procedure to get it cleared being on a call?

[@Julmaa87]

They have a speed exemption. Nothing will happen.

[@craigcooper75]

@@Julmaa87 but still camera still goes off and gets prossed, surly got to prove they were on a blue light run

[@Julmaa87]

@@craigcooper75 Not difficult to prove with blue flashing lights.

[@Dave-dm7vt]

Best video yet!!

[@BucksBlueLightVids]

Great video

[@barrygwilliam5367]

And people complain that the police take too long to get to a inserdent. Nicely done sir and it's impressive that even in a situation like this, you still have time to thank other drivers. I tip my hat to you 👏👏👏 P.S what car/engine have you got? It sounds SOOOO sweet 😁

[@wordreet]

At 2:16 we see apparently non-functional white gates on both sides of the road. Is that something to do with indicating a horse riding area or summat?

[@Sam-gn2dg]

The gates are commonly used to indicate that you are entering/exiting a town or village. These ones used to be paired with a 30/40 speed limit change to help road users spot it's there and slow down in time, but now it's all a 30 mph road so all that's left is the village name sign (Cotton End) which is on the other side of the gate on the right.

[@wordreet]

@@Sam-gn2dg I must have seen them in other places too, but hadn’t realised their meaning. Thanx Sam. 👍

[@Julmaa87]

@@wordreet As Sam has said, they're to indicate a town entrance / exit, however incorrect to say for speed changes as they date back to pre cars.

[@wordreet]

@@Julmaa87 Yes, I guessed that was the case. A symbol of boundary.

[@Richard_Barnes]

Why is the horn linked to the change of tones? Is that just for you to know it’s changed instantly, instead of having to listen to the tones?

[@anoldfogeysfun]

The sirens before this used to be seperated from the steering wheel, Richard. So either you'd have to leave a hand on or near the switches to swap them to different tones, or if double-crewed, your partner would do them. The steering wheel option just means you can stay far more focused on the road on your own with both hands on it.

[@Richard_Barnes]

@@anoldfogeysfun ahh 👍🏻 makes sense. Much better this way. Thanks. 🙂

[@Julmaa87]

The horn and tone changes are separate controls.

[@tucatnev123]

Awesome videos, pumps my blood up, it is like digital caffeine. How much time would you need to get used to right handed / wheeled traffic?

[@type17]

You get used to it pretty fast - I'm in Ireland (RHD car/LH-traffic, like the UK) and drive on the continent a bit (LHD car/RH-traffic) in local rental cars, and it's fairly instant at this stage. However, when I take my Irish RHD car there, I put a paper arrow on the dash, reflecting onto the windscreen like a head-up display, to remind me at junctions, roundabouts etc, to keep right, as it's easier to get lulled into a mistake when you're in your own, familiar car. I've never had an issue, but I don't if that's because of the reminder arrow or not, but I'm happy to leave it there, just in case...

[@tucatnev123]

@@type17 I'll be honest with you, I forgot these cars are with automatic transmission, that's why i was wondering to learn to handle the stick on the other hand. But yes, I can believe that this is an issue mostly in urban, inner city areas. cool trick with the HUD!

[@Jehty_]

@@tucatnev123 even with manual cars it really isn't a big deal. Next time when you are the passenger in a manual car just ask the driver if you can shift for him/her. (I did that with my father before I got my drivers license. That taught me a lot about when to shift)

[@calebselgrath5290]

What are you driving?

[@aidan5653]

What car and spec do you drive? Sounds like a beast of an engine!

[@gabrielfranz5208]

Skoda Octavia RS possibly.

[@Redondo9]

@@gabrielfranz5208 correct, it's on another vid he's done I think 👍🏽

[@streetster20]

Do you know the area / route, or do you have a sat-nav to follow instructions? Do you ever go the incorrect way, or, if sat-nav, does it keep up with your speed successfully?

[@Willdu87]

This was what I was wondering. Can’t hear sat nav so suspect it is muted or due to nature of the work maybe just knows the roads really well. Quick check of location on getting in the vehicle is probably enough.

[@DrYeet2704]

Wonderful work, Chris! I was down in Bedford around from the 28th of August to the 3rd of September, and actually on the same street as to where you responded to! I do have a question though. When you sometimes point out on video (in PT.1 and this PT) when you use exemptions, can you tell me when you are and aren't able to use those exemptions from traffic laws and regulations? (Well, one of them allowing going through red lights if bluelighting when safe to do so)

[@ol102jg]

wow the car sound is nice

[@johnbaldock6353]

All said and done British drivers really do help blue light runners.

[@dylanzander3296]

You need to add some dual sirens and a airhorn on that thing, then youll be all set

[@davewhite768]

How do you find driving an automatic? Is it responsive on the sence of changing gears when you expect it to?

[@AlphaBravoV]

I had a Skoda VRS and the DSG is twin clutch, so it pre selects the next gear it thinks you will need based on driving, it's pretty good for the sense of what you need.

[@davenz000]

I still maintain that emergency vehicles need 3 more horns / sirens. 1 A thank you, you're awesome beep. 2. A GTFO horn / tone (applies mainly to white vans) 3. A You're s terrible driver, go and retake your drivers test button.

[@mikeellis4158]

Chris a question for you. At one point you had blue arrows pointing to what you called hitching. What are those? Not really sure what arrows were pointing at. Was not on a big screen when watching. Great video. Was surprised some 4 ways were not round sbouts.

[@David_Crayford]

*Hatching / Hatched Markings = diagonal stripes \\\\ show an area to seperate traffic; should not normally be driven on.

[@ollieeverett4506]

Why do EMS drivers do the small horn beeps?

[@lehoff]

Most emergency vehicles have the siren linked to the horn so they can not only warn people by the use of the horn but cycle through the tones. It's fairly common practice in the UK.

[@Julmaa87]

​@@lehoff He is manually using the horn.

[@lehoff]

@@Julmaa87 yes to change the tone / cycle through them and to turn it off too

[@74V1D]

I live in bedford!

[@JohnDH1977]

Good stuff.. I am just wondering why a medic has to have an unmarked car.

[@bbbrown4679]

I’m not sure really, but a guess could be that because of his rank, this is a car that he uses for both work and off-duty as well.

[@nhojw2147]

Ambulance Officers car. Used both on duty and when off duty. Provides a level of discretion when off duty. Only dispatched when the incident requires higher level management than what normal Ambulance crews provide. Can be dispatched anywhere in the Ambulance authority area rather than Ambulances who normally have a certain area to work.

[@bbbrown4679]

@@nhojw2147 I thought so. I think unmarked cars just offer that extra bit of privacy when off-duty as well, compared to a car decked in high-visibility green/yellow, like you said.

[@JohnDH1977]

@@nhojw2147 It looks too much like a police car imo. Also lovely that taxpayer money gets used for off duty driving.

[@Julmaa87]

@@JohnDH1977 Except unmarked police cars do NOT have roof mounted lights, this one does.

[@deletdis6173]

Interesting, I might sound ignorant but how long have emergency services been using these types of sirens in the UK? I thought they used the more European 'high-low' sirens there. Again, sorry if I sound dumb lol Edit: Also, damn nice driving here. 👌🏼

[@jadenogilvie8352]

I’d love to do this as a job, as well as being a police officer, any tips or tricks into getting into the industry?:)

[@Nervegas]

Depends on where you live. In the US the first step is going to an EMT class. I can tell you EMS is hurting for folks, so getting into the industry here isn't tough.

[@st1nk1n]

Sometimes driving so fast up behind people can make them panic, that's why they can stop in unexpected places. You could turn off your siren when you don't want people to stop.

[@Redondo9]

I'm guessing you didn't watch the entire video because he did exactly as your described at 7:15 :)

[@ilikechickensausages2075]

I know this is a unmarked ambulance, But wouldn't it help to have some magnetic signs that you could put on when your on duty then whip them off when you are off duty.

[@SgtRosier]

There will be a sign that folds down from the passenger sun visor that will probably say Ambulance Officer

[@jameswrightson744]

Loving the channel but a real small request... could you make the text that appears show a bit quicker as I'm finding my eyes are drawn to it too much for too long 👌

[@ChrisMartinEMS]

Yes no worries. I can make it appear quicker and hold for a few seconds longer once there. Thanks for the suggestion.

[@gruggberg6053]

Is this car an automatic?

[@Dragonnox]

Chris, what is the average response time? This part 1 and part 2 totals in at around 17 minutes and isn't the full journey (and some parts were fast-forwarded), so I'm curious (as someone outside the UK). Thanks for the videos, very entertaining.

[@evanross7995]

He's a senior officer, so his response times will be longer than a normal crew responding to a regular emergency

[@Sari36YT]

So someone’s life could be in danger and you have to slow down for a horse?

[@theyoutubeguy1]

He will not get there at all if the horse rider falls off.

[@Julmaa87]

Yes, because substituting one patient for another seems smart.

[@Anriandor]

Why do you explicitly point of 'necessary use of exemptions' so much? Is it like extra rare and ultra special to use? Over here, it's perfectly normal to drive the wrong way through one-way onlys or enter roundabouts/junctions from the wrong side. I see it quite often when the correct lanes are congested. So is it seems to be much different in the UK.

[@_Ali.]

I think he’s pointing out that while he’s on a call he’s allowed so to make it clear to all he isn’t breaking the law or that it isn’t allowed for others to do. Also whilst it’s allowed by law in an emergency the onus is on the emergency vehicle to not cause an accident, not on the public.

[@JdeBP]

It is different in the U.K.. Drivers of ambulances (et al.) get a specific set of rules that (the laws themselves say) they are exempt from. It's not a free-for-all. Indeed, driving the wrong way along a one-way street isn't one of them.

[@glenmcloughlin8]

Hey Chris, Is the awareness for the horse something that comes up in your training or is it something you personally do out of courtesy? I'm curious as you didn't hesitate once you seen the horse. Great job as always, these videos are an amazing insight - Appreciate all the videos

[@anoldfogeysfun]

I'd say that they'd probably be advised that its a lot safer to turn any sirens off when approaching and passing a horse, or even a loaded horsebox to prevent the animal getting frightened or agitated, Glen. As a scared, even rearing horse - or one that just bolts from hearing such noises could also cause additional accidents just from that. Even the small horseboxes that are used to move horses around can suddenly become destabilized if the horse inside panics and is agitated enough to become really skittish within it . . .

[@glenmcloughlin8]

@@anoldfogeysfun Yes I agree, but am curious as go whether they're trained or advised on this :) I think it's great if they are of course, but I also think if they're not and Chris is doing this on his own initiative that's even more impressive.

[@tibgaming8184]

@@glenmcloughlin8 This would be down to your instructor. I don't believe any of the main blue light courses in the UK cover horses specifically, the same as when you do your regular car driving test - might come up in a theory question but that's it. A lot of the learning comes from personal experiences from the driving instructors. Personally when I did my course the instructor raised the question to everyone in the vehicle of how we should act and the answer is simple and as you would in your normal car - be quiet, slow and give plenty of room around horses and their riders.

[@Cmcb1984]

It is discussed during police driver training. It isn’t always demonstrated realistically but sometimes the instructors will use a regular trailer as an example and say there is a horse box ahead “tones off”.

[@JdeBP]

In fairness, this is something that *all* drivers in Sudden Horse areas do (or are supposed to do) for horses, not just emergency services drivers. Drive gently and don't spook the animal. It's rule 214 of the Highway Code.

[@robabob1001]

I think if the oncoming car (01:24) had better awareness and had pulled over like the blue VW obviously did and pulled over way in advance. I'd its the oncoming car's lack of effort.

[@42Traxx]

What vehicle do you drive? Keep it up!

[@iamaparanoidandroid1]

Octavia VRS - There's a walkaround on the other videos

[@paulsirescu1778]

1:00 entering warp speed

[@goransaraginoski1935]

Serious question: With the car you're driving, and since in the UK all responders run only blue lights, how can a driver tell if they're being pulled over or if it is just an ambulance wanting to pass? Do police not use unmarked vehicles where you're at? Here in BC, Canada, ambulance/fire uses red and white, and police use blue and red. I think its good having a distinction to know how to react in the moment. Should drivers react differently to a cop vs an ambulance?

[@Willdu87]

He wouldn’t overtake you if he was wanting to pull you over…

[@Julmaa87]

Unmarked police cars don't have roof mounted lights, unmarked medical vehicles do. And what if someone thinks they're being pulled over? He just drives past them and the other driver breathes a sigh of relief and goes about their day. Weird comment.

[@nickbell8634]

Scary how many drivers don't notice or see you as you pass them. There's also too many who panic and slam the brakes on.

[@asess]

Would be nice to show speed on your dash cam

[@Willdu87]

I saw a reply on one of the other videos. Generally 20 over the speed limit and 30 over on motorways.