The purpose of this thread is to freshen up an existing excellent one started by CharlyBR600 a couple of years back.
Many of you will be aware of SERV, some of you may even be volunteers, past or present and of course, some of you may have never heard of us at all.
You may have seen in the past, the Honda indent on Channel 4(Featuring SERV OBN) which gives a succinct overview of what we do.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AU8BgU3BjRM
Started in 1981 in Surrey, Service by Emergency Rider Volunteers was set up to supply a quick and reliable means of transporting emergency blood products to hospitals and medical facilities at night.
SERV supplies this service free of any charge, thus freeing up much-needed funds for improved patient care and other needed facilities within the hospital.
I volunteer for & represent in this thread SERV Surrey & South London (which is a registered charity). SERV SSL is a member of the National Association of Blood Bikes (http://www.bloodbikes.org.uk/). Whilst our catchment area is broadly speaking “South of the River”, we’re a key part of the supply chain to other areas such as Kent, Sussex, Wessex & further afield through our colleagues in other SERV regions.
As we (SERV SSL) offer an ever greater, broader service to our customers, we are of course in need of more volunteers, and of course would warmly welcome LB members interested in getting involved.
In addition to transporting blood and blood products, we also transport breast milk, samples, scans & documents. Commencing February 2013, we started working with the Henry Surtees Trust (http://www.servssl.org.uk/kent-sussex-surrey-air-ambulance-supplied-by-serv-ssl/) keeping the Kent, Surrey, & Sussex Air Ambulance stocked with blood, helping them save even more lives at the scene.
FAQ’s
Commitment
The usual rider/driver “commitment” requirement (for SERV SSL – may vary in other regions) is once a fortnight on call from 7pm until 6am, however, obviously some people work shifts, or different patterns and these can generally be catered for.
Can you break speed limits/jump lights etc?
We’re not a “Blue light” service, nor do we ride/drive outside of the law, or have any dispensation to do so. The “motorcycle” advantage is used for SAFE filtering, acceleration where needed etc. The key thing is safety; we no more want our volunteers squashed than we want very expensive blood products rendered useless. Speaking for SERV SSL, we operate within the NABB guidelines and like our volunteers to undertake advanced training. Within SERV SSL, part-funding can be made available to help with the costs involved in taking advanced training.
Vehicles
What vehicles do you use?
Volunteers generally use their own motorcycle (or car*), there are within SERV SSL a number of “marked vehicles” (3 motorcycles, a van, and a Land Rover); these are available for use by volunteers with more than 1 years’ service and an advance riding qualification. Fuel costs are met by the volunteer rider/driver. *Cars are used when temperatures are not suitable for riding for rider safety and to keep the product within permitted temperatures for transportation.
I don’t have a Pan European or a BMW RT, nor do I want one!
You can use any bike (some use sports bikes & scooters), so long as you can safely strap the box to it either on a rack, or on the pillion seat. Blood products are packed into special insulated boxes, and these will not fit into a top box or panniers. Samples and other miscellaneous items will need to go in a Tail pack, top box, or other luggage, not stuffed inside a jacket, for obvious reasons.
I don’t ride/don’t want to ride
In addition to riding/driving, there are other ways to assist; our “controllers” are volunteers too, they field the incoming calls to the appropriate drivers/riders on call each night prioritising urgency, whilst also using resources efficiently and doubling up jobs where possible as well as maintaining timing records & of course awaiting “Home safe” messages from each of their riders, once the job is done. As with any charitable organisation there are a myriad of behind the scenes roles too, like fundraising, administration etc, etc. Hence, there are many ways you can get involved if you want to.
Geography/What Hospitals do you serve?
In the most part, we (SERV SSL) transport blood products from the NHSBT South London Blood Bank, Tooting directly to hospitals within our area (South of the river in Greater London & further out into Surrey) and to rendezvous points with riders/drivers from other areas to relay on to destinations in Kent, Sussex, Wessex and beyond.
Links
http://www.serv.org.uk/ Main SERV Charity Website (for details of other area groups under the “SERV” Umbrella)
http://www.servssl.org.uk/ - SERV Surrey and South London Website
https://www.facebook.com/SERVSurreySouthLondon - SERV Surrey and South London Facebook Page
http://www.bloodbikes.org.uk/ - National Association of Bloodbikes
