We welcomed Captain Kamran Irani to our meeting this afternoon to talk about the service provided by Emergency Rider Volunteers – SERV OBN. What an inspiring talk and what a vital service they provide. The charity was started in 1962 and depends solely on public donations. It provides emergency transport out of hours for the delivery of blood products, patient notes and other medical supplies, in fact anything that is urgently needed for clinical care outside normal working hours. The charity covers the whole of the UK and our region covers Oxfordshire, Bucks, Berks and Northants, thus SERV OBN. It is manned by 3 volunteers drivers per shift and a shift is 7pm or 6am Mondays to Fridays and a 24 hour period at weekends. There are 15 dedicated bikes and some cars and a small admin staff.
SERV OBN is a registered Charity and depends solely on public donations,; giving talks to organisations; sponsorship and generosity of companies involved. Bikes are provided by Yamaha, Honda and BMW. They are top of the range models similar to those provided to the police force. The vehicles are replaced every 3 years, they are VAT free and charged no road fund licence. Riders must be over 25 and undergo RoSPA or equivalent training. There is no central office, all the work is carried out in private homes. There are also 3 x 4x4s that are used in bad weather or to transport larger deliveries.
Kamran illustrated his talk with 3 videos clips to show the various aspects of their work. Another vital service is providing support for the neonatal units collecting and delivering human milk to give premature babies the best start in life.
Visit their website for more information or to make a donation – https://serv-obn.org.uk/