The family of a paramedic who pioneered London’s festive
“booze bus” today paid tribute to their hero” after he was found dead at the
ambulance station where he worked.
Cycle responder Brian Hayes, 46, was pronounced dead at
Waterloo ambulance station, based under London Ambulance Service’s
headquarters, shortly after midnight on Sunday morning.
He was found in the locker room and his family believed he
stopped off to get something on his way home from attending the Millwall v
Blackpool match on Saturday while off-duty. He was last seen between 7pm to
8pm. It is not known how long he lay undiscovered.
Mr Hayes, a former soldier who had become a clinical team
leader with the ambulance service, suffered a collapsed lung and pneumonia five
years ago and had a follow-up operation after complications three years ago.
However, he had been in good health since then. A post
mortem was due to be held today.
London Ambulance Service medics treat a woman over an
alcohol-related illness.
The father-of-three came up with the idea of the specialist
alcohol service, nicknamed the “booze bus”, in 2005 to relieve pressure on
front-line services over the Christmas period.
It treated people who were incapacitated or had sustained
minor injuries through alcohol to avoid the need for a front-line ambulance.
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Hero”: Brian Hayes was found dead in the locker room at
Waterloo ambulance station after a Millwall game
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His widow Claire, 47, speaking at the family home in
Kennington, paid tribute to a “funny, caring, family man” who loved London and
saw the “booze bus” as a way to protect young women revelers who could be
vulnerable.
She said: “He was so funny and so enthusiastic about
everything. He loved his family and had loads of friends, he was our hero.
"With the booze bus he wanted to keep people safe. As a
father of three including two daughters the idea that young people might be
roaming the streets getting hurt upset him so he did something about it.”
She said he was a passionate Mill-wall fan and volunteered to
be a paramedic at youth team games.
At work Mr Hayes was a popular practical joker who once
staged an April Fool’s stunt in which he claimed that London was launching a
paramedic team who would respond to calls on skateboards.
Mrs Hayes added: “He was real fun, the life and soul of the
party, a real joker. I can’t believe he has gone. He was only 46 ... When I got
the call I was totally shocked and numb, he had not been ill.
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London Ambulance Service medics treat a woman over an
alcohol-related illness
|
"The whole family is so proud of what he has achieved.
All we know is he left to go to football and for some reason stopped at the
locker room on the way home. We think a shift had just finished and that’s why
he was on his own there and there was no-one to help.”
Colleagues described the paramedic team leader and Gulf War
veteran as “dedicated, witty and bloody good at his job”.
He also launched the Soho Alcohol Recovery Center, a clinic
dubbed “London’s drunk tank”, which treated binge drinkers but was closed down
due to budget cuts in 2013.
Dozens of tributes were written on social media and his
death was described as a “sad day for the LAS family”.
Mike Denning, a doctor at Frimley Park Hospital, wrote on
Facebook: “He was a great laugh and a diplomatic nightmare in equal proportion.
"Some tall tales, some even taller tales but you
couldn’t wish to meet a kinder and more generous man with a real love for his
community and the people around him.”
Before becoming a paramedic, he had worked at Royal Mail as
a postman and at Millwall FC as a pitch rescue worker.
LAS chief executive Dr Fionna (CORR) Moore said: “Brian was
a big part of London Ambulance Service for many years and was much loved by all
who worked with him.
“He was a fantastic ambassador for the service and his
innovative booze bus idea helped to free up front-line ambulances for patients
in a serious or life-threatening condition.
“Brian was also a caring and dedicated clinician and
inspired more junior members of staff, helping them as they started their
career in London.”
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