Signed up earlier this week and feeling better about myself for doing so as I don’t give Blood.
You would be on call one night (1900 - 0600hrs) in a fortnight and can be on standby at your home address. You might not be called out at all or you could be woken at 3am for a job!. Like the London Air Ambulance this is also a charity relying solely on donations and volunteers to be able to survive. There is a shortage of riders and I hope LB can pull together as it always does help not just other bikers involved in accidents but anybody in the South East area unlucky enough to require an Emergency Blood Transfusion or Organ Transplant.** [/center]
So what do you do, rock up at their depot and change to a super-hi-viz beemer or just rock up on your own bike and stick a load of blood up your jacket?
I belong to Essex Serv; I’ve done the IAM course but never taken the test - for us you dont need IAM ROSPA etc you can even use you car if it too cold!
What does the box attach to, if anything? Is there support for sports-bikes? Would a rack be required? Presumably if you get a speeding ticket, you’re on your own, though I appreciate you shouldn’t be speeding, but it does happen.
There are 3 types of boxes depending on what you are transporting (Blood, Organ, Platelets, Plasma, Samples). There are three types of boxes size wise and unfortunately the NHS require (on occasion) that individual persons samples/blood ect travel separately. If you have a GS, lol, it’s not a problem, you can do 3 boxes. That said the NBS know we do this as a favour (effectively) for them. You will never be asked to take any cargo that you are not 100% happy with carrying just like an aeroplane Captain…you will have the final word.
My bike is rigged to carry these boxes as that is my 9-5 job but for the sports bike riders there is scope for buying a second pillion seat and having a custom plate bracket bolted through it with hooks for the boxes. Dont stress. Anyone worried can drop in at a Blood Bank and see said empty boxes and gauge how big they are before hand.
Speeding tickets: You are on your own on this one. Serv will tell you from the start you MUST/SHOULD/WILL obey the law including the speed limits. On the flip side when you know the surgeon won’t begin the operation until the blood is on site, you might ride ride a few miles an hour faster than the limit as you deem appropriate for the conditions. Bearing in mind it will be after 7pm the roads will/should be quite, but never forget the precious cargo you are carrying. Think of it as a pillion, your other half, and then some. Other times it won’t be urgent and it will just be a regular ride like every other. There are rumours of Police seeing the SERV jacket and doing a U-turn and letting you get on with it but if you end up in court…don’t winge. It’s all about professional judgement and safety of yourself and your cargo. I’ll let you decide the order of priority on those two points.
Was ready to go the distance of the shift but the first/my first call came at 19.25hrs. A box of blood from NBS Tooting to the Sussex hand over in Hooley going to Heywoods Heath Hospital. Was back home by 22.00hrs after a quick stop at the Ace for a coffee. Got my head down expecting another call but there were only two other calls during the night and were handed by the other two riders on duty that night.
Like I said, even a standby once a month doesn’t necessary mean a call out at stupid o’clock…
