A21 Paddington's Range Rover Forward Command Unit on a run from Paddington to Charing Cross during the early1990's, through some of London's busiest streets, including the wrong way around Trafalgar Square.
Great driving. People have to remember that this video was shot not that long after the King's X fire in which 33 people died. For years afterwards, the LFB were rightly very fast to respond to any AFA's at London stations, and getting commanders there quickly was a priority. This guy's traffic reading was first class. You'd need a sick bag though in a Range Rover!
Was it a Rangey or a Disco? I'm looking at the grab handle in front of the passenger, and that's a classic Disco #1 feature before they began to stick air bags there?
Absolutely top quality drive, wheels didn't stop rolling from leaving station to getting to the shout! The only thing you could possibly pick up on is the route he took, he could have gone down Piccadilly when he got to Hyde Park Corner and then down Haymarket or turned straight onto Constitution Hill and straight down The Mall (assuming they were both open)... but he knew as soon as he went past the turning hence the comment about "oh it's Charing Cross!"
No Criticisms but my credentials are firefighter since 2013 and driving instructor since 2018 which included teaching at our county academy. Also I am a CDL holder since 2013 and drive trucks professionally. I will say the way they drive is much more aggressive then in the US. I would venture to say their legal standards are looser. I also know if an accident occurred while driving like this in the US the operator would be incarcerated. While driving you cannot force other drivers out of the way. I will say the driver in this video was highly skilled.
Driving was horrendous, why race a control unit to a call like that. He was aggressive and shouting at other road users like a clown. Arrived just in time for the stop Went through a red light that definitely questionable. This man didn't make it through his career without hitting something for sure. Credentials, driving trucks in the big smoke for 20 years like I stole them. Best driver ever got into the front bar none
Starting from the arse end of Harrow Road, heading to Charing Cross, quick as possible. From someone who literally did this drive yesterday while on shift. Not much has changed in the road layout itself in those 25 years, the manner of driving absolutely. Nitpicks going down Edgware Rd, but not too bad. It’s notoriously difficult making progress. Wrong way around the Tyburn Tree at Marble Arch was dangerous, that’s a blind corner coming from Bayswater Rd, and if drivers back then are anything like now they fly around there. Sketchy driving down Park Lane. Forcing drivers into the bus lanes for no benefit, lane changes near side for no benefit. Stay big and bold in lane 4 and get drivers to move left, migrating in is just hoping there isn’t a moped in your blind spot. If he was planning on using the Mall to get to CX, why he didn’t go Constitution Hill off HPC is beyond me, even the guy in the passenger seat was questioning going Grosvenor place towards Vic. I’ll bet my entire salary this was red mist. Asking if the Queen is home going past Buckingham palace is mandatory, even though she died a year ago. Flooring it up the Mall is my favourite thing to do on blues. Then it all really goes tits up. Wrong way through Admiralty Arch is dangerous enough, WRONG WAY AROUND TRAFALGAR SQUARE!?! I physically cringed. Absolutely fucking not. If I ever drove with anyone who did that, I’d slap the shit out of them out of impulse. And then (like now), the Strand is divided up the middle, so you’re pushing right through opposing traffic all the way to the exit of CX. He’s lucky the other drivers were smarter than him. Facing the wrong way on a one way street with traffic is the most embarrassing thing. Don’t do that. Standards may have changed but common bloody sense hasn’t, and if you think this is good driving either for the time or now, you’re just an idiot and I’m happy for anyone to reply defending it so I can laugh.
Also, wheelspin is not a good thing. Not in racing, and not on the road. It’s a sign of poor throttle control, even before the days of TCS and better differentials. If time is so bloody important to everyone over safe progress, you’re losing both.
I'm an advanced driver with St John ambulance London . I could only dream of having the driving skill that this guy has. I will however now look at Trafalgar Square in a different way ! These guys still made it in under 8 minutes even then! I've found my new RU-vid heroes!
Love it. The OIC is totally unfazed, which shows he has total trust in the skill and ability of his driver, even when they tackle Trafalgar Square against the traffic. Just another day in the office (so to speak).
excellent tactical driving. Great responses from the motoring public, yielding and giving way. Sadly that's not the case anymore these days despite emergency vehicles having even more lights and sirens.
'excellent tactical driving ' , no dangerous, reckless and falling well short of the standards expected of an emergency driver by the Police and Ambulance service , but as it;s trumpton it;s perfectly acceptable.
That is the best driving I’ve seen, on video or in the streets of London!! The comment at the end “Always wanted to go around Trafalgar Sq the wrong way..” hilarious
Sir, I applourd your driving skills, they were fantastic. I am an ambulance driver from birmingham and I think you handled the entire run with prescision!!! Wish they still taught DEFENSIVE driving as it should be!
It may be terrible quality (due to various factors) but, it is one of the best emergency response videos I've ever seen! That V8 sound and ballsy driving were something else, more of this please!
Even watching this in Nov 2022 - modern time's - that guy can drive!!!! I wonder what he'd be like in a performance car if he can drive a original v8 Range rover like that....And the v8 made sweet music to accompany this emergency driving masterclass......10/10 for driving , v8 , old siren.
Why is there so much overt criticism of the driving here?? The driving demonstrated here is that expected of an advanced driver. Let's not be critical, the aim of the emergency services is the preservation of life and property and damage limitation. Response times are deadly critical, make no bones about that and in Central London, where the traffic and road conditions, at times, can be adverse, then there will be occasions when the emergency services may require to undertake 'unorthodox' manoeuvres. Admittedly, this footage is now somewhat 'elderly', certainly looks like early to mid 90s, so driving practices and procedures have changed somewhat now. None the less a cracking response time from Paddington to Charing Cross and an accomplished piece of driving!
1977mph FCU was first due for tube train incidents back then, it's radios could transmit/receive well through the various tunnels involved in underground stations. Now radios are good enough that they aren't needed
given it's an FCU and it;s presence is a adminstrative nicety ... but let's not let the facts or the views of people with with over a decade of experience in emergency work get in the way of silly little boys frothing themselves silly over nee-naws
1977mph Except it wasn't an administrative nicety, it was necessary at the time for underground operations due to the radio technology in use, as I've already said and you totally ignore furthermore emergency response driving was a different animal in that time, comparing techniques used then to techniques now would be like comparing a Spittfire and an EF Typhoon and immediately concluding that the spitfire is junk
The more I watch this, the more respect this driver gets from me, I bluelight in Birmingham and this guy has more skill than anyone Ive ever driven with!
remember people, this was in a time where cars had little sound insulation and people actually respected the right of way of the guy with the flashing lights :P No matter, just goes to show how good command units' driver are/were. That was a lot of wheel and pedal action
Don't forget this was also before mobile phones became stuck on the side of Human's head's. I drive Fire Appliances in London today(and drove the Range Rover shown in the clip,although not when this film was shot) and the average motorist is much less aware of what is going on around them.
Not safe ha what would you do if your loved ones needed this driver, he was fantastic there should be more drivers like him he is the type you need if people are in trouble
@@gta4ishardcore It looks impressive but as an EFAD driver and now retired Sub Officer it was at times rather risky. I appreciate the drivers wider field of vision is far better than that of the lens of the video camera and the speed is exaggerated by the narrow field of vision by he gave little regard as to what time he gave other drivers to react. OK HE knows what he's doing but does he know what the other drivers are going to do? I have ridden more times than I care to think about with drivers like that in my career and every one, bar none, comes a cropper eventually simply because they get away with it for so long the odds catch up with them. A surprising fact is that very often the 'steady Eddy' driver gets there just as fast as he gives the traffic more time to react which ensures a far smoother ride with far less harsh acceleration and heavy braking. Spectacular it is, safe it isn't. BTW it wasn't necessary anyway, it's only the Command Unit, so all the risky driving was totally unnecessary; it was all for the camera.
Paddington -> along Westway -> Edgeware Rd -> Marble Arch @2:00 -> along Hyde Park -> Grovsenor Pl -> past Buckingham Palace @4:40 -> The Mall -> under Admiralty Arch @5:45 -> wrong way around Trafalgar Sq -> Charing Cross Station
Dash Cam Das I used to have an 80's range rover and you really could chuck em about, you had to really know them well though, get it wrong and you could have a bad day very quickly - this guy must have had serious training.
That’s a good fast one from Paddington to Charing +. What an old video. Why didn’t he go down Constitution Hill - instead going the long way around Buck House via Grosvenor Place.?
I commented on this video when I first watched it about ten years ago, and I really can’t be arsed to scroll down to see what I wrote. But as it has just popped up in my “suggestions to watch’’ list after all these years I thought I’d give it another look. And I’m sooooo glad I did. Such aggressive, almost reckless driving, spent on the wrong side of the road as much as the right side, outright bullying, and, no doubt, frightening other motorists and pedestrians half to death in the process. Proper loud wails and yelps with a bit of proper two-tone horn thrown in for good measure too. And multiple police units diving out of the way, with all the officers thinking ‘’Who the fu*k is this coming?! Colin MaCrae?’’ The countless screeches of angry rubber on tarmac, and that luscious V8 roar from that beautiful Range Rover........ and then booking in attendance just as the stop goes in..... what’s not to Love? This has to be my favourite 999 videos of all time. Shame we’re never gonna see the likes of it again. Well not in Britain anyway. Sod it, I’m gonna watch it again!
Wouldn't say it was reckless driving, or aggressive, the call stated the fire was at Charing Cross Station, was an Automatic Fire Alarm, and credits the Fire Service, however a fire at a train station, In London, You're going to have lots of people there, meaning there's the possible case where you have lots of people stuck inside, meaning you need as many appliances to get to the scene, as quickly as possible to get as many BA's in there as you can. This clearly happened after the Kings Cross Fire, and that just shows how bad a possible fire at the train station can be. So the driver of this vehicle was doing the right thing by getting to the incident, as quickly as possible
@@simongreer6179 .... yeah but what offends many in this thread is it's an officer and a driver in a Range Rover, that's all. It's not a fire engine responding. Did they have to respond like this to an AFA? Probably not. Personally I love it and I'm glad they did. But do you know something, they certainly wouldn't be allowed to drive like this today. Many brigades don't respond on blues to AFAs any more. Some just send an officer in a car..... with not a single fire appliance in sight. Oh how times have changed. And I didn't say reckless, I said almost reckless.
Absolutely brilliant. Well done! The only time I had anything to do with a fire engine was when on Fire Picket in the RAF in 1961, and then I only pressed the bell button!
As a younger person, it's fascinating to hear this old automatic transmission doing its job. Really makes it clear why "slushbox" is a thing! There isn't an auto in the world right now that's this slushy.
Watched this again after a few years,still amazed he never had a crash (and not because of his driving)the driver obviously knew the dimensions of the vehicle very well and negotiated the traffic fantastically and given he had only that poor strobe lights on top that can't be compared to post 2007 led's that run was amazing .Today that would probably be classed as dangerous ,how times have changed,still I don't know why he chose to force his way through the traffic at the end because it was an afa.Anyway full credit for his driving skills and if anyone wants to critique my comments good or bad I'm open to listen .thanks
I think you develop a 'sixth sense' about what other drivers will do when driving in 'emergency' . You don't just concentrate on your own driving but watch all the others and predict what they might do - all comes with experience and good training !
How do you teach someone to drive like that? I think it's the anticipation of other drivers' reactions that's the most impressive. Some of the gaps he gets that thing through are amazing.
there's no doubt that nowadays that wouldn't happen, but the skill can't be denied. he hardly stopped for a moment and the forward vision was great. a lot to be said for the courtesy of the public too.
I would crap my pants if I rode shotgun with this driver to a call. My god the way he drove with such grace and skill. Still, I would be gripping the "oh shit" handle. =D
very good driving and the best of the best elite. Don't listen to bollocks. If my life was in danger, I would want him driving like that to save my life. I know the call was malicious, but may not have been. You have to assume the worst and get there very fast. if I was in danger i would want him driving like that to save my life. Very well done. I noticed how the sub officer, now watch manager A controlled the siren. Long live LFB
Just adding my praise for the driving demonstrated in this video! As an emergency vehicle driver for over 30 years, I have not witnessed such precision in moving through such congested traffic! A pat on the back and a shake of the hand to him!
