Brian Hayes. Pic: London Ambulance Service

London Ambulance Service and Millwall FC paid tribute to one of their paramedics who died suddenly at Waterloo Ambulance Station earlier this week.

Brian Hayes, 46, was a Gulf War veteran who later became a London Ambulance Service clinical team leader. Hayes joined the London Ambulance Service in 2001 and was a volunteer paramedic for Millwall FC. The father of three pioneered the creation of the ‘booze bus’, a way of getting drunk people home without using a front-line ambulance.

Chief Executive of London Ambulance Fiona Moore said: “Brian was a big part of London Ambulance Service for many years and was much loved by all who worked with him.”

Hayes was found dead at Waterloo Ambulance Station in the early hours of Sunday morning. The precise time of his death is unknown and he was last seen between 7pm and 8pm the night before. It is unknown how long he was lying in the locker-room of the station before he was found.

Hayes suffered from a collapsed lung and pneumonia five years ago, but had been in good health since then.

Hayes had been concerned about alcohol-related issues among young people and launched the Soho Alcohol Recovery Centre, a clinic where drunken partygoers could recover after nights out during Christmas time. The clinic was closed down in 2013 due to budget cuts.

Moore also said: “He was a fantastic ambassador for the Service and his innovative booze bus idea helped to free up frontline ambulances for patients in a serious or life-threatening condition.”

Hayes was also a manager at the LAS’s Olympic Deployment Centre during the Olympic Games.