Have the rules for deployment of blues and twos been relaxed or is there more crime / accidents / heart attacks etc. these days?

Honestly – all you seem to see and hear around our way are emergency vehicles in fully illuminated flight.

(I do live in Salford though…)

Trying to get to the bagel/doughnut shop/pub before closing time?

As a driver responding to an emergency you are now open to sooooo much $hit if you have even the slightest of bumps so I for one prefer to use them as much as possible (where effective.) oh, and the fact that half the time it feels like you're driving around with a cloaking device on as opposed to flashing lights!

i got the distinct feeling, the ociffers out on bank holiday monday were pissed off to be roped into traffic work on a holiday, and subsequently took out the most powerful cars they could lay thier hands on and TORE up and down the M5 at 120mph all day just because they could.

Possibly not true

It was always a requirement but there used to be a certain amount of discretion/common sense allowed, eg. at night, quiet country roads etc. but since one particular recent case, our directive is that lights and sirens have to be used at all times in emergencies. This means that from the moment the vehicle starts moving, to the time it stops, lights and sirens must be on.
If this was actually done, people living close to an ambulance or police station would have a nightmare + it wakes up firefighters on shared stations which upsets them 😉

I would have thought litigation was the real reason for it, and the fact that Amublance Services now send an ambulance and fast response car to meet 8 minute response targets(not that the guy in the fast response car carries anything that will help save your life!)

hey Woody – just thought, why do Firefighters have to sleep at work but ambulance personnel don't? What's the difference?

Rachel

not that the guy in the fast response car carries anything that will help save your life

Except himself possibly.

You'd moan if there is too many or too much Police?

I like the copshop being around in the city-I have nothing to hide but also reassures safety.

We were advised to use lights and sirens at all times following the teenager that was killed by the policeman who used neither. Prior to that it was pretty much discretion as to the use of sirens on quiet roads/night time etc. I'm a Paramedic on Rapid Response BTW

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/tyne/8586541.stm

The other half has mentioned to me that they've been told/trained to minimise the use of sirens at certain times of the day & in built-up areas to avoid disturbing people/causing a nuisance as much as possible.

Seems mad to me; if you need to get somewhere in a genuine emergency it seems mad to me that you should limit your use of the sirens.

Possibly, but then again probably not.

My wife is a hospital doctor and done her ATLS (Advanced Trauma Life Support) ie she gets called to serious incidents and crashes in hospital. Driving home one night she came across a traffic accident, stopped to help out. She did all she could but needed some equipment/drugs to help the person out. A fast responder turned up, and she was amazed that he didnt have the equipment she needed. The ambulance got there 30mins later in which time the person had died.

She was amazed how little equipment the responder carried compared to an ambulance (and they tend to be less well trained). She said granted the person still would have probably died, but if the ambulance had got their before the car, she could have done more.

She later talked to colleagues about, and they all pretty much said the fast responders, cant really help!

allthegear – they don't have to but are lucky enough to get the opportunity. Ambulances tend to be required all night and it is rare nowadays to get any 'downtime'.

FuncyDunc – In my area and most of the country, Rapid Response cars are manned by a paramedic with a full range of drugs, equipment and a defibrillator.

FuncyDunc

First responders and Rapid response are 2 different things. First Responders, who can be based in remote areas as well as cities, may not carry much more than oxygen and are often members of the public with basic First Aid training. The idea is that it is better to get someone there asap who can offer some help and advise on the situation. They are not meant to replace qualified emergency staff.

Living within 1/2 mile of a busy district general hosp, all we hear is sirens pretty much 24/7 (traffic light controlled junction & roundabout nearby).

+1 about difference between first responder & fast responder, I've been happy to see fast response twice in the last year.