40 RN 50 is a Pinzgauer 6-wheeled truck that the Royal Navy use for bomb disposal work. It is decked out with blue flashing lights and has a side-stripe of blue and yellow checkers.
The rear view of the same vehicle. Notice the lockers on the sides and the very small rear access door. Fold-down orange signs indicate when the vehicle is carrying anything dangerous.
OU02 FYK and OU02 KWA are a pair of bomb disposal Honda ST1100 Pan Europeans. They carry a simple colour scheme and do not have any writing or crests on them. This is to help stop the public panicking and to help avoid them becoming a target themselves. Notice that one bike has LED lights on the front whereas the other has halogens.
The rear view of the pair of Honda motorbikes showing the high visibility stripes and red flashing lights.
39 RN 88 This Pinzgauer 6×6 is a Royal Navy bomb disposal truck. It has four blue lights on the front, as well as additional spot lamps. On the roof is an upturned rigid inflatable boat. It has a front-mounted winch and ‘flip-down’ signs on all sides to indicate when it is carrying explosives. A supporting RN Land Rover can be seen behind.
SW04 CNX This DAF LF 45.220 truck has blue lights and a yellow stripe, but no other markings. Notice how the front registration plate has been moved up onto the bonnet and has two small blue lights to either side of it.
The rear view of the same 2004 truck. It has fold-down signs on the sides and back to reveal its use – Royal Logistics Corps Bomb Disposal. A piece of white plastic also hides wording on the front.
This is the same vehicle with the signs in the downward position, revealing its use.
R745 UCH This is an older 1998 Leyland DAF in the RLC markings. It has blue lights and a siren mounted on top of the cab, as well as blues on the front. A ladder permits access to the roof.
The rear view, showing a blue light in each corner. The back also has a slightly different stripe – the border colour is red, not blue. These vehicles are used for carrying bomb disposal equipment for EOD (Explosive Ordnance Disposal) emergencies.
FC 00 AA This Royal Air Force bomb disposal unit is a Leyland DAF truck. Notice the grilles on roof-mounted blue lights and siren. Due to the severity of bomb incidents, the RAF are permitted to use blue lights and sirens.
The front view. Usually only seen on TV news programmes, these bomb disposal units are very few in number and it is not unusual for them to travel for over an hour to get to an incident scene.
In the back of the truck is a large array of equipment, including a robot. Probably the oddest emergency vehicle on UKev, this robot can remotely pick up and move objects without risking human life. On-board cameras ensure the operators can see exactly what it is doing.
This is a RAF bomb disposal Scimitar CVR(T) armoured personnel carrier (tank). The CVR(T) stands for Combat Vehicle Reconnaissance (Tracked). It has a top speed of 70 mph on tarmac and is powered by a Jaguar V12 engine. This is used to protect the lives of the disposal experts as they deal with unexploded munitions dropped onto an airfield from a safe distance. It carries its own military registration plate.
Another view of the Leyland bomb disposal truck. The Met have 4 full time bomb disposal officers all civilians with the honorary rank of Superintendent and all are ex army bomb disposal officers. They all have police officers as drivers and have a fleet of 3 specially equipped Range Rovers which they use as rapid response vehicles. They also have several other specialist vehicles including 2 adapted Mercedes Sprinter box vans which they use to transport their “wheelbarrow” remote control bomb disposal machines. They are based at a Central London Location (not the yard) and respond to all suspect packages / devices around the Met. The only time the army are used in the Met area is when any WW2 ordnance is found where it takes a long time to deal with and the police bomb disposal units would be tied up for too long reducing their ability to respond to other incidents.
This is a picture of a Royal Navy EOD Land Rover. It is based at Faslane, Scotland and is part of the Northern Diving Group Explosive Ordnance Disposal Team. This is the new livery, previously the colour was blue. The pictures were taken on a beach in Cumbria whilst the team were dealing with an item which had been discovered by the local Coastguard.
A second view of the RN Land Rover.
LT57 MXO This Ford Transit Connect is operated by London-based Medical Services and is fitted with blue lights as it is used from time to time for urgent blood transportation work.
RJ06 AXM SERV Bloodrunners’ Sussex Division has this Honda Pan European 1300. This photo was taken on a rider training day in Hastings, Sussex.
This is one of Whiteknights blood bikes, a Honda ST1100. Based in Yorkshire, this service was set up by volunteers to carry out free medical transfers for the NHS.
Another of Whiteknights’ bikes, showing white lights where the blue flashing lights are usually mounted on the front of the bike. A blue light can still be operated on the rear pole.
GU08 NMF is a Honda Deauville that is used by SERV bloodrunners. It is not fitted with any emergency warning equipment, but has the standard orange and yellow checkered livery applied.
LC05 FUP is a SERV Yamaha 1300 FJR motorbike. Notice the specially made plinth on the rear of the bike so that a transportation box can be attached. This same bike in the old colours can be seen lower down the page.
RO04 EWA is a Honda Pan European ST1300 that is posing outside of an A&E department. Notice that it has the transportation box attached to the rear and is fitted with amber flashing lights.
GX55 ETK is another SERV motorbike showing the revised 2008 colour scheme of orange and yellow squares.
These two Honda ST1100 Pan European motorbikes are used by Bloodfast Emergency Volunteer Service Ltd. They are marked in red and yellow battenburg and are two of four bikes used by the charity. They assist the NHS in the Hull area by transporting items for free by volunteers.
DS06 UYL This Vauxhall Vectra 1.8 SRi is also with Bloodfast. It has ‘urgent bloods’ written on the bonnet and a yellow stripe up the sides. The cars can be used when it is unsafe to use motorbikes, such as in foggy or icy weather.
LG56 KKU is a BMW 530D Touring which is run by Bloodfast. It has ‘ambulance’ wording on the bonnet and is decked out in full yellow and green battenburg markings.
KL07 LZT This Ford Mondeo estate is used by Amvale Medical based in Scunthorpe. They have contracts with NHS hospitals to transport organs as well as taking teams of surgeons to other hospitals. It is fitted with a blue light bar on the roof and is classed as an ambulance.
The rear view of the Mondeo, showing the transplant logo on the rear portion.
RJ07 GDV This BMW R 1150 RT is decked out in orange and yellow squares and is used by the Freewheelers blood service charity.
The rear and side view of the same motorbike. It has clear ‘blood’ wording on all sides and three blue flashing lights for emergency work.
MT56 KCU This 2006 Ford Transit T260 is used by the NBS for the transport of blood. It carries a blue light bar on its roof as well as four LED repeaters on the grill and front wings.
The side view of the short wheel-base Transit.
This Honda ST1300P is used by Freewheelers, a charitable medical transportation service. The bike is used to transport human blood and any other small medical items that are required by hospitals. The blue light are only used in exceptional circumstances when human life is at stake.
The rear view of the 53-reg bike. The registration has been partially disguised here.
K453 GYC Here is the first motorbike that Freewheelers used when they started in 1991. It is a red Yamaha Diversion 600 and is decked out in a simple livery with blue lights added.
The rear view of the Yamaha showing the panniers and rack.
LC05 FUP SERV started using this Yamaha fjr1300abs bike in 2007 to help cope with the increased demands placed on the blood runners charity.
MT55 WHK is a NBS Ford Focus used for urgent blood transfers. This night time shot shows the blinding blue lights fitted to the roof, windscreen and wings.
DA54 YYD This Mercedes Benz Sprinter is one of a number that are operated by the NBS. They have a refrigerated section in the rear to transport blood and blood products at the optimum 2-4 degrees Celsius. They are also fitted with blue lights all round.
WX53 ZLY Here is a 55-registration Ford Transit Connect and a 53-registration DAF truck both belonging to the National Blood Service. They both carry the same livery of a wide red stripe. The truck is a ‘bloodmobile’ which allows people to donate blood in a mobile hospital-style environment. The Transit Connect is used to carry around supplies of blood and related paraphernalia.
The rear view of the Ford Transit Connect. It carries a full-width light bar at the front of the roof and has two repeater blue lights at the rear of the roof. The Road Traffic Act permits the NBS to use blue flashing lights when an urgent request comes in from a hospital. However they cannot break the speed limit when using them which can sometimes appear unusual to following drivers.
RO04 EWA This Honda Pan European 1300 is the second marked vehicle to be used by SERV (Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers). This volunteer organisation delivers blood products to hospitals across Southern England at night, when NHS services are limited. It carries ‘blood’ wording and blue flashing lights.
GP05 MVS This is a Honda Deauville belonging to SERV. It has green and yellow checker markings and clear ‘blood’ wording. There are no emergency warning lights.
The rear view of the Deauville in use. The National Blood Service box is securely attached behind the rider. You can see that there are lots of ’emergency blood’ signs, and the SERV logo has also been added to the panniers.