News Page
| Louise's Visit to Scottish Ambulance Service (South Station) | |||||||
| As the Responder Scheme in
Penicuik has been up and running for over a year now, we’re beginning to
be on first name terms with many of the ambulance crews that we meet
when we are called out to an emergency. There never is much time for a
chat with them, although we’re all starting to recognise each others'
faces! I had the opportunity to pop into the South Station and meet some
of the paramedics and technicians in their “own territory” for a chat.
South Station crews handle a lot of the Penicuik calls as they are
closest to us, although crews from North Station and Dalkeith do attend
999 calls in Penicuik as well. |
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| I received a warm
welcome from John Alexander, the Area Services Manager. John's remit at
South Station is the day-to-day operation of the ambulances and all
which that entails - making sure that there are crews to drive them;
ensuring all the equipment is in-situ and operational; putting into
place the necessary resources without which it would be impossible to
run the station efficiently. As far as the Responder scheme in Penicuik
is concerned, John is what you might call our overall manager. Having
said that, he did add that with our scheme, he has little or no
involvement with the running of it, as we are so well organised! That
was very nice to hear. John added that he thinks the scheme is
fantastic, such a great group of enthusiastic people, really motivated.
He has a financial budget for our scheme from the Scottish Ambulance
Service, which we utilise, such as when we need to buy equipment, eg.
oxygen bottles, first aid essentials. While we were chatting, John explained that in the not too distant future, summer 2007, both of the Edinburgh stations will merge and be moving to a purpose-built ambulance station at Prestonfield. I was shown through to where the crews chill out when they are not out on the road. Not surprisingly that is where the phone is. When it rings, they are mobilised from there. I was able to get a feel of how an ambulance station operates. Some of the paramedics and technicians were having lunch, relaxing, while on their break. Susan, an ambulance technician, asked me “Don’t you get scared when you’re on call and your mobile phone rings and there is an emergency to attend”? I replied that my heart had jumped into my mouth when it rang, and that was my first shift. I don’t think that’ll ever change. Everything had seemed like it was in slow motion. She said “I’ve attended a few calls when a responder has been dispatched, it’s great”. Gordon and Stevie were around, I had met them on a night shift some time ago when all of the Responders were invited to go along and accompany a crew on a shift. It was a brilliant experience, they made me feel at home and we did have a great shift. Gordon asked how we were all doing, and told us to keep up the good work. As we chatted the phone rang… it was an emergency call coming in. Susan answered it and that was their cue to make a hasty exit. They had managed to finish their lunch though… just! |
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Matt and George
joined in the conversation; both of them have met some of our
responders. Matt was fervent as he spoke about how a responder is able
to get all of the patient's details and make them feel at ease, before
they arrive, “Half of our job is done for us when we get there... and
you use oxygen too?” he smiled. George added “At the end of the day, if
you can get there quicker than us, well, it’s all about the patient
isn’t it?” I felt I had taken up enough of their time, and had thoroughly enjoyed every minute, when I mentioned taking a few pictures, well lets just say… they didn’t all rush in front of the mirror. Thanks for your time guys - needless to say you’re all professionals and I know I can say on behalf of our small town that you are very much appreciated. From all of the Penicuik Community First Responders and the Committee, thank you for your continued support, knowledge and encouragement. Louise Hurley
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| Training Weekend for New First Responders | |||||||
| Volunteers from
Penicuik and West Linton arrived for their first day of training, at
Beeslack Community High School. Over lunch I was able to have a chat
with them and ask how they were finding the training, and why they had
decided to come along and give it a go. Katrina from Penicuik had been along to the X Factor fundraising event that is being held in Penicuik. She said “I just got chatting to one of your responders and I thought why not”. David from West Linton remarked “There are about two and a half thousand people living in and around West Linton. We really need a scheme like this; it takes an ambulance quite a bit of time to reach someone in distress where we are.” |
 Bryan & Sam teaching CPR |
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 Our trainers for the day - Lyndsay, Bryan, Andrew, Ros, Rhona & Sam |
Isabelle from West Linton
commented, “We just knew that we needed a defibrillator somewhere, but
where to put it was the big question. It was just by word of mouth that
we heard about Penicuik First Responders and we contacted you. Our
medical centre is really behind us, and I know once we’ve done our
training and we organise another community meeting, more people may be
interested in joining us”. The consensus of opinion being that they all wanted to give something to their community, “What’s a few hours of your time every now and then, when you could possibly save a life?” was one very poignant statement. |
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| When I asked how the training
was going, they all agreed it was a lot to take on board, but they felt
confident that they would manage to pass the assessments tomorrow. Well
they would off course, with our excellent team of trainers gently taking
them through the First Person on Scene modules. Our trainers – a difficult bunch to get together at the one time! Whilst they were sitting relaxing for a while before the next training session. I asked “This is your 3rd group of Penicuik volunteers, are you having fun ? Sam said “If it wasn’t for Bryan, this was his “baby” you know, I don’t think any of us would have thought about doing this, we all really do get a lot out of it”. Andrew chipped in “We all have different jobs, where we use and are trained in CPR. I’m a Paramedic and I know Bryan, I’d never met the others, but we’ve really gelled as a team”. Ros and Rhona hoped that for the future our responders would become trainers themselves. Lindsey added “It would just be so great to see CPR being used in our homes as part of our daily lives, using the responders as trainers”… it’s a lot to wish for, but as Bryan, our Training Coordinator, says “Hey Ho”… maybe dreams can come true? Louise Hurley |
 Ros with some of the volunteers
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Penicuik
Hunter & Lass
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"Penicuik on Parade" With great enthusiasm and anticipation volunteers from Penicuik Community First Responders arrived at Beeslack Community High to prepare our donated ambulance from the Scottish Ambulance Society. Decking out the ambulance with posters about Penicuik Community First Responders and the red lips logo of Lifesavers… brollies were at the stand-by… Could we get through the day without getting drenched we all wondered? Previous years of this parade which includes floats from all parts of the community of Penicuik, have been unlucky with the weather. |
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| We gathered with the other
floats, the atmosphere full of fun and laughter. Children jumping in and
out of the ambulance, loving the experience, one wee boy commented, “Wow
there’s a lot of weird stuff in here”. Finally, we were ready for the
off (some of us did run a little) following the ambulance through the
streets of Penicuik, Responders handing out leaflets to the crowds as
they cheered us along on our journey to the park. With the odd blast of
the ambulance siren - courtesy of Bryan, one of our trainers. |
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"Penicuik in the Park" When we arrived at the park our information marquee was in the process of being set up - the now rather flushed looking Responders pulled up their sleeves recalling their “boy scout/girl guide days” and the marquee was assembled… it stayed in the one place all day! The sun splitting through the clouds… first on the agenda was bottled water, then the odd hotdog or two. The crowds milled passed, this was our opportunity to inform the people of Penicuik what the First Responders scheme is trying to achieve, for the health and well-being of our community. The young and the more senior citizens of Penicuik listened intently, they were surprised and delighted to know such a wonderful scheme existed in their small town. A few people knew or had heard of someone who had been taken unwell, and a Responder had been there, supporting their friend or family member until the ambulance had arrived. The gratitude came across; it was very uplifting to hear these stories, knowing that our team of dedicated volunteers are making a difference in our own community. Even a few brave Responders ventured into the beer tent with lapel studs and key rings promoting Lifesavers. The response from the gathered crowd was brilliant, without hesitation they dipped into their pockets… the final amount raised was £199.45. A BIG THANK YOU to all who contributed in one way or another to make the day such a success. Louise Hurley |
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A BIG thank you!
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| Official Launch The official launch of the Penicuik First Responders was held on Thursday 20th October in the Drama Studio at Beeslack. A brief background to the scheme was given by Chairman Richard Proctor, along with details of our future plans. Neil Provan of the Scottish Ambulance Service spoke in support of the scheme, then MSP Jeremy Purvis presented our recently qualified volunteer First Responders with their certificates. Afterwards, wine and nibbles were served in the staffroom. |
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| Visit to Ambulance Headquarters | |||||||
| As part of their training course, Penicuik First Responders were invited to visit the Scottish Ambulance Headquarters and see first-hand how the 999 calls are handled. In addition, the Responders were given the opportunity to spend a day on duty with an ambulance crew - several of the Responders took up this offer and spent a 10-hour shift shadowing a crew as they responded to calls across Edinburgh. | |||||||
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