28 minutes

UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUMS THE UK PROFESSIONAL DRIVERS FORUM (INTERACTIVE)
81

ladder49:
or pensions towards which we paid 11 percent of salary so hardly gold plated were ahem modified

“Gold plated” in that the return was absolutely guaranteed as a percentage of final salary, rather than relying on the future performance of investments. The police pension was similarly “gold plated” - and contributions were also 11% of salary. But (just like the Fire Service scheme) the actual cost of providing those “gold plated” benefits was actually about three times what serving members were contributing. I don’t recall seeing firemen and bobbies demanding to increase their contributions to 25%+ of salary! (which is what anyone paying into a private pension would have to do to get the same sort of benefits). Wake up and smell the coffee indeed…

82

mickyblue:

Carryfast:

Wiretwister:
@carryfast.

  1. How many V8 Chevvy ambulances does Surrey ambulance service have on their fleet?

  2. Is there an air ambulance available for use within the Surrey ambulance borders?

Given the time that first responders will be working on the patient before transfer you still want to stick with the V8 Chevvy over the alternatives?

The Chevy ambulances have been gone for quite some time now at least since the Surrey Amulance Service seems to have been merged into the Sout East Coast Service.I’m not sure of the exact numbers but when they were being used you could see ( and hear :smiley: ) the things being used throughout the County to great effect on emergency calls and they made the London service’s equipment look mickey mouse by comparison.So I’d assume it was a large scale replacement programme based on the Chevy’s combination of performance and being up to the job v the Brit and Euro competition when money was obviouly less of an issue to those doing the purchasing and paying for the fuel.

As for the air ambulance service and first response paramedics using quick cars it should be a case of having all of those options ‘in addition to’ a decent ambulance service and good well equipped hospitals serving the local area as we had previously not a case of ‘either or’.As opposed to the present situation of an ambulance service run for the benefit of the accountants not the patients and hospitals run on the basis of so called ‘centres of excellence’ while removing the capabilities of other hospitals.Which is a flawed idea which actually creates an over reliance on the air ambulance service.Bearing in mind the limitations in regards to fleet numbers of air ambulances and their specialist crews and the extra distances over which casualties need to be transported which such a stupid idea creates.

As I’ve said I wouldn’t like to rely on the services which we’ve got locally both in regard to hospital emergency surgical capabilities and our present ambulance services especially in the case of something like the event of a major RTA on the south west section of the M25 involving large numbers of casualties having to be reliant on the present underfunded lash up of Surrey’s present and proposed hospital provision let alone it’s similarly run ambulance service.All of which is about saving money not about providing the best possible medical emergency service.

Didn’t they have V8 LDV’s?

If I remember it right as far as I know London Ambulance Service service purchased their V8 LDV’s from the late 1980’s on then Surrey Ambulance service replaced it’s fleet with them later during the 1990’s but then decided ( rightly ) to replace them with the Chevrolets :smiley: around the end of 1999/2000.Which have relatively recently been replaced by Merc diesels like everywhere else under the new South East Coast Ambulance service merger. :unamused:

flickr.com/photos/47362452@N … leylandldv

policecarwebsite.net/medic/medic226.jpg

farm5.static.flickr.com/4070/449 … a7c0a8.jpg

83

ladder49:
I spent 27 years on the Fire service the only time people complained was when we were late
They didn’t generally bat an eye when we were downgraded or stations were shut or crews shift systems or pensions towards which we paid 11 percent of salary so hardly gold plated were ahem modified So you the public get the service you deserve
I’ll give you an actual example from the East mids ambulance service that was put together from various county ones as a lowest common denominator sort of fusion
There was a call to an Road crash in Loughborough and the nearest ambulance was at Beechdale in Nottinghamshire it took them 29 mins to get there driving their arses off and they got abuse upon arrival
So wake up and smell the coffee

^ This.

84

Surprised nobody has brought this up yet, from back in 2002:

sunderlandecho.com/news/loca … -1-1086998

Never late with a V8 eh :laughing:

85

I think the public sector pensions have been changed to come in line with the private sector. I don’t think they are as gold plated as they used to be!

SB

86

Roymondo:

ladder49:
or pensions towards which we paid 11 percent of salary so hardly gold plated were ahem modified

“Gold plated” in that the return was absolutely guaranteed as a percentage of final salary, rather than relying on the future performance of investments. The police pension was similarly “gold plated” - and contributions were also 11% of salary. But (just like the Fire Service scheme) the actual cost of providing those “gold plated” benefits was actually about three times what serving members were contributing. I don’t recall seeing firemen and bobbies demanding to increase their contributions to 25%+ of salary! (which is what anyone paying into a private pension would have to do to get the same sort of benefits). Wake up and smell the coffee indeed…

If you want a debate on pensions start a new thread to whichI I’ll happily supply the facts that you appear to lack knowledge of
Like I said the only time the public think about it is when they phone up and no one is available just like the recent cuts/changes to the Coast Guard :exclamation:
Still you who needs to smell the coffee :grimacing:

87

No need for a separate debate on the subject. The benefits (and costs) of the Fire Pension Scheme were/are much the same as the old Police Pension Scheme. Both have been overhauled in recent years (to the detriment of new members) and both of them give/gave their members benefits far and away above those available to anyone actually paying for their own pension - guaranteed by Act of Parliament and as a result “Gold Plated” as they were/are immune to the vagaries of stock market and investment performance (That’s what people usually mean when they use the term “Gold Plated”).

88

consettbell:
Surprised nobody has brought this up yet, from back in 2002:

sunderlandecho.com/news/loca … -1-1086998

Never late with a V8 eh :laughing:

It would be interesting to find out the results of the investigations in regards to the reasons. :open_mouth: :confused:

The things have been used by numerous fire and ambulance emergency services around the world with no inherent issues that I’ve heard of including those used here.No surprise that by all accounts at least some of the ones used here have been sold to private ambulance services and you can bet that they’d be using the same as the more recent cheaper to run type ones used in the public sector if they thought they were better for the job.

89

milkchurns:
i’ve said it over and over again. we have to waste 8 hours a year doing a cpc course. wouldnt them 8 hours be better used doing a first aid course.at the end of the day lorry drivers are about the roads 24 hours a day. i came across a car crash on the a75 2 years ago. i was the 2nd person on the sence… i didnt have a clue what to do… 1 of the fellas died on the sence and i couldnt help but feel useless

Brought this up at my last BTEC/CPC, instructor agreed.
But The powers that be are more concerned with teaching us to be politically correct.

90

Knowing the area well, its suprising that it took so long for all 3 of the emergency services to arrive.

Police HQ is at Kempston, less than 10 miles away, Fire Brigade, Rescue vehicle would probably have turned out from Barkers Lane which is closer.

Accident scene is close to Cambridgeshire/ Bedfordshire border so there may have been some confusion/ delay in dispatching the correct vehicles.

A421 is now an excellent, but fast dual carriageway, is it ( or for that matter any of the A dual carriageways, A14 etc) the place for a vehicle that is able to travel at less that half the speed of the majority of the other traffic?

91

ladder49:
‘…Still you who needs to smell the coffee…’

So, let me get this properly understood :confused:

:bulb: We’re on here bickering among ourselves about the dilution of British living standards whilst those (poorly) governing us have convinced us that it’s a great idea to spend £53 million/day of our money as EU subscription down the drain :bulb:

Just a thought…

92

Happy Keith:

ladder49:
‘…Still you who needs to smell the coffee…’

So, let me get this properly understood :confused:

:bulb: We’re on here bickering among ourselves about the dilution of British living standards whilst those (poorly) governing us have convinced us that it’s a great idea to spend £53 million/day of our money as EU subscription down the drain :bulb:

Just a thought…

^ This.But.The problem is that you can bet that UKIP’s manifesto won’t include a policy of putting all that money back where it belongs in the hands of the general public so they can then use it to pay for their medical cover needs.Wether that cover is in the form of the present government run rationed scam or privately funded medical services.

93

Constantine:
Wiretwister, you have to excuse Carryfast, he doesn’t always think laterally that other things may have to happen in situations and in this example, the back of an ambulance, its more than just driving the vehicle to an incident like a lunatic and then back again at double time!

It could be as quick as a formula one car to the scene, but its got to get there in one piece safely to be effective and still take you back in one piece to get treated at hospital!

So is it imperative that you have a huge engine up front or that the proper care is administed correctly and safely for all involved in the situation?!

Sorry to appear like I am picking on you Carryfast, but I thought some of your posts were quite crass and ill thought out for this particular post, saying V8 engines would’ve changed the situation. Normally I :unamused: at some of your posts on other subjects but this one had to be back up with with what Wiretwister and Santa said and others about the protocol ambulance crews have to follow at present.

PS I used to drive around in a V8 range rover private ambulance for people who did not require medical care anymore, but still required a stretcher. They were shocking for space, roll and general ride, a bit like those chevy’s looked just taller, good job those souls in the back we’re already dead and didn’t require treatment.

All I can say is keep those diesels with all that space for drugs, stretchers, equipment and treatments to help those that need it most in their hour of need!

C

Sounds to me like the same sort of bs that the politicians rely on to make the case for closing down the capabilities of our local hospitals in favour of the so called ‘centres of excellence’ idea.The fact is making an ambulance as fast as possible and driving it accordingly ( which actually means that the thing can be driven through hazards like bends and roundabouts slower while using the extra acceleration to run faster on the straights ) is nothing new.Which is why performance has been an accepted factor and requirement in most types of front line emergency vehicles over the years.Hence the previous generation V8 LDV’s as opposed to diesels.While,just like the downgrading of hospital capabilities,the idea of slower ambulances is just all about saving money and the bs health and safety culture with it’s aversion to risk which you seem to have described as ‘protocol’ but which I call bs.

Meanwhile those types of ambulances which you seem to think are a liability here are used happily in most other developed countries from North America to Australia and New Zealand.No surprise that the common factor seems to be the non existence of the austerity agenda,at least in regard to emergency medic provision,in those countries as opposed to this one. :unamused:

newtonconoverrescue.org/apparatus.htm

94

Good post jd. It’s a shame it’s been hijacked about ukip etc

95

albion1971:
If people drove properly in the first place these horrible accidents would not happen.

You Sir, are a ■■■.
That is all.

96

i didnt know that. well i think i’d rather do a first aid course rather than some jumped up ■■■■ telling me about high rev’s

Roymondo:

milkchurns:
i’ve said it over and over again. we have to waste 8 hours a year doing a cpc course. wouldnt them 8 hours be better used doing a first aid course.at the end of the day lorry drivers are about the roads 24 hours a day. i came across a car crash on the a75 2 years ago. i was the 2nd person on the sence… i didnt have a clue what to do… 1 of the fellas died on the sence and i couldnt help but feel useless

No reason why you can’t do a First Aid course as one of your CPC sessions.

97

Personally I think people living in the UK are generally lucky whatever way you look at it, I pay equivalent of 800 pounds a month for my medical and hospital cover and whilst that pays for all of expenses whilst in Hospital it only covers about 50%, if you are not admitted.
You need to be away a while to see the benefit of what you have got. even if it doesn’t always work 100%.

98

Id say most modern diesels offer fairly decent performance and in urban areas little difference could be made by some american v8 ambulance. Id guess a decent susspension set up would be of more use than speed.
Yes they may use v8 chevys in the states but remember most vans are petrol engined there too

99

Carryfast:

Happy Keith:
‘…So, let me get this properly understood … We’re on here bickering …’ etc

‘…The problem is that you can bet that UKIP’s manifesto won’t include a …’ etc

What’s the point in diverting facts with a sparse idea of guessed-at specifics of a guessed-at manifesto - and then getting upset & confrontational about it :question:

I’m ‘on thread’ FFS :open_mouth:

mickyblue:
‘… post … a shame it’s been hijacked about ukip etc…’

+1 :unamused:

100

A main route in itself and a link between the M1 and A1…28 minutes in such an important and busy area with good access is reprehensible!
I was on that road last night on my bike, not the best lit road, but one would have thought an emergency vehicle/team would be able to repond to in a timely fashion.