4x4 Response is a UK based charity whose volunteers offer the use of their 4×4 vehicles to provide logistic support in adverse conditions, working with other Voluntary Organisations and the blue-light emergency services. The Charity was set up to assist or facilitate 4×4 drivers that wanted to form a group in an area where there was no group currently in existence. The charity itself, while largely consisting of volunteers, in itself, is not a response group.
History The emergency services have a history of calling on 4x4 owners in times of need, and volunteers with 4x4s have grouped together in the UK for a number of years.
In 1999 4x4 Response was established as a response group in Norfolk, and in 2005 national links were developed into a more formal association, resulting in the formation of the 4x4 Response Network in 2006.
In the Autumn of 2008, 4x4 Response became a registered charity (Charity number: 1126138), recognised by the Department for Communities and Local Government.
Operations Although a national organisation, the charity operates through an affiliated network of thirty-two local groups. Each group has its own formalised Memoranda of Understanding with its user agencies, which include Category One and Category Two responders as defined by the Civil Contingencies Act 2004. These organisations include:
Local Authority Emergency Planning Offices Police Ambulance Services St. John Ambulance Red Cross Doctors' Associations.
Most 4x4 Response groups are members of their Local Resilience Forum (LRF) and are an integral part of local resilience plans along with other voluntary organisations.
Groups are typically called out in response to instances of snow or flooding, or where access is required across rough terrain or where a conventional vehicle might otherwise be unsuitable, and typical tasks involve transporting personnel or equipment. Although they may work closely with emergency services, military and other Govt organisations, volunteers have no special status and no vehicular exemptions under the Road Traffic Act.
Local groups As of December 2015 there are thirty-two local groups which cover almost the whole of Great Britain and the Isle of Man. Each group operates independently, but in the event of a major incident additional resources can be drawn from neighbouring groups. In most cases only one group serves a particular geographic area, although there are some exceptions, and to aid identification each group is allocated a two-letter code which forms the prefix for their volunteers' call-signs.
The services offered by each group varies according to local circumstances and geography; for example the Highlands of Scotland present different challenges to the fenland areas of Norfolk. Group Region Call-Sign Prefix Areas Served Beds and Cambs 4x4 Response East of England BC Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire Bux & Oxon Response Group (BORG) South East BU Buckinghamshire, Oxfordshire Cumbria 4x4 Response Cumbria CU Cumbria Devon & Cornwall 4x4 Response South West DC Devon, Cornwall Derbyshire 4x4 Response Derbyshire DE Derbyshire Essex Rover Rescue East of England ES Essex Gloucestershire & Worcestershire 4x4 Response South West & West Midlands GR Gloucestershire, Worcestershire Herefordshire 4x4 Response Central HE Herefordshire Highland 4x4 Response Scotland HI Scottish Highlands Hampshire & Berkshire 4x4 Response South East HR Hampshire, Berkshire Hertfordshire 4x4 Response Central HT Hertfordshire, North London Leicestershire & Rutland 4x4 Response East Midlands LE Leicestershire, Rutland Lincolnshire 4x4 Response East Midlands LN Lincolnshire Lothian 4x4 Response Scotland LR Edinburgh, Lothian, Clackmannanshire, Stirling and the Scottish Borders Manx 4x4 Response Isle of Man IM Isle of Man MROC 4x4 Response West Midlands MR Warwickshire, Coventry & Solihull 4x4 Response North East North East NE Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire (Middlesbrough and Redcar & Cleveland) Northants 4x4 Response East Midlands NH Northamptonshire Northern Ireland 4x4 Response Northern Ireland NI Northern Ireland Nottinghamshire 4x4 Response East Midlands NM Nottinghamshire Norfolk & Suffolk 4x4 Response, Founding group East of England NS Norfolk, Suffolk North West 4x4 Response North West NW Cheshire, Lancashire, Merseyside, Greater Manchester, Strathclyde 4x4 Response Scotland SC Argyll and Bute, Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, Renfrewshire, Dunbartonshire, Glasgow, Inverclyde South East 4x4 Response South East SE Kent Sussex 4x4 Response South East SX East Sussex, West Sussex Surrey 4x4 Response South East SY Surrey and South West London Tayside 4x4 Response Scotland TA Tayside, Dundee City, Perth and Kinross Vectis 4x4 Response South East VE Isle of Wight 4x4 Response Wales Wales WA Wales Wessex 4x4 Response South West WE Somerset, Dorset, Wiltshire, Bristol West Midlands 4x4 Response West Midlands WM West Midlands, Shropshire, Staffordshire Yorkshire 4x4 Response Yorkshire YR North Yorkshire, South Yorkshire, West Yorkshire, East Riding of Yorkshire As of July 2020. London is covered jointly by the four groups covering the neighbouring areas.
In some parts of the country, other organisations which are not part of the 4x4 Response network offer similar services.
Volunteers and vehicles A wide range of vehicles are used by the volunteers, who own and maintain them at their own expense. Typical vehicles include various models of Land Rover, and four-wheel drive vehicles from many other manufacturers including Jeep, Nissan, Toyota, Škoda, Suzuki and Ford. Although not necessary for the role, some are modified with additional equipment such as Winches or modifications for wading in deeper water, but many are of standard specification.
As volunteers are expected to take to the roads in potentially severe conditions they carry additional equipment in their vehicles to keep them and any passengers safe and warm. Many volunteers are also trained in first-aid, advanced driving or water rescue, and each group offers training in the risks most relevant to their operating areas.
Volunteers typically receive a contribution towards their fuel costs, but are otherwise unpaid. Volunteers are eligible for emergency services discounts through the Blue Light Card.
See also Civil defense Civil Air Support Lighthouse Authorities Incident response team
References
External links 4x4 Response UK