In August 2003 the TENYAS life-cycle team was expanded from one to four paramedics. For the previous two-and-a-half years, one paramedic has been working eight hours per day, five days per week. With the additional man-power, the unit will operate for twelve hours per day, seven days per week. Pictured (from left to right) are Mark Inman, Martin Dodd, Neil Roberts and Andy Church.
The re-liveried (August 2003) third life-cycle.
TENYAS paramedic Paul Brown carefully negotiates a pile of wooden pallets as part of a demonstration of emergency service cyclist’s skills.
TENYAS’s life-cycle with the historic Clifford’s Tower in the background.
This photo shows Matt Emmerson and two colleagues with a Surrey St John Ambulance cycle, used on first aid duties.
A close up shot of the mountain bike, complete with liveried panniers.
An even further close-up look at the interesting blue flashing lights fitted to the handlebars, consisting of two matrices of LEDs.
This is one of London Ambulance Service’s cycle response units. The large yellow pannier pack opens to allow two bags of medical equipment to be removed and carried to the patient. Notice the map pocket integrated into the lid. The LAS cycle unit concentrates on attending category B and C calls in place of an ambulance.
This is the third TENYAS life cycle. New in May 2003, this yellow bike is fitted with two white and two blue flashing lights, a siren and panniers of medical equipment and was bought with a generous donation from the Rotary Club. It is used to answer 999 calls as a rapid response unit in the narrow, winding streets of York. The front suspension on the cycle is great on rough terrain, but wastes the rider’s energy moving up and down when pedalling hard on roads. Hence a small switch on the handlebar can be flicked which locks the suspension in position, disabling it and allowing the bike to act as though it is not fitted with suspension.
The third life cycle in use!
A meeting of cycling emergency services personnel. A TENYAS paramedic and a North Yorks. police constable stop briefly in York city centre. Both community-oriented schemes have been phenomenal successes and have been duplicated up and down the country.
This picture shows from left to right: paramedics Mark Inman (life-cycle rider), Simon Marshall (assistant life-cycle project manager) and Paul Brown (life-cycle project manager). They are preparing for a challenge involving racing around a track and attending to simulated casualties at a cycle event.
The challenge in progress! Paramedic Paul Brown is applying a bandage to a casulaty before continuing on to complete another lap of the course.
TENYAS’s life-cycle was started in May 2001. LAS (London Ambulance Service) were the first service to trial a cycling paramedic a year and a half earlier. But does this photograph show that cycling paramedics have been around for much longer than first thought?
One of the two TENYAS Lifecycles outside York ambulance station in October 2001.
This is TENYAS’s life cycle in use. It is a top of the range mountain bike fitted with white lights, blue flashing lights (shown) and a siren, alongside two panniers of medical equipment. Ambulance control have just notified us of an emergency by mobile ‘phone.
Paramedic Mark Inman is responding to a 999 call for an ambulance. He knows all of the short cuts through the city of York to rapidly respond to calls.
Mark has removed the panniers of medical equipment and entered the house of an 89 year old lady. She dialed 999 after damaging her hand by a fall when shopping. Mark arrived in three minutes after zipping through the traffic using his blue flashing lights and sirens.
An ambulance calmly arrives and the lady is prepared for transportation to hospital. Mark contacts the control room to let them know the details of the call before standing down.
This was the first bicycle to be featured on UKev. On trial for 16 weeks in York’s city centre (during summer 2001, and then made permanent) is TENYAS’s (Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service) paramedic life-cycle, fully equipped to cope with any emergency. The bike is quicker at getting through the tight, winding streets of York than a regular ambulance.
It is fitted out with white lights alongside blue flashing lights and a siren! The siren is similar to a car alarm, with the power provided by a large battery fitted where the water bottle would normally be. It also has a speedometer fitted.
There are two identical bikes, but only one paramedic to ride them. He responds to 2-3 calls per shift, travels about 30 miles per day, and is only used during daylight hours. Both bikes were donated by a private company. The panniers are heavily laden with equipment including an oxygen supply and a defibrillator. They lift off the bike to be carried to a casualty. The rider is equipped with a radio and a mobile telephone for communications. The real benefit of this system is that it is an inexpensive way of having an extra ‘ambulance’ on the road that can respond to emergencies.
GFB 638W or 06 AF 33 This Bedford CF2 ambulance is an ex-RAF vehicle, hence the dual registration plates (for show only). It started life in 1981 in London and was decommissioned in 1992.
93 AA 13 This Land Rover Series 2 ambulance was previously used by the RAF, entering service in 1969 and retired in 1983. The vehicle is now preserved with its original RAF paint scheme.
RBH 540D This is a preserved Vauxhall Victor that was originally purchased from Bridge Motors, Windsor, Berks and spent all of its working life with Slough Estates Ltd. on the Slough Trading Estate. It later moved to Northumberland County Council’s Ambulance Service. Notice the roof-top storage box and Winkworth warning bell on the front grille.
One of the forerunners of the motorised ambulance is this wheeled stretcher. Looking like a child’s pram, it can accommodate one recumbent casualty. Retractable legs allow it to be stood still. Traveling over cobbled streets in this would have been a bone-shaking experience!
VHO 232H This old BMC ambulance has had all of the ‘ambulance’ wording removed and is now in private use. All that remains is one of its blue lights on the bonnet.
UOA 585 This green Austin Princess ambulance was new in 1956. t was painted green to distinguish it from front line ambulances. It worked until 1979 as a factory ambulance for Hardy Spicer, Chester Road, Birmingham. It then passed through the hands of a number of preservationists who worked to restore it to its original condition. Notice the warning bell on the front bumper.
H537 GPD was the first motorcycle to be used by London Ambulance Service to respond to emergencies. It is now a preserved vehicle in the service’s museum.
The rear view of the Norton showing the panniers built into the motorcycle body.
M762 LPB The Nortons were replaced in the 1990’s by Honda ST1100 Pan-Europeans. This vehicle dates from 1994/95.
JXP 63 is a Daimler ambulance that dates from 1949 and was also used in London. Notice how the warning bell is mounted on the front above the bumper and that there are no rotating beacons on the vehicle.
ELN 235Y is a Mercedes 250 LWB ambulance dating from 1983 which was operated by St. Bartholomew’s Hospital in London.
HUC 999W is a former London Ambulance Service Control Unit from 1982. When this Ford based van left the front line ambulance fleet it was kept fully operational so it cold be used in the case of a major emergency.
The rear of the van has two telescoping communication aerials which would be raised once the control is established at an incident.
J529 OPM is a Renault Espace which was also used by the LAS. The green and white chequers on the roof signify that this vehicle was used as a control unit.
The rear view of the Espace.
This view shows the roof mounted telescopic tower extended in order for the vehicle to be spotted at a major incident. Like the Ford above, it has been kept fully operational.
MMF 477L is a Peugeot/Reeve Sovam Concorder Mk 1 prototype ambulance. This ambulance was seen as very futuristic when it was new in 1972.
B322 DPK is a Bedford CF2 ambulance which was typical of London Ambulance Services fleet from the 1980’s.
KGY 597D is a Land Rover Series 2 control unit formerly used by LAS. The large wing mounted mirrors are to help the driver when the vehicle is towing the trailer shown below.
This trailer would have been towed by a similar Land Rover to that above and contains vital emergency equipment.
394 BXA This ex-front line London Ambulance is one of the most filmed emergency vehicle in the UK. It has appeared in numerous TV shows and films
437 BXA is a sister vehicle of the above. It is a preserved 1959 London Ambulance that was used in Wandsworth borough. Notice the bell mounted on the bonnet.