| MovedGoalPosts |
19-04-2004 08:09 |
Re: Yay, I passed!
Quote:
Originally Posted by towny
Nice one Jerrek.
Volunteering for the emergency services is a little different over here - you can volunteer for the police (completely unpaid) or the fire service (you have a day job but get called on as a 'retained' firefighter, which does attract pay), but as Charlie says, the nearest we have to a volunteer ambulance service is St John Ambulance. Organisers of major public events use them to provide on-site first aid cover, but they don't do any of the big rushing through the streets lifesaving stuff AFAIK.
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St John's ambulance are frequently "out & about" at peak times doing a lot of fetching and carying work to releive the stress on the main ambulance services in the UK. Their vehicles do have blue lights, so if there was a need, I'm quite sure the drivers. if authorised to drive at that level, would do a blue light run. However I don't think the St Johns would be the primary response to an incident.
As an aside, being a passenger in a police response vehicle doing a blue light run across Surrey, in the rush hour, was one of he most jaw dropping experiences I've ever had. Roller Coaster rides and the like aren't a patch on it. You just never know what the reaction of the next driver you encounter will be, except it is going to be unpredictable :Yikes:
Voluntary work with the emergency services can be extremely rewarding, demanding, and a bit of an eye opener. If you have the time and are prepared for the commitment, I can recommend it.
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