History
Our organisation started in the 1960's
Some of the original members had experience competing in road rallies and special stage rallies at club level and occasionally visited national or international rallies as spectators.
As time went on, we became involved in marshalling and would regularly drive from the Midlands to - for example - Yorkshire to man a roadside time control for a night-time road rally or to stand in a snowbound forest to man a junction on a special stage. ( People still do this and - believe me - they are the real heroes of motorsport. )
For our part, it eventually became apparent that some marshals had duties which were more interesting ( and more sheltered ). They had radios. They knew what was going on over the whole event; whilst we only knew about what we could actually see. Here was something to get involved in !.
Two of us worked in telecommunications and it was fairly easy to get a suitable radio ( a Pye Westminster low band AM set ) but then we needed a licence and callsign. Working as we did, for the national telecoms company we were able to join the Civil Service Motoring Association (CSMA) through its East Midlands branch. The CSMA East Midlands already had a licence for rally radio using the callsign "Lace" and so we were given the next callsign in the sequence and became "Lace 8". ( CSMA East Midlands were based in Nottingham, famous for its lace making, hence their choice of the word Lace for their callsign ).
Apart from the CSMA, we joined an organisation called "SAFETY" and it was with encouragement from that organisation that we moved from just doing radio duties to setting up a Stage Safety Unit (SSU). We had a four-wheel-drive vehicle which we equipped with the necessary items to meet - and exceed - the specification laid down by the Motor Sports Association (MSA) which governs all safety services for motorsport in the UK. Into the vehicle, we managed to fit the necessary medical kit and rescue tools and we bought our first powered hydraulic tool ( a Power Team combination tool ).
You have to remember that in those days motor vehicle rescue was quite basic. Most of the work was done with hand tools and the great majority of the hydraulic tools in use even by the fire service were operated by hand pumps.
Over the next few years we used different vehicles as an SSU and increased the amount of kit which we squeezed into them. The next natural step was to go from an SSU to a full Rescue Unit. At the time, it was possible for an event to use a rescue unit whose job was to just take care of the physical rescue and have a separate ambulance for casualty care and transport.
So, given the correct equipment and crew and having been assessed by the MSA we could work as a rescue unit with the vehicle which we had at the time - a long wheelbase Land Rover. Being licensed as a rescue unit necessitated a change of radio callsign to "Lace Rescue".
Never being happy with what we had got, we then set about obtaining a larger vehicle. This was a Ford Transit with a 3 litre petrol engine. We did all of the work on it to convert it to an ambulance / rescue unit and it served us well for several years. Over the years, the rescue kit has been updated. Older, compressed air tools have been replaced by electrical tools.
The Power Team combination tool was replaced by a Holmatro one and a powered ram was added to the kit.
In the year 2000 we were able to finance a new vehicle. Another Transit but this time with a diesel engine. This one was bought new as a van. We had extra windows fitted and the signwriting done professionally, two of us did all the rest of the conversion ourselves.
In this vehicle, we fitted the rescue kit into a separate area accessed via one of the side loading doors. The rest of the vehicle was then equipped as an ambulance.
The Present
We continue to use the Transit. The emergency lights have recently been updated. Older, halogen lamps have been replaced with new LED lights. We have also added a powered hydraulic cutter to the rescue kit.
We have eleven crew members. Most are holders of full rescue licences but we also have trainees who are working through their two year training period before being assessed for full licences.
We attend between 30 and 40 events a year. Most of these are off-road car rallies but we also provide safety cover for some sprints and races. For these events we ask for an agreed donation to our funds plus a contribution towards our travel costs. The crew members receive none of this. All income goes towards maintenance of the existing vehicle and equipment or towards purchase of new equipment.
Most people - even in motorsport - do not appreciate the huge cost involved in running a rescue unit.
Apart from competitions, we take the rescue unit to a few charity events to help other organisations with their fundraising.
We are happy to accept new members, particularly anyone with experience or an interest in the emergency services. Modern motorsport is well regulated and safe - surprisingly safe to most outsiders. Nonetheless, accidents do happen and we are there to deal with them. We work closely with other organisations within the motorsports group including rally doctors and recovery units
