St John World (1991)

St John on the water

Fun and games in Canada

Effective assessment

CONTRIBUTIONS

SUBSCRIPTIONS

New Year message from Dr Herbert Ellis, Chief Commander

1990 wa s a year of great change- for the country a well a Stjohn. Now we must look to the future and build on the foundation s that we have worked 0 hard to put in place.

T h e world we live in i s changing faster than ever before and becau s e of thi s we all face challenge and uncertain tie However one thing we can be s ure of is that people will continue to need the skill and care that St John can give. And I can alway s be sure that you , the men and women of the Brigade , will be there to provide that skill and care whenever it is needed .

EDITOR

ADVERTISEMENT

As I write we have to say goodbye to Robert Balchin the Director General and John Sunderland as Commi s sioner - in-Chief. Their work for St John ha been immeasurable and much appreciated. We hope very oon to be abJe to make an announcement about how these po ition s will be filled. I al 0 welcome the appointment of Executive Director, Timothy Gauvain , and more detail about hi appointment will appear in the March i ue of St John World.

Thank you all for your hard work during 1990 and I wi h you a happy and pro perou 1991.

Write to: St John World, 1 Grosvenor Crescent, London, SWIX 7EF

Looking ahead

I read with interest, and ome con iderable concern. the recent (October i s uc ) Soapbox article in St John World. [n principle I ag ree with the point DAC Bob Whit e make - th a we mu s t never forget our primary role which to provide fir aid cover a various even ts and venues.

With this in mind. I must take i ue with th e idea that th e move forward into th e a rea of extended kills is anything other than a wholly good thing forthe brigade Change, any change, is always a frightening thing but , having recently completed the pan-time course in Advanced Resu citation/Extended Skill run in conjunction with the Berk hire Ambulance Service, [ feel that it ha to be , whilst ,till maintaining our ba s ic Fir Aid sk ill s, the way forward into the year 2000 and beyond

If we do not move forward we can only tagnate and eventually die. For an organisation that can trace it 's lineage back to the Crusades that would be unforgivable

Our bread and butter has al ways been, and will alway be , the sc hool fete, the cramble and similar eve nts for which the Public Firs t Aid certificate is more than sufficient, a DAC White quite rightly say, but being able to provide a higher level of skill and cove r at events that specifically require it , ha s ur e ly to be an added service that we can provide parallel to and as well as ba sic fir t ai d

With regard to the lack of need to u e the extended skills equipment and ome of th e interconnected ambulance aid equipment, one distinct advantage of thi s level of training is that it significantly improve the level of ba s ic anatomy and physiology and, therefore, makes me more likely to use the basic ambulance aid equipment more confidently. r hope I never have to de-fib anybody, but if I do and save ju t one life , it i surely all worthwhile!

If we do not take this standard of training on board , in addition to stagnating and bcing left behind totally by the full - time professionals we will I believe , from what I can see in thi s area, start to lo se a lot of large duties to these so ca lled professional/private ambulance services, claiming to provide " Param edic Service s".

I , personally, will never shy away from any training/skills that better enable me to preserve life , prevent deterioration and 3

promote rceovery and I hop e that thi s leiter ha s, in a sma ll way, allayed some of th e ex pres sed by members who are worried about moving forward with thi broadencd rangc of service ' to eve nt organi crs and the general public.

Martin Hopper

A I M Pangbourne Quad Divi s ion

Casualties Union

1 have just received the ovember i!)sue and wa very intere ted in the ani Ie about Ca ualties Union.

I have never heard of Ca ualti es Union before and was a mazed how wide spread work i

we, as member ofSt J ohn, do not realise that without people lik e th e. c we would not be ab le to praetie and improve the kill we have.

r my e lf have been a casua lty and I know that it i not plea ' ant lyin g over a s til e with a trapped broken leg in very co ld weather.

I am very interested in casua lty simulation, not ju s t acting but also making up the casua ltie s. Many other member of my Divi sion have expre sed a imilar interest.

[ would be most gra tefu l if you have any information about Casualties Union or any other a pect of ca ualty imulation.

Tere a Mitchell N/ M Cambourne Division

The Casualties Union con be con ta c ted at I Grosvenor Cre ent, L ondon, SWIX 7EF

Angry of Weybridge

After approximately 18 year in thi organisation, quite a few s pent running a cadet division, I would like to make a few utterance s which may trike a chord or two with other member s.

Running a cadet division i a thankle ss and heartbreaking ta k, interspersed with a great deal of happiness , if you care about your charges and rememb e r that they a re all individuals each with a unique character, and often a good few thing s that trouble them in some form or another.

Our adult and cadet divi ions with a great deal of work on both ides , work s plendidly tOgether and the cadets have no qualm in joining the Adult Division when age allow.

Why ? It is a happ y, welcoming Division; on ly tho se who do not want to work at fitting in don't fit in!

0, you can sec, I hope , that we belong to a happy group - when a problem crops up, it is dealt with amicably and usually with a good result.

We, as a Division, also 'do' duties in neighbouring areas where there is a comtant demand for rirst aider'llo go on duty If we arc ab e to help we are happy to ob li ge.

However we arc met IA ith a good deal of hostility most of the tim e - not r must say OK, you have 'o utsiders' infiltratlllg your 'patch' - but be fair, th e old adage of 'glass houses' s tand in this case. Thcre are times when we have turn ed up to your' hallowed hall' and we have bcen th e only folk on duty!

Don t forget, If you say you are going to do a duty, someone is relying on you and assuming thaI you can I--eep your word and turn up! On the o th er Side of the coin. it is lIlconsiderate to turn up unannouncednumber have been tal--en and allocated. In th e recent past, we have been booked to do a th ea tre duty turn ed up ( from a considerable distance) only to find that IWO other I J ohn member had decided th at th ey would tum up for the duty and we, wh had been bool--cd for th e duty were lUrncd awa}. The theatre next door had 0 I John on duty. so we were welcomed with open arm.., How aboLltthinklllg of the effect your actions have on others!

W e don't think Ihat it is any th a t people with drive, initiative and en thu siasm leave this organisation Quitesimply, a lthou gh a great deal of satisfac tion and enjoyme nt IS ga ined from dom g thi s work, what is th e point in giving up or free tim e after a full day's work, at weekends e c., when we meet with ueh awful attitudes from people in St John

Why did you join St John ? I I--now [joincd to help other people - you know the mollo "Pro Fide" (For th e Faith) and "Pro Utilitate Homimum " (Fo r th e Service of Mankind)

What ha s prompted thi s lette r? Rudenes s, hostility and resentme nt from badly ed, grubby people

If I were a young, new member, I'd hav e to check what century I was in ; then havin g considered, go and join so me thing el e which didn't re se mble a "Darby and Joan Club".

Yours but not for much longer , Kate Pennock

D/Supt (County Pool) attached to Weybridge Division

Virginia John on D/O fficer

FOR SALE AS A MOBILE DRESSING STATION

The ACROSS Trust i a Regi tered Charity which de ign , build and operates Jumbulance - jumbo ambulances - for the long distance tran portation of very handicapped and ick person on holidays , tours and pilgrimage ACROSS Europe

Wi th del i very of J umbulance Mark XV to its fleet of vehicle, Jumbulance Mark II i urplus to it requirement and i ideal for conver ion to a Mobile Dre ing Station.

Complete with hydraulic lifting platform , handicapped chemical flush toilet, fitted kitchen with hot and cold water intercom , radio and ca sette ystem, curtain , forced air f1ow, spaciou under-compartment torage Mercede Benz 6c engine, it is in perfect condition and fully operational order.

In 1984 St John Ambulance, Weybridge Division, purchased lumbulance Mark I and with the voluntary help of local engineer apprentice , converted it into a mo t succe ful Mobile Dres ing Station for use at large gathering in London and the South, e.g. Marathon , Races , Show , Demonstration , etc.

Offers in exces of£26,000 will be considered.

Please contact: Colin Hann, Transport Manager Telephone: 081-783 1355

An appreciation of three exceptional volunteers

Sir

Stephen Miller

b y The Lord Prior

Sir Stephen Mill er re linqui he s the office of Ho pitaller of the Order of St John at the e nd o f 1990. For e le e n years he ha guided with s kill. e nergy and devotion the patients of th e Ophthalmic Hospital inl erusalem in the tru e spirit of the Cru ading knight to whom we look back for our tradition

Centuries ago there was need for men of s kill and charity to come from th e countries of the West to th e relief of tho se whom the fir t me mbers of our Order termed 'o ur Lord s the sic k"

For all the g reat c hange s and the progre ss made in and around the Holy Land, the nee d for skilled medical aid. particularl y in the t reatment of dis ease and injuries of the eye. i greater than ever.

The Order' s Ho spita in Jeru sa lem justified not only by tradition but by g rea t practi ca l need. Sir Stephen s one who has taken an outstand ing part in meeting that need.

Robert Balchin by Rev Peter Gallowa y, Assi s tant DirectorGeneral

When Robert Balehin 's deci s ion to retire as Director-General on 30 ovember 1990 became publ ic in the autumn of last year, the news was greeted with 5

Th e re have been remarkable recent advance in the treatment of ye trouble Happil y, much more can now be done with new in s trument. new methods of treatment and the urgical and nur si ng skills' to benefit from th em.

Unhappily, the new instruments and th e new treatment s and the e\pec tation s that th ey arou e greatly increase the money that must be raised for the Hospital. ir Stephen brought to the serv ice of our Lord:-, the sick not only exceptional profess ional sk ill s but talent s also in inspiring an ever widening ci rcl e of voluntary givers.

Hi sconsiderab le international reputation and particularly the es t eem in which he is held in the U A have rewarded his energy and devotion in the Order's cause with help for th e Hospi tal. He a nd Lady M iller have been unspar ing in their labour fortha! cause. The effec tiven ess of the work being don e in the HO pital and the reputation that it justifiably enjoys will continue to testify to the endeavoursorthe Ho spita ll erand hi s wife.

considerable sad ne ss by tho se of us who had the pri vi lege of working with him during his year in office.

Bob 's six year as DirectorGeneral saw man y vigorou'i refonn s. Hi s time in office saw the tran s formation of the Association from th e virtual rol e of a s lee ping partn er in St John Ambulance to that of an impressive, efficient and highly regarded market ng organ ization. His impact has made him one of th e mo s t effective Director Generals in recent years. His innuenee wa extensive and his reform ing zeal encompassed a number of areas.

Bob 's introduction of an Association Members hi p Scheme proved that there were many people in the country takin g St

John Sunderland by

Mrs Stewart-Rob e rts , Superinte nd ent - inChief

John Sunderland became Commi ioner-in-Chief In 1986

Prior to thi appointment he had erved a Commi ioner/ Commander for the We t Midland s for four year. He had joined St John in 1978

When he came to national he adq uarter s he bou g ht with him an energy and e nthu ia m which quickly made it elf felt.

He also bought with him a n extraordinary gift for comm unication He could get hi s point acro s at every level of St John Ambulan ce Brigade and becau e of thi ability he was a very capable promoter of St John th ro ugh the media.

The centenary celebration gave a wonderful opportunity to how the world what Stjohn could do.

That chance was taken and John Sunderland along with many

John courses who were interested in first aid but had no desirc. ini ti ally.lO commit th emselves to the Brigade. This creation of a new non-unifon11ed concep t ofSt John has been a tremendou<;

As a caree r sc hoolma s ter, and th e proprietor and former Headmast e r of two schools. Bob had a passionate concern to sec the widespread teac hin g of first aid in schoo ls. The laun ch of th e Three Cross Award ror schools in 1984 was the ful film e nt or thi s concern. The Three Cross A ward was the first St John course to employ a specially produced video among it s t eac hing methods. Th e course has been an outstanding s ucce ss - over 25 0,000 certi ['jcate s have been awarded at th e tim e of writing.

other injected fun and optimism into the St John Scene Member were given a en e f tradition a nd value coup led with a vi ion of th e future.

When John became Commi ioner - in -C hief it wa widely felt that the Brigade needed a boost of energy - and he certai nly gave it that.

The c reati on of the Energy programme. the Badgers Action P ac k for Cadet, training opportunities a nd recognition of the need for trainin g in leader hip ski ll s hav e all been tnitiated durin g John underland' e rm of office a Commissioner-in-Chief.

John ha travelled eea e le Iy visiti ng members in good time and bad, alway howing hi concern for them

He ha encouraged young people to voice their idea and ha been whole heartedly behind St J o hn member everyw here

We wi h him well; surely thebe t thanks we can give him for hi great contribution to St John Ambulance i to go forward building on the re newed strength he ha given u

Bob once saId that to move a large vo luntar y organi/u ti on was lik e trying tostccrthe Queen Mary -a change of dIrection u very long time! In six short year he has awokcn the Association from its lon g slumber, pushed and pulled it along th e path it must take, given it the tool it need s for its new tas k s, an d ens ured it s su rvival in th e competitive world of the lat e 20th cen tur y. Last year Bob accepted an invitation from th e then Prim e Mini s ter Mar gare t Thatcher, to become hainnan of the Grant

Maintained Schools Tru s t. Thi s ha s meant a sharp increa se in hi s a lready extensive voluntary work and he felt it ri g ht to re tire from the office of Director General to give more time to the trust. We wish him every s ucces s.

of

"Hundreds passed by and nobody helped"

I spen t th e evening of Thur day 21 June teaching resuscitation techniques to a group or potential lifcsaver.... from the Didcot Swimming Club.

At 9.45am th e next day I went on dut} at th e Didcot Railway Centre. It was the fir'>t day of th eir Thomas the Tank Engine weekend and many th ousands 01\ isitors were expec ted. I was on my own :.\<., a ur ing Member who was to have been wi th mc was taken ill.

The crov,ds budt up \cry quickly and by 10 .3 0am the whole site \'vas packed v, ith people.

At 11.45 I was standing outSIde the FiN id room when the phone rang. It wa" the frollt office, Thcy had been inrolllled that was lYIng unconscious on the footbridge leading from the car park.".

I pIcked up m) portable radio and a blanket and se off at a brisk pace Thc footbridge i" about a third ofa mile from the First AId room and the large crowd (about 10 ,(00) made progres slov,

I was abou t halfway there when one of the organi, ers, J eane tt Il owse, came on th e radio to give th e same message I told her that I wa on my way and ""ould repon back to her when I got to the scene.

A little further on. Jeanette How 'e came o n th e radio again to sa} that I' an ambulance was needed to call her and she wou ld sec to it. I replied that I was now 111 SIght of th e bridge and th e re was a sma ll crowd up at the top or th e south night of stairs.

At th e top of th e !>tairs I found a man lying motionless in a cr umpled position, more or Ie s face upward" hi s eyes were closed, hi s face was pale but ther e were no signs f cyano i

I put my hand on the sho ulder of a you ng man s tandin g by ancl said " Wh a l happened ?" he replied he did nOI know Then an e lderl y lady s tandin g with a yo un g child by the side of th e patient said " !-Ie 's my son, he fell down, go t up , then fell down again and just s ta ye d th e re like that"

I asked whether he suffe red from any specific condition such diabetes and she

repl ied that he was very fit. knelt down , shook the man and asked " What 's the maller then '?" - there was no re'"ponse In view of the ddated pupil!>. Ionly did a quick carotid pulse check. It was absent.

I began CPR. After I d completed acouple 01 cycles. I th ough tl wou ld be more efficient wi th two operators. I looked up and grabbed the next man to pass by and asked him if he knev, how to do the kiss of life He did and [ asked him to "tart the mouth to mouth resu<.;citation It went through m) head that [ could control things \erball) if did the heart compressions.

Mi c k Dean. ManagerortheGreat Western

"All this time I was conscious that man y people were passing b y and stepping o ver my legs"

oeie t) arrived and I asked him to take care of th e patient's mother and chtld and to call an ambulance Mid took thcm along the bridge a little omeone said that an ambulance had aln.:ad) been called.

Wc continued CPR. in m)' opinion e l') effectively, though my helper had some difficulty in keepin g the patient's head tilted back I k ep t on gi \ ing him verba l encouragement. The casua lt) produced a lot of mucous in his mouth and at intenaL \\e pauscd to \\ ipe it out.

My helper even tuall y that he couldn't keep going any longer, I called 1\li ck. Dean over and asked him to do some blowing. Aftcr vcry littl e he dId it very well. 1 think that by no\\ he had handed the care orthe mother and chi ld 0\ er to someone else as she was not on th e scene an) more

II this time I was conscious that man) people were passing by. Thcy had to \ irtuall) tep over 111) legs and Ii rt thei r pushehairs over

them. o-one offered any help.

My first assistant. now refre s hed. took 0\ er again from :vIick Dean.

Afterabout fifteen minutes an ambulance arrived. r asked if they had any resusctlatton equipment. the} replied no. but produced a face mask from th eir first aid kIt. M) helper tried it, but eouldn't manage it and reverted to direct mouth contact.

The ambulance man said that an ambulance officer v.as on his \\ay and he should have some resuscitation gear v. ith him. The} asked if the) .,hould call a doctor ? I told them that the) should.

A lad) stopped and said she \\ as a nurse and cou ld she help. got her Involved in the CPR - <,omeone produced a "Resusciaid" that she Iried but could not get on \\ ith.

II this time I continued the che t compres,>ion and at the same time ga\ e \ erbal encouragement \\ hi Ie tr) ing to dIrect thing.

The ambulance officer arri\ 'e d ""ith a cardiac monitor. and an ambubag. He decided that \lIe hould stop the public walking pa t and move the patient to a more acce ible po'>ition on th e bridge

We dId thl. One of th e ambulance men used the ambubag and the officer connected up the monitor. It produced a horizontalltneindicating no heart acti\ it).

A Dr Bes\\ id. arri\ ed and inserted an airway into the patient':, trachea but after a rev, minutes he said, "\ regret to sa) that we have to give up".

I suggested that we 11ft the man further down th e bridge \\ here he would be a\Hl) from the public gale. We did thi and co\ ered hi m \\ ith Ill) blanket. Dr Bes\\ ick certi fied rhe man dead. The Pol ice took 0\ er and called the coroner's office and the undertaker.

We all packed away our 0\\ n equipment and the ambulance personnellert. I suggested 10 Dr i II. that we find the mother and break the IlC\\ S to her.

I \\ as vcr) impres:ed b) the \\ a) Dr Ick handled th e situation.

I arrived back at the Raih\ :l) entre at I .JOpm and resumed the dllt)

Clive Dennis, Area Staff Officer, Derwent Area, describes one of the peaks of his career - helping to run the hospital at a camp for over 7,000 scouts and guides

Camping it up • In the nineties

Remember that week at the a budget to work to. beginning of August when temperatures reached the upper

Three weeks before the camp the men and women who were to staff the hospital met for the frrst time. And it was then that we discovered that some who had promised to come found that they couldn't and those that had said they couldn't come, could! Duty schedules were altered accordingly. W e had our photos taken for ID cards and it was confumed that princess Margaret would be visiting the camp.

In the week before the camp, we checked that the tentage had been erected on the Monday and then commenced the task of getting everything to camp from all over the COWlty. While it is nol possible to list here all that was needed., the following will give some idea of what was taken:

150 blankets, 20 clipboards, 40 camp beds with mattresses, pillows, sheets. various dressings and bandages, ear syringe, mirrors, cupboards. filing cabinets, photocopier, signs, portable lighting, radios, tables, TV and Video, standby generators, stakes, ropes and much more.

The weather started to get hot. Campers were instructed to drink plenty of liquids, but some didn't, and we had many come to us suffering from the effects of the heat. We also had, we though, the entire wasp poJlliation of the UK at Chatsworth, judging by the number of wasp stings we dealt with. We bought all the stocIcs of sting ointment from one of the largest chemislS in Chesterfield. When the temperalllre reached the upper 80s, tropical kit became the order of the day! When it reached the upper 90s many of us were wilting, and even the refrigerators couldn't cope.

camp staff we had to be registered with the camp authorities by the beginning of April. Th.is meant that we had to have our first register of staIT available by the rruddle of February. We then had to try and estimate what dres ing , bandages and other equipment would be needed This is a typical 'how long is a piece of string' scenario

We had to look at transport requirement and give a rough eSlimate of the number of v is ilS

Timetables were set, the main ........-. one being that as members of 90's and ice lollies, ice creams and lovely cool drinks were in great demand? If you do, and your memories are oflazy summer days spent stretched out on your back lawn or relaxing by the sea in the cooler climes of Spain. spare a thought for the 80 members of St John (including a nurse from the Joharmiter in Germany) and the Red Cross who spent that week in Chatsworth Park in Derbyshire running a camp hospital for about 7,800 Scou ts, Guides and their leaders from all over the world.

It was not the first time that we had done this, but as these campi only come round every five years, the organisation lacks continuity and so is not easy. But I was involved in the camp that was held five years ago and so had some experience to fall bock on.

No duty can be undertaken without planning and this particular duty takes more planning than most because from (1)()() on the first day Wltil after the campers had gone home on the last day we had to give 24 hour coverage.

Camp hospital is rather a narrow term to use for the facility we were able to offer. It was more like a camp health service with first aiders, ambulances, nurses, admirtistrators. doctors and dentists.

Work started about 18 months before the camp was due to begin. A team was chosen to oversee the organisation not only before the camp but also dealing with any loose ends that needed tying up after the camp's end.

Previous experience taught us that we needed a co-ordinator, an equipment officer, a secretary and someone to organise the reception arrangements at the camp. Having done it before, I became the coordinator. And we were lucky to have an equipment officer with sound experience and a receptionist from the Red Cross who worked at the local oospital in their records department.

It then became necessary to set up the orgartising comrrUtlee. This included Matron and her assistant, the doctors, the group safety leader and his assistant It was the assistant who acted as our liaison with the Camp admirtistration.

So the work began. We had the records of what happened in 1980 when St John had the responsibility for the hospital (we take it in turns with the Red Cross), aJ¥i a a memory of what happened in 1985 when the Red Cross ran it. We knew what equipment we had in 1980 as well as staffmg aJ¥i reception records. For the frrst time ever we were given 7

Sonu of tne 1'0iunJeer medics we would have LO make to the local hospital - 12 miles away from the camp

Since 1985 we have all become more safety conscious. We decided that it was essential that eoch sub-camp was supplied with a fIrsL aid kit, even though most of the Scout and Guide groups would have their own frrst aider.

Scouts and Guides with various handicaps were encouraged La attend the camp, and we knew that some would be confined La wheelchairs. We were also warned that some campers would suITer from things like asthma, epilep;y and diabetes, as well as some leaders who might have angina.

The gradual ooild up gathered poce tmtil April when we had most of the staff we needed from Red Cross and St John; the vehicle requirements identified, and we began to gather together all the medical equipment we thought we would need

We had a training weekend at the end of April for all those who would be on camp patrol. The programme included sessions on tact, frrefighting, frrst aid and general camp security. We were involved in giving crash course on first aid and in the frrst briefmg and final debriefmg sessions. All those attending suspected thal such a weekend would include a practical exercise, oot when it hadn't happened by 0200 on Sunday morning most of us went to bed. At 0245 the peace was shattered with flames, two-tones sounding and everyone being woken up.

One of our Cadet casualties was so convincing that the two young ladies who brought him into the hospital though he was dead, and were in tears. 1be mood changed dramatically when someone said, "You can wake up now Carll"

Things progressed over the next two months. Equipment was collected and stored., duty rotas arranged and items which we couldn't lay hands on by other means was rought.

On the Wednesday morning before the camp started we had our first casualty who was referred to hospital with a suspected fractured ankle, which turned out to badly sprained.

The camp then started., The frrst job, after we had set up, was to put in order the 7,800 medical and consent forms from every camper and member of staff.

We soon found that the ground was very hard and that ankle problems would be common until the campers got used to the terrain.

One of the early casualties was the Camp orgartiser who fractured his ankle and had to stay in hospital for a couple of days He missed the official opening bUl made it back [or the Royal Visit.

It was one of the busiest duties, over the longest period, that many of us had dealt with. We recorded 1,137 patient visits from 997 campers, including some of the hospital staff. We sent 33 to Chesterfield Hospital for further treatment - three were admitted 80 campers were admiued to the camp hospital for short periods and four were sent home. 328 were seen for injuries of one sort of another - 220 were for wasp stings, some of these had serious adverse reoctions to the sting. 16 MaJron's warnings were sent to the dentist and two to the opticians. The

Like all the Peak camps I have been involved with, it was

but very enjoyable work and all were glad of the experience. It showed that members of the two orgartisations can work together

The

fInish

Apply for nursing bursaries now!

St John Ambubnce is pleased to announce that through the generosrty of Smith & Nephew and The National Federation of l8-PLUS Groups, three bursaries are to be awarded in 1991.

SMITH & NEPHEW £50()

Applications are inVITed from nurses who are on the UKCC Register and currently a St John Ambulance Brigade member. The trtle of the project to be completed is 'The Role of the St John Volunteer in Care in the Communrty" .

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF l8-PLUS GROUPS £50()

Applications are in VITed from nurses who are on the UKCC Register and currently a ST John Ambubnce Brigade member. The purpose of the award is to allow the winner to study a subject of their own chOice to benefrt either the County / Area/Division and to broaden their own knowledge.

NATIONAL FEDERATION OF l8-PLUS GROUPS NONPROFESSIONAL AWARD £250

This award is open to Brigade Officers of members, male or female, who hold a valid Caring for the Sick, Levels 1 & 2 certificate. The purpose of this

award is to enable the winner to study a subject of their own choice to benefrt either their County/Area/Division and to broaden their own knowledge.

Application forms for all three bursaries are available from Stuart Latham, Secretary to the Brigade, St John Ambulance, 1 Grosvenor Crescent, London, SW1X 7EF. Completed application forms should be retumed to Dame Audrey Emerton, Chief Nursing Officer, St John Ambulance, 1 Grosvenor Crescent, London SW1X 7EF .

(Closing date for applications is March 31 st 1991).

STOP PRESS SAFEWAYCADET LEADER OF THE YEAR

1990

John Fern - Leicestershire Runners-up

Allison Gordon - Cleveland

Robin Shepherd - Priory of Wales

Clinton Davis - North Yorkshire

Research carried out by Deputy Area Commisioner Kathleen Lane suggests that St John members could be neglecting their own health and drinking too much. Here she discusses her findings and asks for your help in her research.

Are you looking after yourselves?

Young t John member are drinking too much if the result of an informal urveyinthe Bradford Area are true for the re t of the country.

Smith and ephew bur ary winner

Kathleen Lane, who is a practice nur se a well a Deputy AreaCommis ionerfortheBradford Metro Area, very concerned that although our member are excellen at looking after other people they are neglectin g their own health to do o.

K athleen conducted a health urvey at South and We t York hir e's County Conference this year a part of a health education work shop. She discovered that the average number of units of alcohol consumed by the younger male member (under 25) wa above the en sible weekly limit recommended by doctors. The young men were drinking 23 units of alcohol per week. Doctor ay that 21 unitsi sen ible .( Oneuniti equaltoonegla of wine or half a pint of ordinary strength beer or lager or one mea ure of spirit or a small sherry.)

" Going down the pub for a quick drink afte r Di visiona meetings co uld be part of the problem " say K at hl een. "These young men were storing up troubl e for themselves in the future Alcohol intake lik e this coupled with smoking, poor diet and the stres of fir t aid duties where thin gs are quiet and boring one moment and busy the next makes people vulnerable to ill-health which can culmina e in a hea rt attack."

Kathl ee n i s somet hin g of an expe rt in coro nary di sease. 23 people die each week in Bradford from coro nary heart disea e. Thi s disease is responsible for o ne third of all deaths in Bradford. In her job as a practice nurse K athl ee n feels it is imperative th at proper hea lth edu cation is given.

" Th e most sho ck in g s at sti c for my area is th at of th e 13.000 people that die from heart di sease in the York shire reg ion eac h year3 ,000 ar e und er 65" she says.

" I aim to promote an awareness of hea lth need s by the use of visual aids. In order to r edu ce the in cide nce of CHD it important 0 identify th e main ri sk factors.

9

"Our local cardiac con ultant bel ieve th at the mo t important factors are;- moking, high blood pre sure , high cholesterol evel<;. unhealthy eating and drinking, la ck of exercise, obe ity, tres and hereditary factors" says Kathleen.

Kathleen choe to spend her Smith and ephew bursary on a smokerlyzcr. Thi machine measures the carbon monoxide concentration in lun gs and the percentage of carboxyhaemoglobin. The figure displaYl.:d by thi machine can bc alarming enough to top people moking immediately and they can al 0 see the effect of giving up as the machine regi ter s th e gradual fall of carbon monoxide in th ei r blood.

"With the help of Smith and Nephew I was ab e to buy the smokerlyze r and now I 'm looking fora video that explains how important ensible drinking "says Kathl een.

I drinking too much confined to th e young

mcnof outhand West Yorl-..shirc? I t'sunlikcly and discover th e full health picture for St John Kathl een has asked for St John World to run a questionnairc.

Plea e take the time to fill in the questionnaire honestly Kathleen will analyse th e results and don't worry we won't even ask for your name. JUSt your ounty so that she can find out whether t John has its own particular orth/ outh health di ide.

It is vilal that we dis over whether the t John lifestyle is pulting too much of a on our member health We are not asking you to give up drinl-..ing.mok.lIlg or eating things you like The gospel preached by most doctor, moderation and if it impo sible for) ou to contempla te giving up smok.ing altogethercutting down will hclp!

January is the time for resolutions. one for St John shou Id be Dri nl-.. wise - ever forg there is a limit"

"Doctors recommend that sensible weekly limit are 21 units of alcohol for men and 14 unit s for women. One unit is equal to one glass of wine or half a pint of ordinary strength beer or lager or one measure of spirits"

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In the last three months have you been dieting to lose weight at all?

If yes , how many pounds have you managed to lose EXERCISE

In the last thre months have you been exercising to get or keep fit?

OYES ONO

If yes how many days per week do you exercise SMOKING

In the last three months have you been smoking any cigarettes at all?

DYES

If yes how many Cigarettes do you smoke a day DRINKING

In the past three months, onaverage, how many days per week have you had an alcoholic drink , On a day when you have a drink how much have you usually had? O HALF 0 GLASSES OF WINE, PINTS SHERRY OR VERMOUTH o SINGLE MEASURES

COUNTy

All the hard work that goes into staging exercises can be lost if the comments about first aiders' performance are negative and confrontational.

Dr John Sorrell, County Surgeon Buckinghamshire has some suggestions for constructi ve analysis.

Effective assessment of first aid exercises

To be effec tivc and com pe ent first aiders we have to practice our sl-ill often. Every tim e we meet for a training session orlO practicc we are hoping to improve and become beller firs t aider.

The problems we all face are: hO\ do we evaluate our progress, how do we know where we are IA ith respect to our knowledge and skills and whardo we need to improve on?

Competitions are one way of sholA ing you where you arc in relation to others. E>.ams and re-exams ensure that you are maintaining a standard.

either of these methods, however, give much feedback on the specific difficulties w hich you may be ha ing and they are stressful way of learning! The following is a method which can be used to analyse , in a nonthreatening way, how you coped wirh a first aid incident.

Successful learning and/or alterations in behaviour are best achieved in a relaxed, nonthreatening environment. When an individual does something which requires the application of knowledge and and then afterwards asks others "How did I do" they are being very brave.

Just for a moment I want you to think of a similar circumstance within your own experience. The chances are that the first comments that came back to you were negative ones.

The observers nearly always pick up your weaknesses and faults first and comment on these. I you were really good they might have said "That was really very good but " and then proceeded to list what wasn't good If you are using new kills and new knowledge you may not be sufficiently confident to cope with this negative feedback.

You will become defensive, stressed and quite possible reluctant to "do it again'. If you develop these feelings you wi II not learn from the exper ience. The whole exercise has then been a wasteoftime. A stru c tur ed approach to the of an incident which ensures that th e doers' are not thr ea tened by th e 'observers' facilitates learning. At all time in this ana ly sis comments must be constructive and not destructive and the 'doers' must hav e their say before th e 'observers'.

A first aid situ ation should be ena cted. deally th e management of the incident should 11

Victims are comforted by

COllllty iOller Cllristille Scarlott durillg all emergel1cy exercise at Kesgral'l! /I igh , chool, Ip.\ lI'iclr. be recorded on video facilities are not available then the Incident can be watched (but in silence). If the wa" recorded the video should be played back to 'doers' and observers' The following rules should then be applied to the analysis of the incident. The rules must be adhered to atalltimes.

I. Clarification of facts Eg: "Doers" may tate their diagnoses or clanfy some point of fact uch as : "pills in casualty's po ket were

2. First aiders comment first - without fail only good arc listed. There i:-, something good to be about the exercise.

3. asualties comment second - again without fail only the good points arc listed.

4. Observers comment third - good points on y are li sted. At this stage nobody must make a criticism or negative comment. Praise is th e order of th e day.

5. First aiders comment again. This time they may becritical but only if the criticism is followed up by a positive and constructive comment on how to alt er or improve things.

6. Casualties comment again. Again cri ti cism is allow ed but only if th e cri ti cism is followed up by a positive and construc tiv e comment on how to alter or improve thin gs.

7. Ob"cncr" comment again T11I', tllnc they may be critical but onl) of the followed up by a po'iitivl.: and constructive comment on how to alter or improve things A group leader must be appollltedto I.:Jl'illre that the ruks are kept 10 at all lImcs. It IS esscntial that any negative comlll III is with helpful and pO'-.ltlve picce or advice or guidance

On the oppo\ite page is an asscssment sheet which may be used to hclpeach individual 111 thcir analysis of the inCident. It should bc completed by thc first aiders, the casualties and the immediately after the test and before discus ing it. The asessment shect is a tool 10 aid the individual to preparc their comments in the discussion.

It should not bc shown to other pcople and is therc to hclp you provide praise appropriately and to be cons tru c ti ve and specific in your criticism.

What it attempts to do is put th e ta sks or the first aider into twelve categories. Each catcgory can bc marked by a vcrti al clash across the lin e.

It is not a scoring sheet but a device to help the individual to focus his thoughts on the specific pans of th e first aid process.

FIRST AID ASSESSMENT SHEET

Score each step with one line through '0 to 10' scale

Note FA abbreviation for First Aider and male gender in text means male or female. Casualty means casualties as well if appropriate.

Very Bad

o FA does not check safety of scene and does not identify himself to casualty

o FA is tense and panicky, speaks quickly and garbles. By his manner he alarms the casualty.

o FA makes no attempt to control or utilize bystanders and is stressed by them.

o FA makes no attempt to obtain a priorities overview

o FA is slow, inefficient or wrong in establishing ABC.

o FA does not rapidly arrange for further assistance and / or does not give a clear indication of location number and type of casualties

o FA does not take a good history. He asks inappropriate questions in a muddled way and he does not listen to the answers.

o

FA does not examine casualty properly, he does not expose or examine affected part and he fails to conduct a proper, general examination

o FA does not correctly take or record the pulse, respirations and levels of responsiveness. o FA does not carry out the correct treatments for the injuries and/or illnesses.

does not recognise or treat shock quickly, correctly or at a".

handling of

is rough and ready and at times inappropriate. This would aggravate the casualty's injuries and shock.

Vandalism of their ambulances led members of St Neots Priory Quad Division to a fund-raising initiative that netted them £4,000.

DIO Richard Brain tells the story.

Round Britain trip with a television superstar and a pillock with pips

Three intrepid mad men took to the British road at the end of Augu t in to rai e money to replace vandali ed ambulance and fir aid unit.

The three nutter from St eot Priory Quad. Divi ion - uper tar AfM Alan Oliver (the prat with har), AfM Pat Harrington and Divisional Officer Richard Brain (the pillock with the pips) - drove from St eot to Dover, Lands End, John O'Groat and back to t Neots: a total of 2070.90 miles in 47 hour.

The idea of a round Britain drive was first planned by fM David Smith in 1989 to raie money to replace the two ambulance which were getting the worse for wear but this planned drive was abandoned because of lack of time.

The Division then uffered through vandalism - one ambulance being broken into in ovem ber and the other in Decem ber - so at the Division's AGM in February thi year the idea wa rai ed again. The three volunteer drivers were selected and with the help of other members of the Division, mainly Pauline Swindon (secretary) and Paul Redman (back up driver) the plan were laid, At Easter the Division's first aid unit was destroyed by fi re after an abortive vandal' raid.

ow absolutely desperate for funds, the plans went ahead with even more enthusiasm, It was decided to run 'a gues the mileage' competition and a grand raffle, The car to be used (a Montego diesel estate) wa provided by Mar halls ofSt Neots and the RoverGroup; the diesel paid for by Perkins Engines; Abels Remova Company gave their support; and a first prize of a weekend for two in Paris or Amsterdam was donated by Pickford Travel for the 'guess the mileage' competition.

After a lot of hard work elling the competition and raHle the team were ready to leave on 30 August. ] t was lucky that Anglia TV had a ack of news that day so that they sent a u n it to interview the team, A lan gave a fantastic interview (hence the name uperstar) which was te levised t hatnightona four minute slot. He also gave a live interview on Cambridgeshire local radio station CNFM ove r the phone. 13

The team set off at 6 30 pm and after a good run to Dover they were met by the Dover Divi ion and given a much appreciated cup of tea and bi cuits, after which they set off to Land End where they aITlved atapproxlmately 5.00 am Friday , They were met by a very obliging receptioni who got them to sign the register and gave them their Lands End/John o 'Groats certi ficates, and after a photoession, it was off north.

At Exeter a wa s provided by Granada Services and after a wash and brush up they et off on the 500 plu mile of motorway north. Despite all the warnings given about the M5 and M6 no trouble was met all the way up. An afternoon meal was provided by Granada Services, Carlisle, and off they went again orth, By the time they reached Inverness they were about three hours ahead of chedule but the drive from Inverness to John O'Groats was harder than anticipated, driving at night on very twisty roads, but only a little time was losland they arrived at about 1,00am Saturday, The reception there was not quite as good as at Lands End, After some ripe language (either he had forgotten or he had not been told we werecoming by the Lands End/John O'Groats Society) the Manager signed the certificates

r"-. Pat, Richard alld A 1011 after their fIIaratil 011 jlmmey. very begrudgingly

Then It was ofT and home lood time made down to Invcrne"., - possibl) because Pat was a bit peevcd by the John O Groats re eptlon - and they were able to take it easy to Penrith for again care of Granada Services

After a wash and bru<;h up they set oFf outh again. and there was another live interview forsuper'>tar Alan on FM RadiO , At the Washington crvlce area, Tyne and Wear, they were met by the Washington Division of t John For tea , coFfee and photographs beFore selling off on the last leg down the A I to the first and only trarri jam which was met on the where they held up for an hours. It was then all go down to St eots to arrive at 16.45 at the Market Square to be met by the County Commissioner, Mrs Eni n, and the re t of the Division

Something in the region of £4,000 was raised as a resu It of the drive and for those of you who are interested the car averaged 50 mpg over the whole trip and 55 mpg on the motorway section , The Divi ion would like to thank all those who helped and met them on the trip, and watch this pace - in 1992 these mad men have something else up theirsleeves.

I County and Division News

Bangor

One unda)' in ovember Andre Pepper, Officer in Charge , Bangor, a joint major incident training event was helel in the station yard at Bangor Rai Iway rai Iway station

It involved all the emergency services along with seven divisions of St John Ambulance, the Red Cross and the WRVS , The incident involved two tralllS, one I). ith passenger and one with chcmicab c olliding in the Belmont Tunnel at the onh West end of Bangor Station , It was not known hov" far imide the tunnel the aCCident had happened nor exactly hoI). many casualties were involved. It was known that the chemical were leaking from damaged

We were II1structed by our County Commlsioner to attend at Bangor station yard for 8.30 am. We were also asked to bring our ambulance along so we could team up with the othertl).o ambulances from L1anberls and L1anwrsl.

We arrived to find that the start had was to be delayed until around 9 30am We all thereFore went to the rest point for a talk on what may happen.

At around 9.30 three fire engin s and a fire ervice chemical control van arrived in the yard and headed for the tunnel. We all k.new that soon it would be our turn to go.

After only tl).O r three minutes we were given the go by one our senior officer , It was requested that only two ambulance were needed sowe, along with L1anrwst went mobile to the incident. On alTival we found the fire service clambering into the train.

Aftronlya few minutes the first casualties (walking) eame out of the train and headed for the ambulance , By this time the other ambulances had arrived on the scene, From then on we didn't have any re as a ualty after ca ualty eame out of the tunnel to be taken back to the rest point.

Within one and a half hour some 20 ea ualties were rescued, givcn treatment and transportes to the rest point. A lot was learnt from thi exercise - mainly about improved communication from the fire service.

DOI id jones, Llanrll'st during the exerci e a isted by fwo cadet from Gwynedd,

AROUND THE DIVISIONS

Hainault

Moorgreen

Pictured above are members of Moorgrecn ursing Division at the Division'.., 50 h anniverary party. The picture hoV\s the 50th nnlver.,ary Certificate being pre\ented b) the Commander. Dr J G Elder Smith to the Dlvl..,ional upcrintendent. Fox..

The Churc h was fill ed wi th singing. the were raised - evcryonc was here. Thi \\as in deed a day of grea t ce lebratio n , w rit e K Baile) ( PR O Ramsgate) In th e congregatio n s tood a por tl y ge n tleman of some 80 yea rs eyc ' g li!"l tc ned with pride and he V\ ore an e \ pre ' ion o f prid e up o n hi face as he remembered hi fa th er, lo ng si nce dea d \\ ho used to re ll him of he

ve ry fir s t d ays w he n the Bri ga d e s ta rt ed a nd hoV\ hejoincd a ll th o e year ago It was o n a day in la te. ove mb e r, 1890. th a t th e Ra msga te D ivis io n of t J o h n mbu lance Brigade was fOr1l1ed.

He re me m be red th e Grea t W ar of 19 14/ 18 - he was o nl y abo)' th n b ut th e B rigade wa kep t bus

On e o f th e f irs t vo lunta ry a id hospita l ya d bee n -c t up a t th e sa il o r" res t home in Ra msgme. It

wa th e re th ey were to rece ive th e wou nd ed so diers.

He had see n th e fo nna ti o n o f th e Ca det Di v is o n in 1930 a nd th e n see n the co n eq ue nCt; of

wa r aga in a he he lp ed in a hos pital rece ivi ng w arca ua lt ies. Th e years s ped by a nd th e t J ohn

HQ move d to lI ssex tr ee t w he re it wa re furb i hed in 1987.

Th e ce nt e nary o f Ra msga te t J o hn wa ce le bra ted w ith a C hur h pa rad e lead by th e Roya l

Na va l Rese rves Drum o rp s. In.- id e th e c hu rc h we re Kn ig ht s a nd Da mes of th e Ord e r a long w ith

Mayo r and Mayo resses of th e Th a ne t tow ns. Th e cclc brat io ns V\ er o m p let ed wi th refres hm ent. and th e prese n tation of th e ce nt e nary cer t i fi c at e by th e De put Co mm is io ne r Co nni e Jc w i s.

Sh e a lso read out a mes age o f o ng ralulati o n fro m th e Arc hb

Bury Corps

First Aid is our watchword. th e Order of tJohn

The Mum':, and Datl\ around us are interested too

GiVing up theil leisure time and train JlI..,t like we do

For they a vcr, Important La..,k, but wou ld be embarrassed shou ld you as"

Though First Aid i their \Natch\l.onJ, the Order of t J ohn.

1. Having assisted a n epileptic

Berkshire

Morethan 100 member s ofBerkshireSt John Ambulancegathel'ed at the Royal Berk hire Suite, Shire Hall, to bid a fond farewell to Lady E li zabeth Godsal.

Lady Elizabeth, who recently retired a County Commi ioner to take up a post at Grosvenor Crescent as Chief President, was presented with a crystal vase and s pecial commemorative card signed by all tho se at the official dinner by new Co mmissioner Dr Clifford mith and Berkshire Commander, Major Gordon Tozer.

"We are obviously so rr y to ee Lady l<:Iizabeth go after more than 20 years with LI S - but wish her every s ucce s in her n ew position as national chief pre ident" says Major Tozer.

"Next year will be an exciting one for St John Berk hire with a move to larger headquarter s and a new Commissioner with exciting ideas."

CROSSWORD NO 1-91

BY W.A. POTTER

AC RO SS:

I.Giv e directions t o s uppl y limb s by a military drill (5.4)

6. asal ton e of voice (5)

9.Activity of g rafting su rgeon' (IS)

12.Tools making was tc product (5)

14.Cease to tr ea t a wou nd exuda te (9)

16.Ma le gamc tc s (5)

17.Grant rrom a part or hospital (5)

19.Ends of thc long boncs (9)

22.Yes terday it was tomorrow (2-3)

24. Silie or heart con ta ining oxygenated blood (4)

25. Part or notice conce1l1ed with the car (4)

28. The argest bones of the spine (6,9)

29. umber soon making a church decree (5)

30. Men turn it producing food (9)

DOWN:

I.Topic for a cranial nerve (5)

2. Applie!-l local anac!-lthctic (7)

3. Impe tou!-l skin ruption (4)

4. tory teller has real rot (7)

5.Region of junction of two neurones (7)

6.Damage to clo thin g by secretion or laCrimal (5)

7. A ttitud e assumed aner poor aid for containing much rat (7)

8. Hin ge joint: for example elbow or knee (9)

13.Provided with footwear (4)

14.MUlmur hl.:ard during relaxa t ion phase or acrdlan cycle (9)

15. A GP a breach (3)

16.Abo Holborn has a distri t or London's Wcst End (4)

18. nusually bad sign for anatomical cavity (7)

19. the spirits {7)

20.Wedge of severely - damaged tissue caused by 10..,'" of blood (7)

21.Fester badly before direction to reica,>c from capti\ Ity 0,4)

23. ll ave a great longing (5)

10. Prepare food for ac ti on of digective jUices (4) II Di scontinue to carry out a dental procedure (4) 26.Cavity above 18 cross (5) 27. Still one abominable snowman (4) (Anwers in next month's t John World)

SIS MOTORS LTD REFURBISHED AMBULANCES

ambu lance. ow, I 'm a vcry active member of Banstead!

By ovember 1989 between helping with the Badger <,et and completing a Public First Aid ourse, I had joined the Adult Combined Ambulance and ursing Divi..,ion

gam.es and

NIM Tracy Mulligan couldn't believe her good luck when she was chosen to help at the Western Canada Games in Canada - she couldn't believe her bad

I became involved with the usual pub li c duties, J had however seen in some old ounty orders detail!-. of duties on a French camping site. Our luck when she was presented with a medical bill while she was out there!

ergeant said that shc would look out for something similar in forthcoming announcements

In April she told me that the only duty offered abroad was in fact in Canada. The idea of actually going seemcd totally unreal but never the hurried v.erc made The duty required first aiders to help at the Western anada Games In Winnepeg in July.

At one stage des[1lte help from Sgt. Levett and letters from County HQ and National HQ I really thought the trip would be cancelled despite the fact my tickets had been purchased, v. ith Jusl a couple of weeks before my de[1arture I stIli didn't know where I v. ould be taying in Canada nd because each volunteers made their n travelllllg arrangemcnts, the fact I had conta ted girls gOlllg from urfolk and Oxford v.hose arrangements v.ere made much earlier in the year then my own I began to feel vcr) much alone and somewhat apprehensive about thc cntire idea

This change \.\ hen one afternoon I answered the telephone and on the other end was Victor McLeod, Chief Provincial talT Ollicer t John Ambulance in lanitoba. He told me I would be !-.ta) ing \\ ith his family along wi th the two English girls T had already contacted. He would also meet me at the airport. The dream had no\\ b come a reality and it was all sy'tems gol

Before the Gailles slarted I spent a couple of days helping 1r Mcleod's daughter Kerry with her nursing duties a t amp Manitu, aday camp for 6 to 16 year o lds. alamine lolion was Illuch in evidence due to the presence of poison ivy as well as mites! Injuries trcated during m) time there included a lacerated hand wound and a suspected broken ankle.

Prior to the opening of lh e Game a meeting was held at t John HQ when we were introduced to the twent) oth r members of thc team. Thi included two adult!-. from Australia and Toronto. We were given Our fir aid wpplies and our Games uniforms, consisting of shorts, ee shi rt and a baseball style hat.

We were loki what was e pee ted orus, in as much as were th ere to look after the spccta tors and not th e athl tes The athle tes. we were told, wou ld be carcd for by rained physio's. nurscs and d ctors, ince incorrec t treatmenlmay endangertheircarecrs so fan ath le te requ sted treatment they were to be referred to a ph) sio.

I wa put in c har ge of five Eng li sh and Canadian Cade ts, and cach

Tracy alld tw o COllodion friellds

Despite haVing medical insurance v. ilh Thomas Cook and a pecial card to claIm help in medical emergencie from SJA ational HQ in London , 1 found that the two Canadian clinics I attended were not intere ted in either document and wanted payment.

Mr McLeod kindl) paid and ince then we ha\e re-imbursed St John Manitoba b) \\a) of an in urance claim on Thoma Cook once I had returned home. The point i . ho\-\-ever. [hat I pay ment wouldn't be neces aI) at the actual time of treatment. Had I not been in the charge of a caring famil) 1 could ha\ 'e been left \\ithou[ an, monel at all after paling the bill.

In an effort to sta) out of the , un I a, at St John and I found eyer) one vel) frlendl:- and helpful.

Those v. ho wish to become t John member ' in Canada join on a 'iix monthl) probationary period during \\hich time [he) go out \\.ith a qualified memb r. Uniform ma) not be v. om until the probationer ha qualified.

To qualify man) extlmtnation must be pa sed on including CPR. bandagtng. plints and fir. aid at \\ork. The naminatton are funded by publ ic mone).

Uniformsare uppliedfreebutmustberetumed.ltcon i tsofblack jacket and hite , hin and blad-. Irou<;er: or horts and of badge. Th unironns we \\ ore for the Game \\ ere spe ially pro\ ided by sponsors and we were allo\\ ed to keep them.

SJA Canada ha: Cadets aged 6 - _I and adults from 21 ol1\\ urd Doctor ' and nurse are also members The Division I became il1\ oh ed with had about 30 mcmbers and thrce ambulan e..,. [ feel the trip has not only gi\ en me an insight into other \\ a) s of working and teaching first aid but ha helped me gain onfid n e and independence, plu an il1\ ite ba k to the Pan m in 1992! I am cUITently on a one) ear Health Foundation cour e and ha\ e found m)' J training has been of as .- istance to me. rill taking pa rt in tv. 0 \\ eeks \\ or k experience \\ ith urre) mbulance in Banstead a t th moment as part of my coursc. nd all because I had a passing interest in an ambulance one O\'el11ber afternoon.

(As told to Cy nthi a Levett b) N l\l Tra\) Mulligan. Both are m e mbel of Ban te a d Co mbin e d mbulance & Nur in g Dh ion ) 22

3

TALK IS CHEAP

STOP PRESS

SUBSCRIPT

JOHN WORLD ARE HELD FOR 1991 ST JOHN WORLD ONLY COSTS £ 1 PER ISSUE IF YOU CHOOSE TO SUBSCRIBE IT WILL COST £14 A YEAR (WE NEED THE EXTRA £2 TO COVER POSTAGE)

I would like to subscribe to St John World . I enclose a cheque for

RECORD-BREAKING RAFFLE

FELLOWSHIP NEWS

A happy new year to members - and potentia member - everywhere. At this time there are many people whose active service With the Brigade has just ended, which IS depressing them very much. The Fel owship IS there to welcome them and to enable them to remain in

St John to the end or their days. I can prOVide the address of the nearest Branch, or why not start one?

THE A UAL GE ERAL MEET I

This year's ational Rarne was the most "iUCccssrul yet, a total or over 3126,OOO! ThiS IS a tremendous due to a lot of hard work at every level. Congratulations to all involved, especially to Paul Bums tead, who did a marvellous job of coordinating the rarne at H eadquarters.

The draw tool-.. place on a bright Autumn morning, although the t John umbrel a were ready and waltingju..,tln case. The winning tickets were drawn by Lord Westbury assisted by rour livel) Cadeb. who had spent Iheir hall' term counting thousands or ticket stubs and then stufring them all into the enomlOUS green rarne drum.

The fir. t prJ/e, a Lada alllara 1300L. was won by Mr<; hUlllev..orth of Borehamwood. H ertfon lshire: second pri/e, a weel-..end for two in Paris. went to Cyri Males 01 Chesterfield, ottmghamshire: Ihird prize, a Pye I..j." colour television. was won b) Linda R ai tt or Wo verhal11plon: rourth pri/c. a Philip" Cafe Ro)al 1000 Coffee Maker, v.. as won by Mrs Dodman or treatham. London: and finall) the firth prize, a hristmas I l amper, went to Mrs hirley orEaton Gardens. Merse) Side.

We ended the Illorning's proceeding" With a photocall in. around and on t op of the brand nev.. Lada alllara! Once agai n. congralU lallons to all those who wor k ed so hard on this year's national rafile, next year we wi ll do even b ttcr.

H opefu ly, we \ be ab e to let you know the delails for next year's rame in the nex t issue or S t John World. Man) of the commentsent o H eadquarters from COUnLY Offices about the raffle be tal-..en into accoun t when organiSing ne\t year's rame.

SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT

FOUR WHEEL DRIVE AMBULANCES DUAL PURPOSE VEHICLES

I am pleased to announce the arrival of 20 four wheel drive HANLON conversions These vehicles are unique in the market.

I have pleasure in offering this limited number of vehicles to St John Ambulance Divisions.

The vehicles are A' and ' 8 ' registrations and all have above average interiors

To view and reserve your vehicle please contact :

MRG.SCOTT

S&S MOTORS LTD 0924472403

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Suppliers of Medical First Aid and Ambulance Equipment

S. P. SERVICES

Jte wish all our customers a happy and prosp e rous New Year and look forward to y our continued custom in 1991. S. P. SERVICES PADDOCK MOUNT, DAWLEY TELFORD, SHROPSHIRE TF4 3PR Telephone: 0952 630375 Fax: 0952 630456

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MAXON EQUIPMENT IS CURRENTLY IN USE WITH THE SURREY DIVISION OF ST JOHN AMBULANCE

•

Putting money to work is our busin e s and one of our priorities is m aking a large contribution to the needs of the community, including those of the disabled , the disadvant aged , the unemployed, the young and the elderly.

We are one of the largest corporate contributors to the community and intend to remain so.

In 1991 Barclays plans to spend £11 million on a wide ranging programme of community activities - including support for charities and employment generating initiatives - both financial and by way of secondments.

We are proud to be an integral part of the community and to be able to play our part in building for the future.

We prosper on community strength. We aim to ensure that the community continues to prosper on ours.

STJOHN

NOW WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT.

BARCLAYS

'Over To You, John' - the National Appeal for St John Ambulance

February 7th 1991 will be an important day for St John Ambulance with the launch of a major national fundrai ing initiative under the theme of 'Over to you John'. To mark the occasion, Her Royal Highness, The Princess Royal, will speak on St John's behalf at a reception hosted by the Speaker in his Rooms at the House of Commons.

A £5 million target

Whilst the financial objective of the campaign is to raise a minimum of £5 million - with money rai ed and collected locally being retained and used locally - the campaign also aims to encourage awareness of the work of St John Ambulance and to encourage more members of the public to become involved with the organisation as volunteers, supporters and friends.

Calling all Johns

Despite the serious nature of St John Ambulance's work, the key to the success of the campaign lies in its ability to generate fun. This isn't just another begging bowl appeal, it's about getting people involved and enjoying themselves and encouraging others to do likewise. It starts by picking on everyone called John - and there are over 3 million in this country alone - with the simple message that St John have done so much to help the public over the years and it's now time to give something back. The key sectors approached will be those that benefit most from St John's services - namely sport, entertainment and, through training, the corporate sector.

The basic idea is to make anyone called John an ambassador for the appeal - although clearly the idea is easily extended to every Joan, Dick and Harriet as well! These ambassadors will invite everyone to get involved in a series of 'John' events designed to pledge money over to St John.

Celebrity Support

To lead the way dozens of celebrities from all walks of life have been recruited to spearhead the campaign - John Barnes, Sir John Harvey-Jones, Sir John Mills and John Conteh to name but a few.

18 Months of John Events

The campaign will run for an 18 month period and will include a series of nationally organised events such as a 'John-a-thon' team for the Am London Marathon, a 'Going, Going, John' auction of celebrity memorabilia and a national roadshow inviting the public to sign the unique

3

'John Directory' ( pon ored by Thom on Local Directory).

These national events will provide the profile required to en ure the campaign work at a local level as well - how about a 'Johnbola ' in tead of the more familiar Tombola or a local John-ble ale? Once you tart to think about 'John the ideas keep coming!

A fully supported national and local campaign

'Over To You John' will be given full marketing and public relation support including a national po ter and pre advertising campaign generou ly funded by afeway who, following the ucce of the ' Safeway / t John Week' la t year, have al 0 undertaken to run a ' afeway / t John Month' in all their tore in May 1991.

To capitali e on all the national activit and publicit y, John Ambulance Counties and Divi ion are being asked to run all their local fundrai ing activitie under the Over To You John' banner and will receive pecial appeal and briefing note to help them do thi . And of cour e ant'" funds rai ed locally through the campaign will be for the u e of the local organi ation.

But it' notju t St John Ambulance volunteers themselve who will be organising events under the appeal. The general public will be encouraged to initiate their own activitie and all adverti ing will carry a telephone number inviting donations or request for further information. With celebrity name behind it, some great idea and exciting opportunities, Over To You John looks set to capture the public's imagination during the next 18 months. Just a importantl y, however, a we face the on set of economic recession, Over To You John ' will enable St John to adopt a co-ordinated and professional approach to fundrai ing , pres enting a united front to the public and a stronger claim to the mailer amount of money available.

Behind the Scenes Support

To make ure the appeal receive the dedicated s upport and resource it deserve, a team of experts ha been as embled to work closel y with Gro svenor Cre cent and in particular with the Appeal and PR department . A pecial ... Appeal Director - Mairi Wil son - ha been " appointed together with an Appeal Co-ordinator Rachel Talbott , and they will be working clo ely with headqual-ter ' promotional marketing

, adverti ing and PR con ultant have been brought in to maximi s e ever y opportunit to make ure the campaign i a vi ible and high profile a pos ible.

Information Network

Once the appeal is launched it will pick up it own momentum and there may even be ca s e of donation being made at Divi s ion or Count y level without any local effort and it i vital that ever yone is kept up to date with development. To thi s end, each Count has appointed an Appeal Co-ordinator, who will develop local upport y tem and act a an information channel for the appeal liai ing closely with the newly appointed County Liaison Officer at Gro venor Cre cent, Barbara Rayner. Barbara will act a the fir t point of contact for all enquirie relating to the appeal , and will produce regular new letter co ering national and local activity.

Now it's

'Over to You'!

For the communication y tem to work it i vital that YOU inform YOUR County Appeal Co-ordinator of any ' Over To You John' plan. If you don ' t already know who your coordinator i a k your county office or phone Barbara Rayner on 071-235 5231 ext 263. Appeal material, uch a artwork for logos and adverti ing, pon or form leaflet and po ters can al 0 be ordered through her. Commemorative item will hortIy be available from Supplie . Over To You John' and good luck! ST JOHl" / SAFE\\i\Y FUNDRAlSING WEEK: 15-22 SEPTE[\.1BER 1990. REPORT OF ACTIVITIE All 290 t Jo h n / afewa) li nk people

D / O Ann Parker of Mumbles Di v ision lets us know how to

Put the fun back into FUNDRAISING

Fundraising can be regarded as a rude word which brings a sigh in most Divisions but it is a necessary part of Brigade activities

Mumbles Division has had a 'go' and learned a few hard lesson but enjoyed a great deal of fun and togetherness learning them.

We have found that our village does not like 'nearly new' in the Summer but they like plant sales and cake stalls. Bric-a-brac is a uccess during school holidays and Saturday mornings but not at half-term when many children go away with parents or activity weekend

We have learned that daring Young Adults who have a great deal of nerve, like our Jean Cobbold, can raise £300 for discovering how and doing a sponsored parachute jump Her dedication and application to fund raising has been inspiring. She presented members and friends with forms and no one got away without a promise of collecting a number of signatures.

It was a cold windy day for the big drop ', delayed repeatedly by cross winds , but Jean accomplished it, to her eternal credit, and our heartfelt relief and thanks.

Tin shaking on Flag Day is always a pleasure in a small town, on a busy sunny Saturday in the Summer. The Saturday before Christmas, however, is a very different matter - shoppers loaded from top to toe with parcels, purses empty or quite inaccessible - freezing winds, driving rain, and yet those super young footballers and rugby players who know they might need or have already needed, our help, always tum up trumps as do all the OAPs. What a rewarding duty that one is - conversation flows despite the cold. Contacts are made, goodwill abounds!

Exhibitions prove to be a lot of hard work and planning, but attract not only the local people but visitors from across the country who are staying in the area on holiday. The donations are not great but, again, the contact and conversations are rewarding in themselves.

A few members of the community are stimulated by what they see and apply for the next First Aid course. Some are interested in learning details of the new' Energy Programme'.

Talks in Schools and Colleges of Further

5

Education bring in a few extra pounds but al 0 provide further contacts The reward here again i not in financial gain but in the pleasure of eeing the class receive important skjlis and their appreciation Our own preparation s considerable but well worth the effort We have found that member who have a s kill at publi c peaking can use this talent in a multitude of ways They are called upon by local group in Church , social and welfare area to talk abou t the local St John hi tory and Brigade activities, and genera! First Aid tip The e group alway s offer a donation to th e Divi s ion

Our mo t intere ting fund rai ing activity to date ha been relatively impie A converted mortuary trolley, loaded with cake , s cone , andwiche and goodie wa s taken around a caravan ite in the heart of our beautiful Gower Coa t. Holiday

workjng member to fit in th e ir c ooking duti e

Cadets helped adults to pu h the trolley aroun d the many caravan and tents, on a corching h ot afternoon and only left with a firm promi e th at they could return the following week Th e profits from thi venture were earmarked for th e Ophthalmic Ho pita! in Jeru alem

Fundrai ing can be a rude word but it a! a can be fun Many Divi ion mu have had exciting or horrendou experienc es whi c h c ould be hared and used by other Divi ion to great advantage For example, don t plan a Cream Tea in a garden on Mid ummer Day becau e it can be the war t , wette day of the Summer! HEA DAC H ES, TI REDN ESS AND WEA KN

Every year aver 200 people d e unnecessar ly from carbon mono x ide poisaning About 40 of these accidents involve natural gas and the major i ty af the v i ct ms are pensioners Sa s important to spot the symptoms early

Generally , people are prone ta it i n winter Exactly the same time as they ' re most susceptible to colds and flu

The danger comes fram the fact that the symptoms are alarmingly si milar to those of influenza , which makes t extremely difficult to diagnose

So , alway s spend a couple of minutes c heck i ng Ask them f the place where they l ive is well ventilated Or i f anyth

su c h as washing , could b e cover

Jean Cobbold after her parachutejump

Selling like h ot cakes

Malcolm Bradshaw, County Staff Officer, Adventure Training for Wiltshire , tells how his Division showed that they know the ropes.

St John and the steeple people

1 was silting reading the Sf John World one evening when the phone rang. It was the vicar' wife from Ashton Keynes. The Mother's Union had thought of a novel fundrai ing idea - they wanted to ab eil the pari hioners into the Church yard. The money wa for the church restoration fund. She had contacted me because W iltshire St John Ambulance - Adventure Group were known a expert in ab eiling. It was to be a sponsored ab eil by the parishioner from the church tower de cending in to the churc h yard to rai e money for the chu rc h restoration fund. This brilliant conception had been put forward by the Mother's Union, who I discovered later had vo lunteered to be first 'over the top'.

'We were known as the local experts in abseiling.' My vi ion of the Mother's Union as a jam making fraternity changed in a flash. 1 wa flattered that our fame had spread to the Glouce ter border. "Will you take it on" said the voice anxious ly. I said ye and arranged to meet them the next day. The church tower wa 80 feet of sheer SLOne work, on one side there was a vestry attached to the church. This aspect was unsuitable to abseil off; on the side of the main entrance to the building was a most vicious looking light bracket of fo u r feet in length with a spike on top. O n the we t side of the tower was a large stained glass w indow w hich was the pride andjoy of the establishment. Any absei ler coming down that side of the tower and going through would certain ly increase the need for a church restoration fund. 7 70 -ye ar-o Ld B etty Ba

The north side of the tower where the lightning conductor came down a blank stone drop with the church yard pread before it and no obstructions in their celestial descent. It was ideal

'Till up here" someone from abovc had poken to me There was the vicar with grey beard looking down from the turrets of the tower. I went around to the where the ancient staircase to the tower was behind a stout wooden door. Here J met the vicar and h is wi fe and followed them up a tight spiral stone stairway, well worn by many feet of bell ringers long gone, and into the belfry. After climbing two long ladders wc reached the top the view was magniliccnt and the drop was shea.

''I've got a rope" the vicar continued "J used to do somc climbing twenty year'i ago He had the rope there - a hawo.;er twist which reminded me of the equipment the VictOrian AlpIne Climbing fraternity u,>ed We have all our own equipment] assured him, before he developed ideas of testing 1m rope , I beIng more familiar with the physical outcome of events like thi than the ' piritual.

Look.ing around for a secure place to belay from I notIced that there were a number of 'icratched into the lead roof. one dating back. to 1700 "Yes" said the vicar "He buried over there" pointing 10 an obtrusi e part of the

church yard. Perhaps he had tried to abseil off the church tower I thought.

The great day arrived and the ,>un 5hone. We all wore our St John tee shirts and black track suit bottoms, our uniform for such occasions.

The Adventure Group cI imbing team was igel, Andy, Terry, myself to do the belaying on the tower and Cathy and Paula to harne"s the participants before ascending the stair The original quote for the "pon50red abseil wa seventeen. mainly from a vanguard of the Mothcr' Union, but the excitcment of their parish church abseil had inspired the whole village and they were queuing to attempt this historic feat.

Insured

'I've got them all insured, one of our is a broker" the vicar nodded and smiled at me ow we were on top of the tower for the fir.,t time They all took a look. and Andy said "Remind me to 0 next time you get us involved in something lik.e thi., " We volunteered igelto go over fin whIch J thought wa very prudent a he was the heaviest. I put him on belay and 'over he went". you trust each other in such circulll.,tance There wa a loud cheer from below and a fe\-\. more joined the queue ow they were coming up through the trap door on to the tower two at a time. Forafety the} were illlmediately put on belay to await their

descent under our direction, that IS <;ecurcd from their harness to a suitable point. In this case thc securing point was a large iron ring in the centre of the tower. Our worry was that their enthusiasm might get the better of them and we may find them gone without the asi"tance of our abseil rope. Young and old, we briefed them in the ab eiling procedure and 'over they went' The tru t in us was overwhelming. St John was "on top" in more ways than one The reporter from the Wilts and Gloucester Standard wa nearly 'popped over' and if he had not protested and hung onto his belay rope he would have been abseiling camera and all. One young lady in a mini kirt cau ed a when she insi ted that she went down. The enthu iasm of the ab'iell certainly brought the village closer to their church.

The mot outstanding wa a grandmother of eventy. Betty Barrington. who had never been on the church tower let alone abseil. She wa a member of the Mother' Union Her daughter was 0 proud of her bur aid she would not let her mother do that again I wa very pleaed with the Adventure Group and the way they had all worked together and inspired the village by their specialit approach.

The 'v icar wa plea ed forty even persons had done the sponored abseil \-\. hich rai ed £500.

Disaster!

To many in the medical community, planning a re pon e to a mas ca ualty incident is a traightforward enough task. Fir t ite control must be e tabli hed at the cene of the accident. Then the victim ca n be triaged that is eparated into tho e who can't be helped, tho e who can wait and tho e who can benefit from immediate help.

Ambulance can then begin to hip the injured to ho s pital s, di tributing patient load according to the re ource available, and making ure that patient with pecial need , ' uch a bum victim, go where the appropriate facilitie exi t.

[t ound ea yand ometime it even works Unfortunately not often enough. For example, there may be no ite, victim may make their own way to ho pital, communication may fail throwing emergency ervice co-ordination into chao.

U ing three major incident a example, Profe or 10 eph Scanlon, Director, Emergency Communications , Ottawa , Canada, explain how the y tem could be improved

The Dryden a ir crash

At fir glance this incident appear to fit the model. The plane era hed in the bush, which meant that all the victim were at one ite

Acce to the cene of the accident wa viaju one road making ite control ea y. Having no tran port of their own, victim could only leave the site if omeone helped them and as Dryden ha only one hospital everyone had to go to the ame place.

However the first people on the site, a pilot and a surveyor, who had watched the plane take off, howed half the pa enger who had e caped how to escape the bush and reach the nearest road.

The mould wa also broken by the very limited on-site medical resources The crew of the one local ambulance could not possibly triage all the victims or tran port them to hospital.

A police sergeant took charge of the ituation, which meant he made deci ion for the medical personnel He decided that in view of the conditions (it was around zero and the plane had crashed in deep snow) the only sensible thing to do was to move the injured to hospital by any means available. Private cars were commandee red a nd even a garbage truck

As no ne of these vehicles had radios they were not able to prepare th e hospital for their arrival.

Another consequence of such decisions being made by no n- m edical personnel was that the

walking wounded were taken to hospital first the more seriously hurt had to wait until they were carried out of the bu h.

Some on-site treatment of casualties did eventually take place but only after most of the injured were already in hospital Any triage that took place did so at the hospital a many of the survivors were haken , cold and wet but not injured.

Edmonton tornado

Thi destructive tornado LOok roughly one hour to move up the ea t side of the city, killing twenty -seve n people , injuring everal hundred knocking down power lines , throwing cars about and causing flooding Clearly there was no particular ite a chaos reigned everywhere.

Building were down as were power and telephone lines, roads were blocked by flooding or debri radios were jammed At Edmonton Ambulance Authority, for example, there were enormou problem Lightning had truck the radio tower and scrambled the computer sy tem

As a re ult victims had to help each otherthey dug themselves out of debri and found vehicles which would run and went for medical help.

Disruption of power upplie and flooding affected a number of ho pitals Flooding so threatened the electrical plant of one that the ambulance authority wa put ontand-by to evacuate it.

There wa no control over who went where Mo t headed for the two major downtown trauma centres although in one area the local p ychiatric ho pital, which wa not u ed to a udden influx of injured, received ca ualtie from a nearby caravan park which had been hit badly by the tornado. The other three hospital one of which was flooded were left with little to do

As in Dryden, there were medical personnel at key locations, but at many ites they were left with tho e who couldn't get to hospital - the dead,thedyingandthemo t eriou lyinjured

In some case those who couldn't be pulled out of the wreckage had to wait until police and firefighters arrived with cutting equipment.

Once again triage took place at the ho pitals and not on site.

1917 Halifax explosion

Thi incident involved the loss of thou and of lives and left a badly damaged emergency service y tern to deal with an influx of casual tie

The explosion occurred when a French munitions hip caught fire then exploded, with one-sixth the power of the Hiroshima bomb, after a collision in Halifax Harbour. The bla left 1,963 dead and 10,000 injured (roughly onequarter of the city's population). It knocked out everything in an 800-metre radiu and cau ed severe damage for another 800 metres.

At the main provincial hospital , doctors and nur es were showered with glass. Many people s topped at the nearest physicians for treatment - thi s left the hospitals hort of staff as personnel who would normally go there were unable to free themselves of casualties.

Most of the injured kept going, only stopping when they reached a hospital, any hospital Camp Hill Military Hospital a convalescent ho pital with no operating room and only 280 bed &oon had 1,400 patient on floors, tables, in offices - anywhere they could be fitted.

The strain on staff and upplie meant that many patients died before anyone could see them The operating theatres were so bu y that one s urgeon found, after two days of operating, that his ca l pel wouldn't cut. Another made do with a local busines man acting as his anae theti t.

The shee r cale of what had to be done meant that gradually an effective emergency ervice system developed Casualty treatment centre developed around the main impact area. These were inspected daily. Plenty of medical personnel arrived from out ide the disa s ter area Trains carried some of the victims to nearby centres while others were cared for on board hip in the harbour

Halifax differ from Dryden and Edmonton a it wa a real disa ter, an event that strained the re ource of the community. It not urpri ing that a ite control and triage plan did not work there when it didn t work in place like Dryden and Edmonton

Emergency ervice planning mu be appropriate for real disa ters Thi mean that certain a umption can be made and mu t be prepared for. Plan hould a ume that victims will come to medical centre on their own or via other, non-medical tran portation Certain ho pital will be overloaded while other will be left with little to do The wor t injuredtho e dying or trapped - will be the la t to be re cued or to receive medical help And they mu a ume that their communication sy tem - no matter how technologically advanced they are - won't work in reality.

The e a sumption do not mean that plan are a wa te of time. Specific centre uch as chool can be designated a casualty clearing tations and even upplied with medical upplie The public can be told about them, which mean that the initial victim flow - which u ually doe not

include the most seriously injured - can be diverted away from the hospitals

Major hospitals could assume that in a di a ter they will receive the bulk of victims. They may well decide the best way to deal wi th thi s is to do a quick a sessment, then move tho e who can wait for treatment to other less crowded medical centres.

The police can be asked in advance to open up clear corridors between major hospitals to allow patient s to be steered from an overcrowded to a Ie s crowded hospital

As on-site control is established, those putting it into place can be told where to send severely injured victims. By this time some communication sy terns hould be functioning and it should be possible to identify which hospitals are not being used to their full capacity. Victim have other needs For example, in the ca e of the Dryden air crash all the victim were from out of town. They were left with no-one to comfort them , without clothing, sanitary supplies, toothbru hes money to travel home and omewhere

left trying to locate them frantically calling from one bu y hospital to another - thi i another function for the ocial ervice

In Edmonton a in Dryden this wa carried out by the community ocial service - the Red Cros One complete victim Ii t wa put together 0 that anyone wanting information only had to call the one location.

In Canada there i a ational Medicare Sy tern Di a ter po e few medical problem in terms of victim care. Everyone know they can go for treatment and everyone know there will be no charge. Emergency ervice personnel as i t them knowing the financial problem can be dealt with later. Even where medicare does not exi medical help doe not create a problem. In Halifax for example the local doctors agreed to donate their ervice for everal weeks

Providing ocial ervice help doe create problem Mo t d i a ter victim have ne er had any experience of needing uch a lance. They don't like the idea of accepting charity and even if they feel they need help they may not know where to go

The realities of di aster are, therefore different for ocial ervices than for medical ervice Both however can benefit by planning for what will happen rather than for what they would like to happen.

• This article is based on a talk given at the Emergency Planning College, York, and first appeared in Civil Defence magazine.

DO YOU KNOW YOUR MANUALS?

1. Here are two example oftheca u eof which condition?

Questions on the 5th edition First Aid Manual Circulatory Failure

2. What condition can possibly occur when coronary arterie become too narrow for sufficient oxygenated blood to reach the mu cles of the heart? "Narrowed" artery

5. Thi ca ualty i regaining consciou ne after a faint what hould you not do?

8 When checking the radial pul e what might you note about the pul e rate of orne athlete?

County

and

Division

Bangor

3. Wh at occurs in cases of Thrombosis to the area below the thrombus? Clot (thrombus)

9. The brain and pinal cord are urrounded by what kInd of Ouid '?

4 In fainting, what will the pulse be INITIALLY?

6 There are two main group of causes for SHOCK , what are they ?

10 Which of the e are platelets 'A' or 'B'?

Waiting for the sponsored drinker to emerge from a pub!

On Bo xing Day 14 pram took part in the annual Beaumari Pram Race to raise money for three local charitie :- St John Ambulance, Kidney Re earch and al 0 a local ho pice

Despite heavy rain and gale force winds the race was enjoyed by all taking part and although the money rai ed this year will not meet the £3,000 raised in 1989 it wa hoped thal a sum of £2,000 would be raised to be plit three way between the three charities. The race wa watched by Mr E Jones, Commi ioner for Gwynedd for the la t time as Commi ioner, a she retires from active service in Jul y.

Langley Badger Set

7. When examining the eyes to assess the level of response, what would you examine t he eyes to ascertain?

II. Name three heart condition which may be described collectively a heart attack. Answers on page 23

On Saturday 27th October 1990 our Badger went to London for the day. There were also five adult. With u ,three are helper , the Badger leader, and the Area co-ordinator. We got up at 7.0am, and set off from home at 7.30am to go to Langley Green Station. We got onto a train to Birmingham , and then onto another train to London While we were on the way to London we played noughts and cros es, and hangman, then 'I Spy', it took us about 1V2 hrs to get there, when we arrived at Eu ton Station we were met by 3 members of the London St John, we called them, Auntie Helen, Uncle Alan and Uncle Graham. (Auntie Helen and Uncle Alan had two Continued on Page 23

A I M G

AROUND THE DIVISIONS

way

On e of th e firm 's office is in a n enviable po ition when it come to th e Lord M ayor's Continued on Page 23

maxon mobile radio

NO E NEEIYOUR SUPPORT.

"OVER TaOU JtflHN"

NOWWENEED YOUR PPORT. AROUND THE DIVISIONS

London

HRH The Duke of Gloucester, Grand Prior, the Order ofSt John, opened new first aid posts at Asenal and Tottenham Hot pur Football Clubs on Monday, December 3, and later the arne day visited the SJA Headquarters of London (Prince of Wales's) Di trict at Edwina Mountbatten House in Marylebone.

The new fir t aid po ts were designed by Commander Derek Fenton's small team from London District in conjunction with the Safety Committees of the local authorities and Club architect. The posts were either new or enlarged and refurbished, two at each ground, and are likely to et the standard for all First Division Clubs.

The Grand Prior was invited to 'pull plaque' at the Spurs ground and cut appropriate red and white ribbons at Highbury before meeting representative groups of the St John per onnel who taff the posts at matches. The Duke is a Chartered Architect and was interc ted to see the con truction work completed and planned for the future following the publication of the Taylor Report dealing with afety at port stadia. His gUide · were the Chail111an and director of the Club together with Commander Fenton. He aw not only the safety improvements but also the new police control rooms.

The party al 0 included the Chairman or the Football Licen ing Authority, Lord Aberdare of the Football Tru t. and senior representatives of the Football Association and Football League. Later during the tour of Edwina Mountbatten Hou e, the Duke saw two FAW cour es in progress and wa introduced to the in tructor by the Director, Mr Catherine Stretton. The Di trict Commi sioner, Mr Albert Gillings, then introduced member of the HQ staff and Head of Department including Di trict Surgeon, Dr Tom Evan, who demon trated re u citation u ing the skill meter Re u ci Anne and the latest emi-automatic defibrillator. A letter from Ken ington Palace aid how much the Grand Prior had enjoyed hi vi it and the 0PPol1unity of learning about how St John Ambulance copes with the problems a ociated with a big soccer match.

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T O NY KEM P, SRN , fro m Su ssex gi ves th e lowdo wn on d ol phin exami n ation.

Most members are familiar with the la t mlOute plea to cover a duty. I've had my fair share but I wonder how many of you can recount a du t y as strange a thi ;

Wa I free to provide first aid cover at the dolphinarium in Brighton next Monday night? o problem, e pecially when I found out it didn't tart until 21.30 hours. What happens at adolphinarium at that time of night that require , the pre ence of St John'?

A vet wa coming to examine the dolphin and pertonn ome tests and the manager wanted first aid cover in ca e omeone got hurt en ible idea. doubtle it would be a job and a half trying to examine a dolphin or two with water allover the place Thi wasn't quite the reality of the situation, one of the dolphin wa a three month old baby and his mother may well become aggre ive towards the vet \lnd dolphinarium taff when they try to e amine him. No problem I thought. Icouldjust it back, watch the fun and glean a bit of medical knowledge about dolphin - you should never mi an opportu nit y to learn! At thi point J thought the dolphins would be exami ned on the pool side -o h how wrong I was.

2 1.30 ho ur on the dot and here we were at the dolphinarium, I wa accompanied by two divi ional co lle ag ue, Hil ary Thomp on and Juli e Robert on. On the jou rn ey o nto Bri ghton

there had been much banter about getting wet and who would go into the pool if neces ary. Many a true thing aid inje t ays the wise man - so why didn he tell me'?

The vet is there, the U1ff are all in attendance. each one dre sed in a wet uit 0 why dIdn't I twig ? A cup of coffee i found and the game explained

The pool was emptied to a depth of two feet. It' · normally about 15 feet. The vet and staff would all go down into the pool and examine the dolphin"> one by one , The dolphin would be upponeJ on a long canva tretcher \\ hile rhe vet e ulllined the animal · - the bab) wa to be left until last.

At lat the pool is emptieJ to the required level. it · just gone midnight and we make our way into the pool area The vet tarts hi final briefing on how to restrain the dolphin without doing thcm any damage A ' the vet begin hi final briefing on ho\.\ to restrain the dolphin without hurting them I'm tapped on the shoulder.

"You'll need a wet uir. follow me" ay the manager. I can't begin to explain my feeling of panic and incredulity. The manager explain that any injury is going to occur in the pool and that's where he \ ant me.

Hil ary and Julie rally round lending their support - to the manager.

Lamely I follow one orthe taffto a changing room and told to take my pick of the remaining wet uit and pump. Therc wa n't a black and white one 0 instead I" ent for a nazz red and blue number. To say it wa skin tight was an understatement, I hadn't brought any wimming trunks 0 it wa a case of a ll off and into the wet uit. Hil ary and Julie were vi ibly hy terical at the s ight of their D 0 clad in a wet uit climbing down into the pool. The dolphin didn't eem to object though!

Examining the adult cau ed little problem, the dolphin treated it a one big game of catch. Funny but I hadn't realised there wa a turbo ver ion avaIlable At fir t I tried to La) out of the way, one of the female dolphin put a top to that. She'd wim in behind her victim and but[ me in the back of the knee with her beak, it didn't hurt, ju t dented your dignity a you were entprawl ing. Soon I gave up being a by U1nder and got Involved with the atching and holding of the dolphin , tremendou fun, particularly a every 0 often you'd be ent praw ling by one or other of the dolphin

The cene mu t have looked more like a tag wre tling match than a eterinary urgery in full w ing, The younger female wa noticeabl) alarmed when our attention wa aimed at the baby, mum wa out to protect her pride and joy, the charge became forceful and the backla he with her rail powerful.

By Illi tortune I and one other chap managed to am110ck the mother dolphin in the pre cribed manner 0 a her air hole wa kept out of the water (dolphin are air breather and dro\.\ n if the air hole i ubmerged for too long). The hold entailedoneofu oneither ideofthedolphin, one hand a er the top of her " ith a firm grip on her tlipper and the other under her beak holding her head up out of the \ mer.

Mum remained extremely di tre ed quealing loudl and painfully, he wa ubdued by the other female ' \'\ imming to her and nuzzling her head and making oorhing noi e ' , an amazing experience. Thi rea urance calmed the mother down and when the bab wa ' freed and once hi mother had checked him 0 er he led the fun and game of catch, pla ' h and knock -o er.

The fun of it i ' till omething that ea ill recall and if anyone want a dolphinarium dury co ered I'm your man!

RAF Marion Nellie Baker

Wing Commander Colin Hawke

David Samual Gee JP

S&W Yorks

Anthony Arthur Joiner Avon

Kathleen Audrey Turner Bed Franci McWilliam BSc CEng FICE FChJArb MIE

Lord Astor of

What does 'Care in the Community' really mean?

As Carole Richmond discovered when she visited Sarum Community Division it is ...

Not the easy option!

Someone' got to do it!

Do what? What doe a Community Divi ion do? Sarum Community Divi ion was et up by General Leuchar as a project that would lead St John into a different ort of health carc - that of caring for people in the community.

Headed by Dot Gulliver - a nurse with exten ive p ycho-geriatric experience who wa forced to retire through ill-health - Sarum meet many local need s and none of them have anything to do with fir t aid but they have a lot to do with care, respect and love

One of the rna t exciting project tarted by Dot and her team i the A ian Mother and Toddler group which ha ucceeded in helping many families get u ed to living in Britain. On the day that I visited teenager were being guided through their homework , mothers were chatting (with the help of Bengali-Engli h dictionaries), Dot was compiling a tran lation of e sential medical term and children of all culture and age were playing happily in a pig free nursery. And that's important and an indication that community work not th e ea y option I've heard it made out to be.

Set up a playgroup for Asian familie and you'd better be ure of whatthey find offen ive in children's book and farm set. I wa fascinated to ee Dot guide an Asian girl through the intricacie of the Avon catalogue pointing out the cosmetics which did not contain scent (this is proscribed by the Koran). Counselling skills were also evident in the way that an lI-year-old boy was spoken to after hi horrific ordeal at the hands of adole cent male whites who resented his appearance in the local grammar chool uniform and beat him up on his way to Koran chool.

Such has been the ucces of Sarum's translation sheets (in languages as diverse as Urdu, Poli sh and Italian) that many local doctors contact Dot if they have patients whose language they do not peak arrive for treatment. The heets li st questions which could form part of any basic medical examina tion These are special ist sheets for opticians, pharmaci st and for community midwives. The English is one side and the foreign language on the other - the medical practitioner simply points to the question he or she want to ask.

CASE HISTORIES

Mrs R i not a little old lady who needs a bit of company from time to time. She is well-built with an aristocratic air, a fail ing heart, arthritic hip, a fir t floor council fiat and ab olutely noone to look after her. Convinced that the medical profession killed her husband she is su piciou of those that could help her and she is happiest when her health care is in the hands of the aints from St John' as she call them

She is also happy when he has spent her food allowance on vodka and can drink herself into oblivion She is confined to her home and bored. She need fairly con tant observation but would not qualify for medical intervention She was referred to Sarum after a ho pita! operation

The Divi ion was told that he would probably need only a few weeks help. Four year later he is still on their book

Vic was referred four years ago as an Alzheimer's patient and ha recently died , The Division fir t became involved becau e hi wife wa unable to push him in hi wheelchair and he needed to get out of the house Sarum was booked foroneday a week. However it became quite obvious that Vic' wife was having great difficulty in getting him ready for his day care centre. He would resist and refuse to get dressed like an adult toddler. It was only his wife that he played up and he re ponded well to volunteers - there was a St John presence in his house three mornings a week. However his condition deteriorated and he began to refuse to go to bed

As an ex - army man he responded well to someone in uniform so

used in Levant. (3)

20. Mis-shapen in body having one document about another (8)

22 Tropic for malignancy (6)

2S. Degree thus is fundamental. (5)

26 Secured by a change of diet. (4)

27. Not made by open-handed people (4)

29. Samples of expectorated matter from bottles put aside (5)

30 Where an optic nerve passes out of the eyeball. (S.4)

31 Am gaily producing muscular pain (7)

32 Biblical book for anaesthetists? (7)

DOWN :

1 Drunk having had fracture treated (9)

2 Serious , painful condition affecting a testis (7)

3 See a change to relieve pain (4)

The Division hal, commi ioned a pecial software package to enable it to continue with the production of the e tranlation heet but it requires considerable ingenuity to obtain credible translation from reliable sources

Much of the Divi ion' work is with the elderly who live in and around Salisbury and the need for care is growing. Many geriatric wards are being closed and it is obviou that men and women in the final stages of various kinds of dementia are being di charged into the care of frail, elderly partner Dot acknowledges that her job, never easy, has become considerably more demanding in the past few months and ome of the stories she has to tell are truly

19 A divisional member escorts 'Harry' at a loca/fete

heartbreaking

The real difference between fir t aid and caring the length of involvement. Treat someone with a broken leg, ' ee them into the A&E department and your job is done Become involved in the care ofa demented woman and your commitment could be for days, week or years Carers often become part of the tamil) and in a en e they are replacing, for a variety of reasons, a family that is unable to care or even perhaps non -exi tent. Carers enter people's home at time of great distres but often become 0 involved that when the patient finaUy die they remain in close contact with the remaining partner

4 Girl with unknown quantity in the chest. (6)

5 Material from the body for laboratory testing. (8)

6 Tries making religious observances (S)

7 Return not certain to shave scalp (7)

8 Quadruped appearing in each yen account. (5)

14 Bring up the back part (4)

16.Alladin's youth. (3)

17 Overcome heart throb. (4)

18. Inflammation of the cornea (9)

19 Unit of the spinal column (8)

21 Pathological passage from body cavity begun by 27 Across (7)

23 Person with long-duration lower limb disability (7)

24. Not malignant. (6)

25 Booms for the breasts (5)

28 A mad turn for a man. (4)

Answers next month, Last month's answers on Page 25.

Caring for the casualties of war

An old warehouse does duty as a recovery ward in afield hospital.

The Medical Service is almost unique, having taken part in every campaign and battle which the British Army has waged The gallantry with which the Army Medical Service has carried out its duties on the battlefield is indicated by the thirty-one Victoria Crosses which its members have gained; these include two double VCs and one recipient of both the VC and the German Iron Cross Captain Thompson, awarded a posthumous George Cross for his courageous action following the sinking of the Hospital Ship St David off Anzio on 24 January 1944 , is the only doctor, military or civilian, to gain such an award.

A Parliamentary Commission recommended the amalgamation of the officers of the Army Medical Department and the other ranks of the Medical Staff Corps into one Royal Corps On the 23rd June, 1898, a Royal Warrant was published announcing the newly formed Corps as the 'Royal Army Medical Corps'. The Medical Officers were given the same titles as other Army officers.

21

The new Corps adopted as its motto In Arduis Fidelis. meaning Faithful in Adversity ' , and the wearing of dull cherry facings A new badge was approved and described as 'Within a laurel wreath surmounted with the Crown, the rod of Aesculapius with a serpent entwined', the serpent being silver and the rod golden on dres badges.

The rod of Aesculapius and the serpent have been universally recognised as the symbol of 'medicine' for many centuries, having their root in both the Bible and mythology Many shrines were set up in honour of Aesculapius in Greece and Rome and his daughter Hygeia gave her name to the science of hygiene

A wreath of laurels has always been an emblem of honour and triumph It represents a very special honour, granted to a few regiments only, in commemoration of great achievement and gallantry.

The new Corps had its first baptism of fire in the Sudan Campaign in 1898 and on its conclusion Lord IGtchener said : "The general

medical arrangement were all that could be desired and I believe that the minimum of pain and maximum comfort procurable on activ e ervice were attained by the untiring zeal and devotion to duty by the entire medical staff. "

The South African War, which followed so soon after the Sudan campaign, proved beyond doubt that hygiene and anitation in the field were essential to maintain the health of the Army. The sick from cholera and dysentery far outnumbered the wounded and at one stage caused the Army to halt for ix weeks in the Orange Free State

It was during the period between the South African War and World War I that advance were really made, mainly owing to the far ightedness of Sir Alfred Keogh who wa s Director- General

One of the first aims was to raise the standard of professional work by developing the clinical and scientific side of the Corps This was achieved by transferring the Army Medical School from Netley and re-opening it as the

Royal Army Medical College at MiJlbank , with better facilities and wider scope Near to the college , another military ho pital wa built , the Queen Alexandra, which was ceremonially opened by Their Maje tie King Edward VII and Queen Alexandra , in July 1905.

A Y tern of Corps trades by grade was introduced and a pecial re erve of officer and other rank wa formed followed by the introduction of the Territorial Force Scheme of 1908.

During the First World War, the Corp wa engaged on all fronts where the Army erved With new innovation in weaponry the notoriously harsh conditions of the Western Front and ca ualties at a previously unprecedented level, the medical and admini trative kill of the RAMC were tested to the full Seven VCs and two bars were awarded to officer of the Royal Army Medical Corps during World War I.

In World War II, the Royal Army Medical Corps had to provide a service for a widely scattered Army numbering millions, with increa ed mechanisation and greater mobility, and had to contend with more destructive weapons and missiles which altered the tempo and severity of warfare out of all compari on with previous conflicts

While injuries were much more complicated, the mortality rate of the wounded was much lower and many were restored to fitne s Full advantage was taken of the great developments made in medical science and research , which produced sulpha drugs, penicillin , DDT and

blood transfusion

One Victoria Cross wa gained by the RAMC in World War II , and that was by Lance Corporal Harden who attended to four ca ualtie under heavy enemy fire He carried two ca ualtie back and wa mortally wounded while bringing in another man

During the Korean War in July 1951 , a field ambulance became part of the fir t British Commonwealth Divi ion and a general ho pita! , also on Commonwealth line ,wa set up in Japan by the medical ervice of the United Kingdom , Au tralia and Canada During thi campaign, the George Medal wa awarded to Corporal Lawe , RAMC, who entered a minefield to attend to a wounded oldier: he marked a path to en ure the afe return of the stretcher bearers

Following World War IT the RAMC ha been continuously engaged in uch places as Malaya , Korea, Borneo, Suez , Kenya Aden , Rhode ia , Belize and, of cour e, the Falkland I land campaign

An intere ting collection of artefact and picture i pre erved in the Corp Mu eum at the RAMC Training Centre at Keogh Barracks, Ash Vale, near Alder hot The e trace the history of Army medicine from earlie t time up to the present day.

Since the RAMC was reorgani ed in 1898 it ha treated more than 14,000,000 ca ualtie and while on active ervice 10,000 officer and men of the Corp have 10 t their lives

Fellowship Branches

that strive to meet the demand

In February I usually publish new of Fellowship Branche , whose activitie are becoming better known and therefore more in demand in Counties Here are ju t a few example:

North Devon District Branch have sent three donation to the Hospital in Jeru salem this year Their members helped at the annual I unch for the disabled and also at Brigade competitions , and thanks to the training by a Fellowship member, the Barnstable Ambulance Cadets did well in the Finals London Transport Fellowship have two members who have given long-term ervice to the Friend of Barking and Plaistow Ho pita! They tour with trolleys , visit patients on the Ward and have made many gifts which are sold to boo the funds. This Branch provide trong support for London Tran port Brigade members at Competition , Asses ment and Training e ion s, etc including the Ca ualty make-up team , the Casualtie , the Judge and the Stewards

Westgate Branch, Kent have undertaken a number of fund-raising events to rai e money for a new Ambulance for the We tgate Division. These included a Fannhou e Supper and everal Coffee Morning At the la t report they had already reached £400 toward their target of £500 for the year.

Liverpool Branch, Merseyside al 0 helped at the County Competition with judging, timekeeping and the refre hments. They were in demand to count the money on Flag Day and at Football Collection They were pleased to be invited to act a Usher and to help with the Collection at the Brigade Church Parade at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Liverpool.

I am proud to ay that the 109 Fellow hip Branche in UK and 22 over ea are making a ignificant contribution to the Order, both in money and ervice Manyal 0 do a lot for their local communitie Service to Mankind doe not end with the Brigade age-limit Sheila PuckJe National Secretary St John Fellowship St John's Gate Clerkenwell EClM 4DA

Continuations page

St John /Safeway - Contd from page 4

opportunity to 'e ll them elve ".

Daniel Line aid of the 'taff of the West Wickham Safeway "Once again the manager and hi taffhave really done u proud , their enthu iasm and sincerity ha been mo appreciated by mY 'e lf and member of the Divi ion I would like the e remark pa ed on to afeway as I feel Ed and hi - taff really put them elve out for u ". They rai ed £2,'+00.

£1,108 was rai ed at the Bedford Safeway Gla tonbury, Somer et, raised £1,098.32 by holding a car boot a le, raffle and collections and have many other event in the pipeline B urton, Stafford hire, made £1.359.35 and Coulby ewham, Cleveland, rai ed £1,000 and there are many others that could be mentioned.

In many tore Badger and Cadet participated in hoe- hine, carryto-car services and car wa hes and divi ion ometime combined together to maximi e u e of the opportunity given by Safeway

The links between StJohn and Safeway manager are well e tablished now and po ed very few problem and it wa generally agreed that communication from ational HQ were clear and adequate.

Vote of Thanks - Contd from page 13

S how. With views over Queen Victoria Street and St Paul' Cathedral , it is the ideal place from which to watch the proce ion in comfort. For five of the last ix year Cooper Deloitte ha provided lhe St John Ambulance, together with the Police and the London Ambulance ervice, with a uite of rooms on the top floor of the building which they u e for their control ce nt re for the day

In ad di t ion to thi , the firm continues to support the Order through individual spon orships and aloha a large number of taff (more than t h e requi ite number) trained in first aid by St John Ambulance

The e factors led the Order of St John to recogni se the support of Coopers & Lybrand D eloine by honouring them with a Vote of Thanks P ictured above i the Lord Prior making the presentation to John Bu llock, joint enior partner of Coopers & Lybrand Deloitte Lord Ve ty , Chancellor of th e Order, will be among other pre en!.

Langley Badgers - Contd from page 12

nieces in o u r sett). They had been given the u eoftwo mini -bu e . Which took u all aro u nd London. First we went to the gate a nd went around the mu eum, where a lady howed u around, both the church and the crypt. Then we went into the hop and pent some money on pre ent When we went out ide we had our photographs taken (one i included) We went back to the mini-bu and were given lot of food to eat. So we put Our packed meal away to eat on the way home.

After our lunch we went to ee St Paul' Cathedral and we bought some post card and ome more pre ent Then we went around London for a n ice ride, we saw Big Ben, House of Parliament , Buckingham Palace w here the Prime Mini ter live, pa t the Tower of London, over Tower Bridge When we reached Buckingham Palace we all got out of the minibuses, and went over for a walk, to see the Guard marching up and down the Queen wa not at home, as the flag wa not flying We returned to the mini-buses, then we went pa t Trafalgar Square and Piccadilly Circu and along Regent Street where the light were already up for Chri tma

We ended up at St John Headquarter, York Street where we sat outside (after going to the 100 - phew) Had our la t drink , Auntie Helen gave all the Badgers a pre ent of a diary each (to record what we do back at our Sett), and a shield of their area. (We gave them a pre ent each al 0.). We thanked them for a lovely day , they then took u back to Eu ton Station

We went down an e calator and saw the ticket barrier , but did not see the train, then we went back up tair had a photograph taken again, before Uncle Alan, and Auntie Helen left u , we got onto our train back to Birmingham and home, we ate our andwiche , ending up a a very tired but happy group of Badger and helper There wa al a 3 Badger from Cheam in South We tern Area

Footnote : B) Charlotte Davie (Badger)

Uncle Alan and my elf along with Uncle Graham enjoyed the day also, and a big thanks go to the Divi ion who loaned the u e of their mini-bu e It wa a plea ure to give the Badger a day they will not forget for a long time, and show that there need not be a great divide between the North and South in the Brigade , we are all here to help

Do You Know Your Manuals?

Regrettably, the answers to last month's 'Do You Know Your Manuals' were accidentally omitted. Our

to all those who rang in

and to those who didn't! The answers are included

by the

Having a ball for Stjohn

Action for Disabled Customers

WORK IN LOURDES 1991

STAFF, a above, but with qualifications to ca ter for 100 +. DRIVERS, for mini -lumbulances ferrying group arou nd Lourde and loca"l ) Must hold clean PSV or HGV li ce nce Write for Application Form, or tel e phone Angela or Libby (08 1-783 l355).

ACROSS Trust, Bridge Hou se, 70 72 Bridge Road , East Molesey, urrey KTS 9HF

The Newquay SJA Di visio n is aga in aski ng for help (1) to man its First Aid Po st on the Towan Prom enad e; (2) help with some of the many summer duties it is called on in the height of the summ er holidays

Volunteering visiting member will be able to u se free of c harge th e flat adjacent to the Newquay headquarters. The flat CO n ists of kitchen come living room , 2 bedroom s, toilet and bathroom The accommodation is only available for not more than six people

Further detail s from Supt Mrs 1.

ACROSS: 1 Order arms; 6 Twa n 9 Transplantation ; 10 Chew ; 1 Stop ; 12 Stool ; 14 Disc harge ; H Sperm ; 17 A-ward 19 Epiphyse: 22 To-day; 24. Left ; 25 Otic ; 2i Lumbar vertebrae ; 29 C-anon ; Nutriment DOWN: 1 Optic; 2. Deadens Rash ; 4 Relator 5 Synapse Tears; 7 Adi -pose ; 8 Ginglymus ; j, Shod ; 14 Diastolic ; 15. Gap 16 .Sl ho ; 18 Abd-omen ; 19 Enliven ; 20 J farct 21 Set fre -e; 23. Yearn 2i Chest ; 27 Yet -i.

William s, The Vi carage, Newquay TR7 IPB. Te : 872724. SOLUTION TO CROSSWORD No. 1-91

If you are disabled or know someone with special needs , then our new 1991 guide might interest you. It is full of ideas that could help you use the telephone , and its free!

British If you would like a copy please contact your local British Telecom Sales Office The address and telephone number is in the Phone Book or dial 100 and ask for FREEPHONE Telecom Sales.

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SAMARITAN AMBULANCE CONVERSION

omet

Not e 1eryone can afford a brand new ambulance, but the P lllborough Division show that 11 here there's a wi ll there's a way.

Shropshire County Commissioner Cpt. Stanley

R B o lton relates the ta le of L udlow's new coachbuilt ambulance. 4

• In

The story starts during last year's ambulance dispute when the Pulborough Division was called on to provide a front linc vehicle for the Brighton area. All it had was an ageing Bedford. a 'T' regi stration vehicle that had seen better days with the We st ussex Ambulance service.

"Let'S say iL had a reputaLion for calling out' the man who can'" say' Ambu lance man Carl Penny " By the end of the di pute we found that the more it went into the garage. the more things went wrong with it. It was decided to ee if a replacement could be found."

Fund were limited Pulborough a small division with only 15 members and little prospect of finding sponsor. Fonunately, Carl Pen ny remembered seeing an ex-Bedfordhire Ambulance S rvice Rang e Ro er while taying at Sandford Park Holiday camp near Poole. The vehicle had been gu tt ed of equipment and, be ides moving th e odd bul\...y iLem

around the camp, it's main use had been a visual deterrent. Because it never went on road, it hadn't even go an MOT.

Carl Penny sugges ted to his Divi sl{) uperin tend en John ordingley and ursing Officer imon Phillip s that it ml be worth lookin g at. An appointment made and the three of thcm travclled dOlI Dorset. John ordinglcy remembcrs be apprehensive - the description they had I; give n was hardly cncouraging.

The camp manager greeted them with keys and told th em to drive it around the car It tumed out that th e vehicle had onl) d 50,000 miles and that the engine, at lens!. first class.

"All the time we were vl'>ualislI1g" would have to be done." says arl Penn)" only major thin gs were a crac\... in the b door and a faulty ex hau\1. After th e testd r we had a dis With th e manager

odecided to purcha se the vehicle for £1000."

In the week that followed, Penny managed to talk a friend of hi s, David hipp an ex-St John Cadet with a mechanical backgro und , into rejoining the fold. The vehicle was collected the following weekend via a four-hour visit to KwikFit for a new exhaust. Work star ted immediately. The fir t thing to go (albcit reluctantly) was the old nuorescent tripin g. The vehicle was th en steam-cleaned throu ghout and th e arduous task of r epairing the body work bega n D 0 Simon Phillip s proved to be a dab hand at filling and rubbing down and made an e. pecially good job of the back door ('>omething, apparently, he was not slow to point out to the rest of the divi ion!)

D espi te working in a ga ra ge that threatened to collapse in the high winds. everyone 'm uck ed in'. John Cordinglcy proved to have a multitude of unknown skills. such spray

painting and plating a smal hole in th e noor pan of the passenger footwell. A loc a Range

Rov er garage donated a nudge bar that was shop-soi led and couldn't be sold. Carl Penny filled the warning equipment and signwri tin g.

Aftersix weeks of wet evenings and missed dinners (inc ludin g one that went on till 2.00am) the tim e for an MOT test veable omission) someone had forgotten to put the bottle back on the windscreen washer. A quick trip to K wikFitmealll it passed the next day.

" It was now worthy of being ca ll ed an ambulance" says Carl Penny. "We are sti ll doing bit · and pieces to it. We painted the noor in the rear saloon and we still need to fit medical equipment. board up the bench seat, fit the brigade radio etc "

John ordingley remember,> a few other teething problems; the alternator had to be replaced and at one point the driver presented him with the gear tick. explaining helpfully,

" Jt came away in my hand!".

A budget of £3 000 had been allocated to the project. After the initial purchase, the mo';t expensive items had been the lights. siren and striping at around £850. Additional to this there was the cost of paints and parts (pOiIllS, leads, plugs, oil and antifreeze,elecLrical items) - all of which still came in below the budget. "By the time we are finished we shall have a front I ine standard vehicle to serve the public a all duties in our area." Says Carl Penny. " IL will have 4x4 capability and lak e most of the equipment earned in a big vehicle; York 4 trolley, suc ti on unit. re ouscitator, oxygen, entonox, <;plints, collars etc "

"It's a first class vehicle and we are now ready for any thing" say,> DIS John Cordingley. ''I'd like to thank all member of the division for their help. ow, hopefully, when the local fi rrns see what we have done we may get some spon orship."

From llnalispicioliS start to resplendent finish, the Plilboroligh Division show how it's done

"Dr the past three year the Ludlow Divi.1 sion has been using a Range Rover ambulance but the new requirement s of the Jockey Club, which were implemented in January thi year, presented space problem due to the additional equipment required

Aftermuch thought it wa decided that the Iveco/Ford would provide the extra space needed The Mark II model which Iveco/Ford have just put on the market s larger than the Mark I and would have meant the re - building of the Ludlow garage. It wa , therefore, necesary to obtain one of the last three Mark ['so Following discussions with Iveco/Ford we were successful in obtaining a ub tantial di count and an order was placed with Furrows Commercial Vehicles, Harlescott, for the basic vehicle.

co t of which was £25,000. They succeeded in

Two approved Iveco Ford coachbuill raising half thi amount, and we are indebted were approached, and after di sc u sions h h A b IS ' d to the Lady Fore ter Tru L for the balance t em, t e m u ervlce, an Th e successful coachbuilder was Ludlow DIVISion, a peclflcatlon wa dr, Bodie s b d R dd ' J C b' U ,ase at e I h , Stockport and up Incorporating the ockey lu S req cannot k h ' hi f ments. pea too Ig y 0 th e managll1g dlrector, Mr Malcolm Haye s, and his staff for In add ilIOn to the standard equlprr their prof I d ' d e Slona a vice an very hloh stancarned by St John Ambulance provI sion dard of k h F b ", wor man s Ip rom th e outset an to be made for a seml-automaltc deflbn ll, ext remely hi h appy re atlons lp was created II1tubalton and II1fuslOn equipment, as plr" The Divis 'o IS d M , I na upennten ent. r Vince oxygen therapy, shock pant and vaCL Bunningha d I m , an were encouraged to VISit mattress. 18 members of the Bngade the Taurus wo k t r s 0 monitor progress. selected. after local Intensive trall11ng coUP In eoncl s' th k b u Ion, an s must expressed and sent to Cheshire and Wilt hire for to Furrow Co I V h I " IlllllerCIa e I es and their vanced Training All these members SUC Truck Executive, MrRichard ThomasJortheir fully passed the course. excell t all en co-o peration and th e interest they The Ludlow Di vi Ion • et about. r,· have shown at every stage money for the purchase of thiS vehicle,

STEEDRIVE AMBULANCESAn AI] [I of alllbulances

For sitting cases or a full Emergency role , Steed rive Ambulance bodywork meets all necessary criteria , with good entry-exit facility and a generously proportioned saloon fitted out to meet individual requirements.

The saloon is fully lined with hygienic , one piece GRP panels , moulded to follow body contours , eliminating dirt traps

Stowage can be provided for a whole range of ancillary equipment.

As with all Steed rive conversions , fully detailed specifications can be provided on request.

Steed rive Ambulances have been purchased by most UK Area Health Authorities , many Nat onal Voluntary Organisations and large Manufactur in g Industries

For further information please c ontact Alan Flood , Sales Director, on 0625·616752

Or write to: STEEDRIVE LIMITED

From the latest models to the current coac hbuilders, we look at the most active companies in the ambulance market.

Builders of fully-equipped front line, single and double cot ambulances Lo customers' indi vidual requirements, Atlas holds the BS5750 quality award and is an officially approved Renault UK converter.

The ALIa 4x4 Trafic and fwd Master model are said to have powerful engines. easy manoeuverability and the lowest rear loading height of any vehicle in their class; the Trafic has a load Queens Avenue, Hurdsfield Industrial Estate, Macclesfield, Cheshire, SK10 28N Jl@vmm

platformheightofjust4Sem. This not only makes access easier but al<;o provide a generous internal head room.

A II conversions guarantee excellent ound in. ulation and safety features that include: anti-slip nooring, fire retardant materials and specially trengthened frame, ide and roof. Other optional features are power-assisted steering, air conditioning and electric windows.

Ford Special Vehicle Operations produce a range ofTran it ambulance package, aid to meet every operating requirement. The four base model have a choice of petrol and die el engine, covering rapid repon e accident and emergency unit, mid-range repon e units and itting ca e ambulances where fuel economy i a major con ideration.

Ba e vehicle are a embled 'on line' at the company' Southampton plant, before bodie are fitted by peciali tcoachbuilder

Three of the four base model are long wheelba e (3030mm) -a cha i cabforG RP coachbuiltor demountable body, cha i cab with van floor to gi e a lower loading height for a coachbuilt body. and an integral panel van fini hed off by a bodybuilder.

The fina l Ford in a 43 vehicle order is delivered to the Merseyside Ambulance Service

There i al 0 an extended wheelba e (3472mm) cha i cab with Van floor which allow fora larger body to be fitted.

Tran itambulance areavailable with 2.0 litre petrol, 2.5 litre die el, 2.5 litre light charge turbo die el and 2.9 litre V6 petrol engine. Particular SVO feature include: auxiliary in trument hou ing, Dinitrol underbody protection, fog lamp, arduou duty teering (and power teering a tandard on ome model ), twin batlerie and double pole olation witch, rear tabili er bar, hea y duty alternator. additional fu e panel. unique oft-ride upen ion and ingle. high-backed. tipping co-dri er' eat.

Founded in 1956 Devon has unti I recently concentrated on 'silting case'vanconver ion. owitha added 'd ual purpo e' layout s and in 1988 introduced its first' front line' or' A&E' conver ion based on a Volk wagen LT31 van. Since then Devon ha converted on Mercede -Benz, Renault, Leyland-Oaf, Ford and many other. According to Devon's sa les manager, Brian AIIvan conver ions i especia lly SU Itable for ambulance requirement becau e van body parts are more readily available compared M M B THE AMBULANCE COMPANY THAT CARES BEDFORD, FORD, LAND ROVER , SHERPA , MERCEDES , VW,ETG tospecialGRPmoulding andreM.M.B.INTERNATIONAL, UNIT A, CALAMINE STREET, MACCLESFIELD, CHESHIRE SK11 7HU, Tel: 0825 815025/511421. Telex: 888435 MMBINT G Fax: 0825 511513.

dueing 'off-road' lime when spares are needed.

Devon's mo t recent launch wa the A&E conver ion, the Devon Dart. Thi i ba ed on the FortTran it 160vanwitha2.9L v8 fuel injected petrol engine, 5 peed gearbo and the Ford national ambulance package. The first model have gone to the Avon Area Health Authority.

Devon build around 350 ambulance a year and ay that by offering interior la yollt held on their order book , they are able to offer' ubstantial savings'to St John Members.

amb ulan ce interior lay auf upplied recently to Sf

You can on a Ford Trana,mbulance right around the clock.

2200 HOURS: Crew change. Full vehicle and kit inspection.

2207 HOURS: CalI out to an overdose. Arrive M anchester Royal InfIrmary (MRI) 2235 hours.

2240 HOURS: Return to station.

2244 HOURS: Call out to a second overdose. A rrive MRI 2300 hours.

2310 HOURS: Return to station.

2312 HOURS: Call to transfer maternity flying squad from St. Mary's Hospital to Birch HilI Hospital, Rochdale.

A rrive Birch Hill 0015. Return to St. Mary s 0143

0204 HOURS: Return to station for a half-hour meal break.

0304 HOURS: Call to alcohol overdose Patient did not require hospitalization

0323 HOURS : Return to station.

0511 HOURS: Call to female haemorrhaging.

Ar rive M RI 0531 hours.

0537 HOURS: Return to station.

0545 HOURS : Clean vehicle.

0600 HOURS: Crew change. Full vehicle and kit i n s p ection.

0743 HOURS: Call to Road TraffIC Accident ( RTA ). 5 1 year old female with head injuries and sus p ec t ed f r actu r ed leg.

0833 HOURS: R e tu rn t o s t ation.

0943 HOURS: C all t o elderly man fallen out of bed Ar rive a t scene 10 02 Patient did not require ho s p italiza t ion.

En-route back to station called to bank rob bl953 HOURS: Return to station

Four patients taken to MRI suffering from eff of ammonia fumes.

Arrive hospi tal 1032 Crew receive trea tme r hospital for effects of ammonia

Take a half-hour break . Leave MRI 1145 .

1153 HOURS: Return to station.

1231 HOURS: Full alert - airport. Plane failed light on landing gear.

Stand down 1305

1327 HOURS: Return to station.

1350 HOURS : Vehicle cleaned.

1400 HOURS : Crew change. Full vehicle a inspection

1438 HOURS : Call to fall in city centre. Fe with possible fractured femur.

Arrive at MRI 1500 hours.

1521 HOURS : Return to station.

1531 HOURS : Call out to man with respir problems. Arrive at MRI 1609

1619 HOURS: En-route back to station div to RTA Van involved in collision with cement n

Z032 HOURS: Call to an assault. Female with acerations and abrasions to face

Z\rrive MRI 2034 hours

Z038 HOURS : Return to station. Z 145 HOURS : Clean out vehicle.

After twenty four gruelling hours, and four crew

Arrive at MRI 1742 Hand patient over, (' hanges, the Transit ambulance had completed over vehicle and check equipment.

1843 HOURS : Return to sta tion.

1848 HOURS: Call to a 70 year old angina. hirty six runs

It had achieved good response times all day Improved fIve-speed gearboxes (on all models) nade light work of heavy traffiC. Whilst the highman upport seats stopped weary backs taking all the stick a big help on those long shifts)

A rrive at W ithington Hospital 1921 hours Then there's t he refmed suspension giving the

crew, and most important of all the patients, a more comfortable ride. It also enables the ambulance to carry loads with a much higher centre of gravity. So life-saving equipment can be placed close at hand

Even fully laden, pulling power is never a problem

There's a choice of 2 0, 2.9 litre petrol engines (both of which can run on unleaded fue!) , or our 2 . 5 Di turbo-diesel engine .

But the best thing about a Transit is that you know it can take the punishment , for twenty four hours a day, day in day out. (Particularly since it's backed up by a fast spares network that helps to keep it going )

So alI in all, you can always trust a Transit.

For our latest commercial vehicles brochure, call the Ford Information Service on Freephone 0800 01 01 12. 2200 HOURS: Crew change.

r s h ave led to a nu mbe r of recent upd ates. I n O ctober 1988, fo r exam pl e, fac t ory-fitte d air s u s pens i o n syste m s were intr o du ced for

th e fi r st t im e in any lig h t comm e rcia l ve h ic le. Th ese p rovide a co n ta n t h eig h t in t h e rear of t h e ve h icle e n s u ri n g a smoot h ride

fo r t h e p a t ie nt.

Th is is a s p ecial boo n in

ca es s u c h as s p in al inj u ries where p a ti e nt s h ave to b e tra n sported

qu ick y but w i t h th e m in m u m

b o d y m ove m e n t

Oth e r inn ova io n s inc lu de u prated b r aki n g sy te rn s wi th ventila ted discs, powe r steering, infin ite ly var a b le driver's seat a nd urb o d iese eng in es.

A a r ece n t OA F road s how h e ld in co nj unt io n w ith M o un ta in

R a n ge of C rewe, St J o hn rep rese nt a ti ves we re a b le to drive two n ew turb o diese l m ode ls, he lates t SS7 pa r a medic ve h icle con-

ten lIC of permanent 4x4 vehicle and give a uperior ride on or off the highway.

Both the Di covery and Defender mode engine are matched to a five peed gearbox and a high(low tran fer box, to give ten forward peed. With the differential locked and low range engaged, Land Rovervehicles make hort work of even 45 degree gradient " 0 other range of vehicle "say the company "ha uch a well proven record of global ucce

MMB claims to be a leader in the field of building ambulances with cro country rough terrain capability. It has supplied many St John division in the UK and can provide testimonials to their high tandard of workmanship.

Cro c untry horse trial, motor cycle scrambles, car trials and hill country events call for ambulances which are not only robu t, but whi h have good ground clearance.

A 4x4 van type ambulance may have desirable loading

heights but can bottom become stranded in deep rUll rough ground.

MMB find that Landro are the most popular cross c( try choi e, with a purpo se body and selection of inte layout. thcy can bc madc to e the most modern life sup equipment and stretcher tro l Formed in 1925 in SW London,

The new Land Rover Pilcher-Greene moved to West fender is available WIth a Su s ex in 1962 and now ha purinch wheel base, and the 110 po e built premi es in Burgess widely - known 127 inch \\ Hill. base. Thecompanyha alway been The company also maO! involved in the production of amturers Vauxhall Midi, Ford " bulances and among many pe' it nns Leyland OAF 2006. ciali ed vehicle s built in the past, series ambulances can boast the first UK mobile

rna X-ray unit.

BB C R adi o Li ll co ln s h i re rece ntly d o n ate d

The development of the Land Rover cross-country vehicle in 1948 aw the company' exports

mbula

Established for over I L year, Steedrive of Macclesfield converts most medium ized make of van - ie Ford, Talbot, Yolk wagen , Renault, Mercede Leyland Oaf into pas enger carrying vehicle Recent purchaT h e n ew Ley lan d ers have included the St John DAF M oun ta in Division at Bletchley, Cranleigh, Ran ge 57 Pa ra- Lowestoft, Norwich, Tamworth m e dic ambulan ce and Theale.

boom , with vehicles being exported to over 180 countrie through local agents, international aid organi at ions, government department and major vehicle manufacturer

The Pilcher-Greene product range include other emergency vehicles uch a fire engine and re sc ue vehicle, together with transport for the di abled, communication vehicle, laboratorie , blood collection and even veterinary unit s. heating and ventilation sy tem are offered together with a wide range of electrical equipment

Steed rive i a member of the Society of Motor Manufacturer and Traders Ltd ( MMT) and i committed to maintain B 5750 part 2 qualiry tandard.

Claimed to be Britain bigge t ambulance maker , Wadham

Stringer produce pecial ambulance bodie s for cha i cabs and convert conventional panel van bodie s to ambulance use It al 0 offer a range of 4x4 ambulances ba ed on Land Rover chas i (or Chevrolet for export market ).

The 250 employee at the plant in Waterlooville, nr Portsmouth, rum our 250 ambulance and 100 community bu e a year at an average co t of £12,000 to £15,000 per body.

Together with it range of ingledeck PSV bu , e the company ha a turnover of £7.5m a year, with each vehicle meeting BS5750 requirement

The two main ambulance

range are the Samaritan and the MIAB Pioneer. The former i a conver ion of major manufacturer's panel van. while the MIAB Pioneer i a demountable ambulance body. According to Wadham Stringer' MD Geoffrey Bailey the latter has been increaingly pecified by Regional Health Authoritie

The attraction of the demountable is that once the cha i begin to wear out, the operatior can imply remove the body and mount it on a new chassi However, fixed ver ion are al 0 available. The company ha a long aociation with St John and intere ted divi ion are invited to contact the factory hould they wi h to vi it it.

version by Mou n tain R ange, and see a new si ng l e st retc her co n cept based on th e O AF 200 van. Leyland O AF light commercials are a ll matc h ed to fi ve- peed gearboxe (automatic gearboxe are available on some mode ls).

The 200 se r ies has a gros vehic le weig h t r ange of 2.0 to 2.8 to n nes and the 400 series has a gvw of 2.8 to 3.5 tonnes. Supplied as eit h e r vans o r minibu se fo r conver ion or as c h assis cabs or cow ls for c ustom bodywo r k, all vehicles have a 100,000 mi le/two yea r warra n ty.

-

Each vehicle built to individual pecification and include: hygienic, one-piece saloon panels moulded to follow body contour and e liminate dirt trap; floors are constructed of one-piece exterior grade plywood overlaid with non- lip A ltro floor covering; are glazed with Dee pl tteoropaquegla with tops li di ng u n its for ventilation; reare nt ra nce stepwell or a ramp or tailift ca n be f tted; the a loon can be equi p ped wi h tro ll ey tretche rs/sea t ing a required and towage is provided for a whole range

of anci

ary equipent; a c hoice of

At a time when new pending on ambulance vehicle i limited it make en e to guard against ru t.

Dinol GB Ltd claim to be Britain' leading upplier of corroion prevention material and application y tem The company upplie major car manufacturer uch a i an a well a treating other applications from oil rig to aerop ane. The ervice i avai lable to ambulance operator through a nationwide ervice network and al 0 to individual opera tor.

WHAT WILL YOU EXPECT FROM YOUR NEW AMBULANCE?

We at Panda can offer advice and a wide range of veh cles to su it your needs

Call Panda now for details and a quotation :

PANDA Diesels (Newhaven) Ltd

New Road, Newhaven, East Sussex BN9 OHD Tel: 0273514341. Fax: 0273512801.

S&S MOTORS LTD

ie and slaff.

The answer was 10 hare its equipment md expertise, fir t with other health profes:ionals and eventually with the public Thi t1lowed it to further cater for the needs in the 'ommunity and to make a lillie eXIra money at he same time.

In fact, this imaginative u<;e of eXisting -·acilities has led to Ea t Dyfed Ambulance

iervice winning the public ector category in he Business Phone Award, 1990

For any amhulance service, communications are every hit as important as vehicles.

Alice Onwordi of the Quentin Bell Organisation reports how East Dyfed Amhulance Service has made keeping in contact pay in more ways than one.

Doctors, midwives and di trict nurses were the first to benefit from p aging facilities These proved 0 ucce ful that a more ophi ticated service wa offered, where health professional could talk to the ambulance centre taff by mean of a handheld radio.

More recently, an emergency panic button ha become available for health profesional and social worker who find themelves in threatening situation.

nch dual beacon unit is supplied with the cu :Jmer' choiceofmirror, rotating light , trobe

ght andthemulti-rayo cillatinglight ytem.

Ambulance control room taff al 0 take out-of-hour call for family doctor. They have the expertise to ase which ca e are likely to need an ambulance, and de patch a vehicle at the ame lime a alerting lhe GP. This ave vilal minute in eriou ca e , such as severe asthma attacks or heart failure. The lalest development is a special alarm ca ll service for elderly or infirm people. This allows them the independence of living alone, confident that they canummon help when they need it.

A choice of magnetic or permanent fixing i available.

Ca rbonf1 o is a tin alloy fuel condi ioner, developed to enhance engine performance and fuel economy. umerou council, Health Authoritie , Ambulance Services and 'blue chip' companie are aid to u 'e the product.

La t April Mr Bill teven on ofGla gow Di trict

Sub cribers who need assi tance press a bulton on a pendant worn round the neck thi., activate their home telephone which is programmed to ring a neighbour or relative living nearby When the neighbour pick up the phone, he

'Probably the largest van converter in the UK.'

WHATEVER YOUR NEEDS

• Front Line - Dual Purpose - Sitting Case

• Ramps or lifts

• Any make or type of van

Contact sales on 0392 211611

DEVON CONVERSIONS

VULCAN WORKS, WATER LANE EXETER, DEVON EX2 3BY

RECOGNISED QUALITY

MAN-VOLKSWAGEN· MERCEDES· FORD· FIAT RENAULT • LEYLAND OAF

LENGTHS FROM20TO IOOINCHES

For further information on strobe-halogen lightbars and beacons, siren systems, matr x signs and floodlight systems

CONTACT: PREMIER HAZARD SYSTEMS (UK ) LT D MOORFIELD ESTATE, YEADON , LEEDS LS197B N

The Specialist Vehicle Builders

• RELIABILITY- BACKED BY GUARANTEE

• RUGGED STRENGTH IN DESIGN

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MAXON EQUIPMENT IS CURRENTLY IN USE WITH THE SURREY DIVISION OF ST JOH N AMBULANCE

CALL MAXONS SERVICE CENTRE FOR FURTHER INFORMATION RADIO COMMUNICATIONS

BEECH HOUSE ·6 BANSTEAD ROAD CARSHALTON BEECHES SURREY SM5 3NR Tel : 081-6698212 Fax : 081-669 2918

Concept has been taken up with enthusiasm by sponsors of St John Ambulance and oon it could even be a number one smash hit; thanks to hitmakers Jive Bunny.

On 10 March Jive Bunny are releasing a single appropriately called "Over to you John" and all proceeds from the UK sales will go to the appeal. Judging by their past hit succe ses, "Over To You John" looks sure to be on every di c jockey' turntable. The Rotherham-based music maker had number one hit with their first three relea es: a feat only equalled by Gerry and the Pacemaker in th e 1960's and Frankie Goes to Hollywood in the 1980's.

So prick up your ear and listen to the radio over Easter - and look out for Badger and Cadets in the video and promotional photographs.

Editor: Victor Allen St John World I Grosvenor Cre cent London SW IX 7EP Tel: 071-235 5231 ext 258 Fax: 071-235 0796

Adverti ernent Manager: Sheila Merrett 14 Boxgrove Gardens

Bognor Regis

W.Sussex P021 4BB Tel: 0243 265198 Fax: 0243266711

Published by; Hill Farm Printing Ltd Watford. Tel: 0923 679946

Contribution: t John World i YOllr maga7ine while it is not possible LO guarantee incluSion, all contributions are welcome. These should be typed, double- paced, on one side of A4 paper. Please make ure event. are properly dated and that you have included the author's contact name addres and telephone number.

Whatever is require(over To You John'

- 8t John responds to the Gulf Crisis

"We have thc sl-.illcd manpower, the vehicles and th e equipment to pro ide whatever <.,upport is rcquired" - this was the joint responsc from t John and th e Red Cross to the lulL

And whilst the various V A EE's prepared to bad, up thc regular serviccs in the case of major casualties. tcn mcmbers of staff wcre immediately de<;patched to audi rabia and Bahrain as \ elfare officers. The) arc: Barbara Russell (High Wid.ham): Mar) Riochard<.,on (Islc of White ); Jenn) Burns (Meopham. Kent): Belinda Meldon (Leicc<.,tcr): Finola Dignan (Beckcnham); Diane Gibbs (London); Jenette Mitchell (Dumfries); Heidi Charmer (Lich field) and Diane Miles-Rees (Hertford)

The t John Ophthalmic Ho spital in Jerusa[em remains operational despite the current difficulties - wriles Hmpllal/a Sir Codji ('1

MIIIOIl - 7ItOIllPSOII

I sraeli curfe\\ 0., and the re<.,tnction" imposed b) the war in the Gulf haVe meant that few of the supporting starf have been able to get to the hospital : equall , few pallents are able to attend The ["raelis "'ere very slow to io.,,,ue ga'> ma"k.o., to Pale"tlnian". hut all the hospital staff and patients were finall) eqUipped

after the rirst missile att acks on Tel AI [I aifa on the night of January 17/18

taken to book

Patients and stafr have had Ill an receplion to mark th e l aunch or"Overto you turbcd nights, being ob li ged to don ga shn " was held on Thursday 7th February at and rctirc to sea cd arcas of the hospital (r1e Speake r 's Hou se, Palace of Westminster, thc corridors) when the air raid warnl r1d was attended by HRH ThePrincess Royal. The sound of explosion'> are casily hed Despite the morlar bomb attack on Downit IS very di rficult, when taking ., hcl g Street that morning, and the onset of heavy I-.now '" hether thc<.,e arc nearby. "or far ow thoughout the day a large proportion of In deed thc mis<.,I1es that landed In Tee expec ed guests managed to get to the o.,ounded ao., if they were III wasperhapsnogreatachieveAfter the fir"t attacb. [[RH th e ent for th e "John" MPs from the House of Prior sent a message of admiration an ommons, but a number of company chairv..i"hes which wa" greatly appreciat een and ce ebrities had t o battle bravely with warden and hiS staffhave been ex ccp e elements and tringent security checks in the", ay the) have coped The) are all 'der o att end. Ing of the hl g he"t prai'>e lor their cnd e Mr Speaker welcomed everybody to his It IS too carl) to a""eo.,'o the e llec )me, and introduced Ali tair Grant , ChairGulf War on contnbutIon'> to th e hr an of the Argyll Group and of the Appeal, ",ork from the rab world , but to mhoexplained"OvertoYouJohn" HRHThe pleasure King Hu"o.,eln rulfilled hi s p"incess Roya spokeon behalfofStJohn, and by endowin g a further bed at the en d, ld or ed th e Appeal.

In the name PrInce,> " [a) a Th e Both H er R oya Hi ghnes and Alistair of the John OphthalmiC [Io'>pltal /ant igned Directory" immediendo\\cd a bed. and am mO'ot g ratclul ely after th eir respectIve peeches , and enInten: st that all haH; continued to )Uraged al l guests to do [ik.e",i e, thus makthese dark. da).,

Honours and awards for

Ellis, Lady Whitmore, D.St.1, former Area President, lifted the first 'sod' of earth for the foundation for a ne-w Area Headquarters in Sandon Road, Pitsea, Basildon, Essex. The cost is estimated at £ I 05,000 and 0 far the Area ha rai ed £86,000 with a further six months to rai.,e the additional £19,000. A 'Buy a Brick' Appeal ha been launched and a minimum donation of £5 or more will result in a plaque bearing th e donor' name being placed

Have wheels, will travel

Car are wonderful for people with disabilities - but not always so wonderful for their wheelchair.

ow Delcane Ltd, a small company in orwich, has produced the 'Chairad:, a device which carries a wheelchair on a ba eplate attach ed to a conven tional towing hoo!.-. Once the Chairack is fitted the chair can be stowed away in Ie than a minute and takes only ISlbs of Ii rt to ecure a 40lb chair. Short journey become more practical and the boot space becomes free for groceries once again. Even Minis can be fitted with the device which co ts £85 plus VAT. More information from md Mike Manby on 0953 717557 •

1991 Honours List

A motor insurance discount scheme ha been negotiated for St John member s and employees with a leading Lloyd's Syndicate. Al so on offer is a series of options which enable members to reduce the premium still further, either by limiting the number of drivers or by electing to pay the first part of any damage ustained to a vehicle that is comprehensively covered.

The scheme includes a breakdown recovery policy which will allow members to arrange their own assistance in the event of a breakdown and subsequently claim for reimbursement.

Day-to-day operations for the sc heme are being handled by Boncaster Ltd of Brentwood who can be contacted on 0277 -2 00121 • 6

Obituaries

Captain David Cameron Merritt: Sept! ber 5, 1943 - December 31, 1990. D , Merritt died suddenly on ew Years EVI the young age of 43. Hejoined St John AIll lance in Essex in 1987 , quickly becominl Public Relations Officer. When he was POI bac!.- to Wiltshire early in 1989, he JOU Wiltshire t John Ambulancc as PR om and was soon gi ven the add it ional dcmand task of Training Officer. He establishedn self finnly in the County and with atlo I lQ in London a., an ubiquitous PR man,1 dedicated Training Onker, and a" a valul memberofthe ouncilofOrderof tJon Wiltshire. He travelled incessantly andl known to every Division. He set profess lr standards of instruction and training and, duced imaginative programmc., to intcrest, encourage our members. He was enthusl in all he did, a superb organi.,er and an e lent leader. His dedication, his s!.-ill ant friendship will be <,orel)- missed Ourdct, sympathy goes to hiS Wife Mana and Ii children.

Dori lareZinkeisen:July31,1898-J I ary 3, 1991. Dons Zin!.-elsen was a gi artist renowned for her <,oclety portrall\ "tage de.,ign<, in the I92(h and 1930s He' sociation with t John Ambulan e Br (P hot o, Balh E\cn ngC hro n. cic) began in the econd World War hen nursed in the ca"ualty department of t hospital, Paddington She became the om war artist for t John, crealing a mobile play of the history of the brigade, and ur taking a number of official portraits he made a erving i<,ter of Ihe Order or I in July 1945. A daughter and a son SUf\ lie

County and Divisional News

Bath and International rugby star Gareth Chilcott volunteered to let Bath Badgers tackle him in a sponsorcd event for their Set. Also at Bath, Mr Dere\... Howard, Area Commissioner, recently received 7th bar to service medal in recognition of 50 years <,ervice. The Division was also pre ented with a resuscitation baby (left) by pupils of t Gregory s Roman Cathol ic School. They raised the money by paying 30p each not to wear school unifonn during "Mufti day "

Mr Peter Cheung, Superintendent of the Portslade Division

to present a group of E Sussex young people to the Duke of Edinburgh. The occasion was a gold award presentation ceremony at St James Palace Mr Cheung holds a gold award himself and is actively

The ew Years Honour List 1991 saw the following people named for work with t John Ambulance:

OBE : Mr JW Bamford (London)

MBE: Mr s U Lloyd -Owe n (Norfolk); Mr G Coates (Devon)

BEM: Mr A Hud so n (Buckinghamshire); Mr GF Shaw (Warwickshire); Mr R Harpur ( Ireland) ; Mr T Bel haw (N Ireland)

Named in other fields but closely associated with St John were:

Kt: Sir Jame s Anderton (Gtr Manchester); Sir Michael Craig-Cooper

DBE : Dame Barbara Cartland (Herts)

CVO: Major M J Parker

CBE: The Countess of Limerick (BRCS)

MBE: Evelyn Pigott (Camb & Leics)

BEM: Miss EJ Poczopkop (SJA/BRCS)

Leonard Victor Kemp 0 tJ: Augu I 1920-6January, 1991. Thesudclende:l Len Kemp following a "hort final illness has brought to an end a life of de did service. Born and educa ted in HU\o\'kh Kent, Len Kemp joined the HawkhurslO sion of St John in 1939 He was thus a during the Battle of Britain, Including var other ARP (Civil Defence) duties. In 19J joined the RAMC and saw service overt including the D-day landin gs He marnd June 1945 and, on his release from th e am 1946 , returned to his job as an auctioneer membership of Hawk shurS I St John [nt he moved to oulsdon and a new job ini governme nt. Here he became of the Coulsdon and Purley AmbulanceCl Division. In 1964 he reluctantly resigneo position when he moved to Meadvale fall ing early retirement. He con tinu ed in as a Staff Officer Det er iorating health Ill' ----L.Ul...L:Z.

The'Tony Ider Cup' as presented to the Oldham ombined Divi ion at a recent meeting of the Oldham Carnival Committee. The award i pre ented early to any person or organi ation that has given

8

Co lyton & Oe\on a Dlvlc.;lon c.;ince 1937, greeted the upenntef) in Chief wi th Dcvon Tea and a certlficatc pre'ientatlon recently

London Dic.;trict Commander, Derek Fenton, Gladys Stannard. Divi'iional uperintendent of 33 4 Ham>\e ll Divi ion with her .50 ) ears certifica te at a dinner and dance held at Ever..,hecls ports Club in December. Guestc.; of Honour were th e Mayor and of Ealing, Mr and Mrs W Hill , who have de lared St John to be the Mayor's chari ty year.

After40 years of service in St John Ambulance, Mrs Eileen Whe, of Purley has retired. Mrs Wh eaton joined in Worthing in 1950 ur s in g Member. In 1953 s he took p art in the Hyde Park orona

Pa rade In 1957 she moved to Cate rh am St J ohn, becoming D siona l Superintendent in 1958

Appreciated and liked for he r voluntary work a t pital, Eileen also nursed a t the Mari e urie Memorial Foundall c Hares ton e Valley Road , Caterham up until th e mid 19 80s. Active at many St John duti es, including severed Lord Ma ) s how s a nd the London Marathon , Eileen espec iall y enjoyed Qu ee n's Silver Jubil ee.

She received four service bars and in 198 3 became an Ofi (sister) of St John In 1971 s he was promot ed to Area Staff' Om eve ntu a lly becoming Welfar e Offic e r, ounty Staff in 1989.

Eileen intends to go on working within th e Fel lowship ofSI 1, a nd will be us in g her retirement pre e nt - a typ ew riter - to good in thi s res pect.

w I N D o R SAFARI PAR K

Why not venture tnto deepe t Africa with your club, familie and friend to enjoy a Jay at Wtndsor afari Park.

Enter the Park pa t phtnxe , pyramid and through a Moroccan Courtyard Journey through the re erve on one of our new afari Roadrratn · (0 come clo e to orne of nature' mo t magnIficent animal.

ee a herd of even African elephant from the 'Tree Tops' lookout, or even JOtn in Wtndsl)r' 21 > [ birthday ce lebrations. Travel down the Congo flver on the African Queen RIverboat Ride. Everyone is invited to enJoy the 'African Adventure' at a peclal all-inclu Ive price of fA.95 for both adult and

TH E AFRIC AN A DVENTU RE

children ormal admls Ion wdl be £ .95 adult and £6.95 children. Thi pedal rate only app li e on a pre-payment ba for a minimum of twelve people in one vehlc le. For more informatton plea e cal l the Party Booking Office on 0753) 30 6.

S T JOHN AMBULANCE ON SAFARI SEPTEMBER 7TH

GROUP NAME

ADORE

LEADER

TOTAL IN PARTY

T O TAL AMOUNT OF

TELEPHO E ADULT (4 - 14))

the Mayor of Salta h and her Consort, Mr and Mrs B Schikowsky. and Mi Joanna Burnlan, C0l11wal1 County Cadet Lead er.

Group Captain Rick Peacock -Edwa rd s, Station Commander of RAF Leeming, pre ent Jame Ime son, Commissioner of Nt h Yorkshire t John Ambulance with rwo one-hundred pound c heques The award part of the RAF tat ion charity appeal.

The Chigwell Show & Country Fair , organised by

Police, raised funds for twelve charities, including

Ambulance. Deputy Ass is tant Commissioner Walter Boreham is seen here pre se nting a cheque to Paul Newman acting on behalf of th e Brigade.

The

Lightweight Emergency Oxygen Breathing Space

ITALK IS CHEAP

ICOM 2-Way radios give private mobile communications at a fraction of the cost of o t her mobile systems such as Cellular or Band 3 You only pay for the equipment & your DTI All calls are free , you can 't. beat that ICOM VHF & UHF radios are available from authorised ICOM dealers throughout the U K ICOM ... The system 0 that makes both e n ds meet.

Limited Tel : 0227 741741 Fax: 0227 360155 Woles & West soles enquiries M R S. Comms Tel : Cardiff 0222 224167 r me p7'oducts"&

AA V's portable oxygen mhalers are available in thr ee models and three sizes o f cylm d e r 125 , 230 and 37011tres.

Each has a rechargeable cylm d e r and r egula tor.

Each comes complete in a shoulder-slung carrymg case and includes a tub e and mask. Total w eIg ht , mcludmg cylmder and regulator : from about 5lbs.

Each o perates und e r a w o rkmg pressure of 1,800 p.S.l. and 1S manufac tured to BS5045 spec 1fi ca tlOn

Standard model IS set to 6 L. P. M , but 1S ava1lable Wlth any other single flow rate re qUlr ed

Two -flow model perm1ts select10n of e1ther 2 or 4 L P M

Multi -flow model offe r s a chOlce of 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 L P.M

Al s o availab le : domICIlIary oxygen sets to drug Tanff Spec 01 B: humIdIfier bottles and adaptors nebultsers , masks, tubes and reSUSCitatIon equIpment. SABRE - AAV Limited , Unit 1 Blackwater Way , Aldershot , Hampshire GU12 4DL Telephone : Aldershot (0252) 334581 Telex : 858251 SABRE G Fax : (0252) 21921

IIare than two mi ll ion peop le s uffer from a thma. On e in fivechildren s uffer from th e condition at s ome time and one in fifteen adult also ex p e ri e nc e sy mptom s . a four-fo ld n e 111 the adml s lon s to ho pital for chi ldren under the age of five.

Governmen t figures ,>how that 2,000 peop e die from as thm a a tt ack every year. a figure which seems to be despite better and medication.

Even more sobering is the fact that. acco rdin g to Dr John Price, a consu lt ant paediatrician at King'!> o ll ege H ospital. London. the 10-14 yea rs o ld age group is the one most affec ed by th ese deaths. You'd think. the problem would receive more attention. Fortunately. last year a ne\\ chari ty was up o promote research, spread knowledge and provide support to asthma sufferers and th eir fami li es. The ational Asthma

Campaig n ( AC) is bac k ed by the As thm a Research Counc ll and the Fnencl\ of the Asthma Research Council.

In October th e AC, helped by rundlng from th e Department of Health. launched a telephone helpline. taffed by trained nurses. the lin e se t ou t

The sooner an asthma attack. i., treated the shorter Jl \\ill last. Mo ;! asthmatic \\ill be familiar "'ith thc form of treatmcnt that uits them be,>t. ome attacks are controlled by bronchodJiatordrugs \\ hich areglven by mouth in tablet or liquid foml. or inhaled from a metered In severe cases ..,teroid drug.., are gIven cither a.., tablets. by aero ol or b) inJcctlon

but Jl i'> Important to see that the) are not bent '>0 far forwards that the tumm) i'> ,>quashed up into the chest.

• I n an attack athmatics tend to breathe ratherquick.l) and shallo\-\ I) and if the) can be encouraged to slo", do\\ n the breathing thie; i oftcn vel') helpful.

'? our ho spitab m ay b e re ceivi ng and many familie ma) The direct cause of asthma i'> an invo lunvery di stre ssed. ary narrowIng of the breathi ng tubes Thi,> In t John Ambulance and the Red Cross ar c appea can happen sudd en l y, simply through breathfor volunteer. in g in co ld air. augh In g or running: or it can So far, th e empha sis is on u r in g and W e fare. The youn develop over several hours or even over a re\\ volunteers will b e wanted to nurse in hospi tal. , but people are As th e att ack" sett e the tu be" widen out needed to visit and co mfort cas ualtie s and th e ir ami I ie in ho spllal. agalO. at hom e.

Th ere are many ways in which St John Fellowship m ember help , for example:-

• M annin g e ephone at County, Area or Divi sional evel

The question or wha t the tubes to narrow is mu ch more comp ex There are t\,.o broad ty p es of as thm a: a.· thm<l caused by allergies, w hi ch IS ge neral l y met wi th in children: and as thm a w hi ch S non-allergenic and usually star s in ad ult life. members for other dutie s. " Th e most common all ergies that cause

• Preparin g do c um ent s for re c ruit , e c

• A ss stin g at Medical Comfort Depot s to re lea e youn

• Baby itting to enable Brigad e members to go on duty. are g rass pollen. leathers and animal

• Lookin g aner the elderly or di abled to enab e th e ir carer' haI r , and parlJ c ularl y h o use dust. ome asthma att acks ha ve a so bccn relatcd to food allcr - go on duty gies.

• Providing refre hment (always needed everywhere!). Fellowship member are a ready offering their ervice in Jll Other cau ses of asthma attacks are infecf the country. Countie s will find their experience and tl ons as co ld and bronChitis: str es unso. accustomed exerc i se: ext r emes of heat orco ld bJiIlY of value at thI S tIme d . an es peC ially a sudden c han ge of emperaheil a pu c' turc

Some modern drugs are now u ed on a long term basis to prevent attacks. Intal ('>0cllLlm crol11oglycate) IS a \-vell kno\\ n e\ample that is admlllistered through a special spinhaler and protects the lining of the aIr pa ages in the lungs Where Intal has been prescnbed it '>hould continue to be tak.en during an attack.. but it does not relJcve S) mptom,> once the attack. is establi'>hed WHAT CAN YOU DO'?

C produces a leallet. HoI\' to cope with £111 asthma (/flack. It s ad\ ice to those ·Iook.ing on' is as follow-;:

• First. do \\ hat) ou can do to mak.e sure appropriate medicines arc taken prompt I) and proper l y.

• econclly, sta) calm yourself. of as th ma easi y cause the asthmatic t o panic. If you l ose your cool too.) ou WIll only make this \\ orse. 0 stay calm. D on't rush about. Do things quieti) and efficicntl). Speak n::assuringly.

• Listen carcfull) o", hat the as thm ati c is <1) ing and do \\ hat he or she \\ ants The) have bcen throu gh i t before. Most asthmatics rind it easier to si t fairly upright Or kaning forwards sli g htl ) They may \\ i.., h o rest their h and s on their k.n ees to support th e c hest. Lying forwards on a cushion can be restful,

• II' the room IS \\ arm it ma) hclp to open the \\ Indo\\ to let in some fresh aIr. On the other hand ir it is \er) cold out'>lde then a blast or cold air can be hannful.

• Loosenlllg tight clothing ma) be helpful and it can al<;o help to have a drink. of \\ ater hand). The mouth become \ ery dr) \\ hen you breathe through it rapidl)

• Tr). in a tactful and po\itl\ e \\ a). to take the asthmatic's mllld off th e attack. For a child a '>tor) may distract. for an adult It may be a tele\ i ion or a boo k.

Sharps comments

The disposal of clinical waste is a key issue on the agendafor the environmentally conscious Nineties. One London Division has already risen to the challenge. Adrian Reyes-Hughes reports. Illustration by Grahame Wrathmell.

an 1982 the then Depart-

Oment of Health and Social Security (now the Department of Health) i ucd a circular HN (82)22 Disposal ofClinical Waste, which identified the different type of waste and the pecific ways in which they hould be dipo ed. FUl1hermore, in February 1988

London Di trict Orders tated that all divi sions mu t conform to the various requirement for the dispo a l of clinical waste. This article de cribes the development of a Divisional Policy for the dispo al of clinical wa teo

Drawing up a plan

Sources of reference:

1. London Di s tri ct Order (February 1989 )

2. D e p artme nt of H ea lth Circular NH(82)22

3. H ea lth a nd Safety Executive docum e nt The safe disposal of clinical waste ( 19 82)

From thi s information severa l key point s were dr aw n :

• Clinical waste and s harp s are clearly defin ed, and in c lud e so il ed dressings, swa b s, all other co ntamin ated waste from treatment areas, material other than linen from cases of infectious

14

di ea e ; all ti ue ' of human origin (whether infected or not); animal carca e and tis s ue ' from laborutori s; all related wab and dre ings; discarded syri nge , , needle, cartridge, broken gla and any other , harp intrument.

• Other wa te hould be clearly identified eg hou , ehold wa te, pharmaceutical wa te and chemical wa ' te.

• Clinical waste and sharps container mu t be de s troyed by a proce of incineration.

• Failure to comply with the c requirement could result in an individual of any organi ation being pro , ecuted for negligence.

Assessment

Several c lear objectives were then identified:

• A wa te Policy would be devised.

• All divisional member would be made aware of the policy together with associated organi ation such a the loca l swimming pool where the divi ion provides first aiders.

• Divisional member would receive instruction in the policy.

• A regular source of upply of yellow bags and sharps container wou ld be identified.

• An appropriate incinerator WOL fered the be t mean of di po a1. In be identified. ummary their offer con isted of the

• The ystem establi ' hed would following: monitored and evaluated on a regu l

• Each Divi ion would have an idenba " ie three monu tified Health Centre where clinical tw Ive wa te could b taken. Mo t Health London Di trict had alread) Centre tay open in the evening vised that they w uld supply the ! Divi ion could an-ange for low pia tic bags and harp conl a direct tran portation of the wa te to el"' free of charge to A , the centre and save on collecting back-up a number of other upplic charges. werc identified.

• A nominal charge would be made Within London th re are a num for thi service, ie 30p-40p for a large of organi ation that incinerate bag. Thi wa een a a rea onable th two principlc ource being co t. It wa estimated that each DiviLocal HealthAuthority and theL l' sion would only produce one or two Wa te Di po , al Authority. A Ih: large bag per month. are a number of Divi s ion s in the L Implementation don Borough of Waltham Fore A policy wa drawn up which took the liberty of writing on n wou ld be i ued to offic rand behalf to both Authoritie a king members of the Division. Copie were permi sion to incinerate cliOl' also sent to the other Divi ion in the wa te, the co t of thi service and borough (they may need to alter the tran port requirement for delil to meet local requirement ). ing/collecting c lini cal wa ' teo Acc CopIes were a lso ent to the area of the con-espondencc was ent 10 COI"!lmi ioner and Area Nur ing Divisional Officers This proved , OffIcer Copies were di played on the D' van tageous when discus ing ter IV I notIce board. and condition with th e Authoril l DIVISIOnal training even in g wa After discus ion it wa agfl dedicated to th e Policy, it content that the Local Health Authorit) and procedures were demon trated to

both the adult member and cadet.

The Policy clearly tated:

• Categorie of clinical wa te o

• Segregation of wa te and colour coding for clinical wa teo

• Procedure for yellow bag and harp container.

• Proced ure for black bag

• The bag , ource of upply.

• Li t of Health Centre where bag could be left.

• Who to contact ahould any problem ari e.

Continuous evaluation

Part of any y tern mu t allow for evaluation, thi give the opportunity to rea the ituation and perhap alter or modify certain point. In thi particular ca e the fir t problem wa one offinding uitable label to go on each bag to identify where the bag originated from. Thi wa wher the bag hould be tored prior to tranportation to the Health Centre. An area in the Divi ion' locked garag wa found and identified a th clinical wa te co ll ecting point.

The procedure devi ed are under con tant evaluation. Probl m identificd are then pa ed onto intere ted partie

•

LONDON N1 9XD

Elderly people with Inell10ry problellis need constant attention; young children are a boundless of energy. It occurred to Jane Wood, RGN, RMN, a part-lillie staff nurse at York Day Hospital, that there Illight be a pay-off

aam a great believer in makingthebe tuseofre ources.

A a parent of young children a nd a nurse working in a day ho spi tal for the elderly, many of whom have memory problem , I often find my energy re ource low. I al 0 work in my pare time with children between the ages of nine and 12 and have become aware of their incredible energy. It wa a long time before I reali ed that I cou ld make use of th eir e nergy to he lp th o e of u o n th e multidisciplinary team who were consta ntl y tr ertc hing our e lve trying to provide a con tructive programme of activitie through the week for the e ld er ly people at the day centre. We u ed mu ic regularly, and a c hildren' so ng arerea onablytimele , Iinvite d , not without a littl e trepidatio n , th e ho pita)' creche s taff and chi Idr e n to sing to u

On e Friday afternoon, 20 two-yearo ld s filed in two by two with their nur ery

nur e and at on the carpet, urrounded by about 30 taff and patient. The creche taff, a few of the bemu ed children, orne patient and taff all ang, while the toddler amu ed us with their action to the ong. They did not tay long, a we had to catch them between nap and nack , but I felt it had been a ucce We had een ome patient - who u ually how little ign of awarene of their environment - react to the ituation quite nonnally, and other had c lapped and joined in, po ibly more 0 than with our regular 'entertainer'.

My eldest daughter i at a chool that pride it elf in community and parent involvement, 0 it wa no urpri e that her teacher wa very ke n when I ugge t d that the children came to vi it the da ho pita!.

The five-year-old were amazing. They were uninhibited, inquiring and ge nerou , with their touch a nd affection. They performed a few ong and then

went round, talking, itting on knee and a king que tion One of our attender who had been a nur er nur e, got a group of children doing the ·Hokey-Cokey·. Everyone invo] ed wa miling, and it provided a en e of achievement to one woman, who normall) pend a lot of her time in the day ho pitaI apologi ing. week later we were pre ented',: ith an enormou book of the children' dra\-\ing of their memorie of th e outing. ome in olved the journey in the minibu , and one trea ured drawing had a walking frame in it and 'I had a go of the \ alking tick' in cribed be ide it. Later, one of the teacher in a junior cIa heard about the vi it and a ked if he could come too. The cIa gave a er poli hed perforn1ance of orne 'old-time' ong.

It wa then that I decided to link up with the Woodcraft Folk. Thi i a children' organi arion I work \ ith in a voluntary capacity. One of it principle i 17

'Educa t ion for a ocial chan g ' ,to c reat a more e qual and carin g wor ld The fir s t thin g the Wood c raft chi ldr e n g ot invol ve d with wa s he lpin g at the uniL autumn fair.

Thi s wa s a g re at , u ce s, a on e thin g children in a voluntar y org ani s ation ar e g ood at is fund - rai s in g I th n a s ke d th e c hildren if th ey would like to vi it th e lon g- ta y ward Th ey e e m e d kee n at th e time. Ho wev e r, it wa a di s as ter We m ade th e mi s tak e of choo sin g th e la ' t da y of te ml and ha rdl y a n y o f the c hildr e n turn ed up I had li a i ed with th e ward s taff to te ll th e m we we re co min g but had not m e ntion ed how man y. When th e fiv e of u LUm e d up , w we re met with g allon s of lemon a de a nd d oze n, of c hocolat e bi cuit s. We a ng our o ngs' for all we we re worth and le ft, ve r y emb a rra ' se d. ] vowed to lea m from m y mi s ta ke. Earl y th e ne xt te rm we in v ite d th e lon g-s ta y pa ti e nt to v i it u a t o ur co mmunit y ce ntr e. We bon ow e d a minibu s from o ur e du ca tion c ommitt ee a nd a fe V\of th e c hildren cam e to th e ho pit a l to help u tr a n port th e re id e nt s . So me o f the c hi ldr e n s taye d behind a t th e co mmunity ce ntr e to m a ke con e a nd e t up th e hall to look lik e acafe. Oth e r we re dr ein g up in old - tim e' c lo th e to in g 'o ldtim e ' son g we ha d pr ac ti ed prev io us ly. The childre n re pon s ibl y g uid e d a nd s upport ed pati e nt s a in tru c te d and pu s he d oth e r in wh ee lc hair. Th ey we re a g re a t he lp Th e ward s taff w ho ca m e we re mo tl y workin g overtim e but join e d in with th e pirit of th e occa io n with g re at e ne rg y.

On e thin g I noti ce d wa th a t th e c hildren immediatel y s ta rte d ca llin g th e res ident by th e ir Chri tian nam es, whi c h th e s taff had alway s done , so pe rh a ps th ey had no choice . It wa s th e fir s t tim e thi fact had rea l Iy truck hom e . I would ne ve r have dre amt of addr ess in g an adult in thi wa y wh e n I wa s a child Wh e n I wa talking about thi s to a c olle ag ue who is a community nur se , he s aid that he alwa ys ca ll ed t he people he vi s ite d b y th e ir s urname s Thi s get-together with th e lon g-s ta y pa t ien ts wa more s ucce ss ful than th e prev iou s time a s th e re wer e many mor e of us , and a lot more mixin g and c ha ttin g took p lace For m e i t wa s quit e a wond e rful experience I he ard not hin g but po itive rema rks from s taff, adu lts, c h i ldr e n a nd re s ide n ts Many of the re s ident s had jo ined in t he s in g in g , c lapp e d hand , tapped feet and looked comfortab le. D ifferent c h i ldre n returned to th e ho p ita l to he lp and we all felt ati s fied 18

with the ev e nin g, a lthou g h I h ad a fe w rese rvation ' about som e of th e re m a rk s o r th e c hi ldr e n about thc 's w cetne ss' o f th e o ld pe opl e . Also, th ey had th e ir fav ourit e . Wa s thi s patron i. in g? I hea rd co m -

me nt from th e c hildr e n s uc h a s ' I ' d lik e

to be with m y fa mil y w he n 1 m o ld '. I res olv e d to d o so me ta lkin g a bo ut ho w th ey

fe lt.

1 had to ld th e m ve ry Iittl e a bo ut th e

res id e nt s o n purp ose. It see me d ri g ht to m e th a t th c hildr e n fo und o ut o n th e ir

o wn a nd we re no t full o f preco nce pti o n s.

In o ne o f o ur eve n in g 'ess io n we ta lk e d a bo ut th e ir g ra ndp a re nt s, who a ll o und d

"C e rtainly th ey talk a l o t about t h e ir moth e r s and fath e r s, a nd thi s may b e a w a y of a ski n g for t h e thi ngs c h i ldr e n thri ve on , s u c h a s tou c h , holding, sec urity and ' a lo t of lo ving ' . I w onde r e d ho w ofte n th ey r ece i ve d it ."

took with

re m a rk a bl y fit a nd ac ti ve. Th e c hild re n a ll put fo rwa rd keepi ng ac t ive' as a way to kee p hea lth y la te r o n in l ife. I a l 0

a ke d w ha t th ey wo uld wa nt for th ei r

pare nt s o r th e m e l ve ' if th ey we re no t a bl e to loo k a ft er th e m e lve So me looked

p a in e d a nd sa id th ey did no t wa nt to th i nk about it. On e a id he wo uld 'wa nt a lo t of lov in g'

We hav e s in ce go ne o n to lea rn ha nd

m a a ge, u, in g a rom a ti c o il , w hi c h we

had bee n d o in g in th e d ay hos pit a l a nd la te r o n in th e wa rd . Th e c hildr e n we re ve ry kee n a nd pi c ked up th e tec hniqu e re m a rk a bl y qui c kl y. M a n y of o ur con ve ration s a bout o ld e r peo pl e we nt o n in

th e e e s ion s a nd [ no w ta ke m y oil s alon g mo s t wee k to Wood c raft a nd brin g th e m out wh e n th e e ne rgy leve l ge t a littl e too hi g h!

We have v i ite d th e lo ngray wa rd aga in. Th e fir t tim e wa ju s t before Chri s tm as a nd we

Woodcra

This article IS reproduced by k.ind perml' of the Times. where it fir'i! appc on December 19/26. Vol 6, 0 51,

·.=1

hat is your commercial background?

I spent many year in the RAF but I left a t mid-career point to run a co mp a ny wi th my wife, which [ have rece ntl y o ld However the job which ha m os relevance to my joi nin g St J o hn Ambula nce was as Direc tor of th e National M a nageme nt Offi ce of a large fi rm of acco unt a nt In th at rol e I h ad to pe r uade over 200 individual partn e r , who a ll felt th ey h ad a n equ a l ri g ht to have a say in th e runnin g of the prac ti ce, that their nee d s would be bes t se rv ed by stron g, cohe s iv e ce ntral s upport. Wh e n I jo in ed that orga ni sa tion th e re was only one other per o n in th e ational Ma na geme nt Offi ce; when I left it was a de partm e nt with over 50 em pl oyees. An organisation which was by tr adition st ron g ly resis ta nt to c ha nge had rea li sed th e st ren g th that effective ce ntral focus and dir ection co uld g iv e.

W h at h ave yo u been emp loyed to do at Grosve n or Crescent?

I a m her e to ma nag e HQ on a day to day ba s is.

My aim is to e ns ur e th a t th e re is a goo d se rv20

• rlngu sveno escen

Carole Richlnond talks St John's new Executi Director Tim Gauva about his plans jr the futu

on people knowing each oth e r ". HQ ha s the sa me problem - what are you going to do about it'?

This problem wi th co mmunication is a lot more widespread than peopl e bel eve ommunication is not a que'>tion of protocol wi th the being placed on which person sho uld "peak to another person, th e emphasi<; sho uld be on what is actua ll y being said. Wh a t has to be conce ntrated on is ge ttin g the ri g ht informa ti on to th e ri g ht peop le in time for it o be useful. We have a long way to go before we ge t thin gs right but the process has already sta rted A thorough review ha'> taken place. We now know what c hann els of communication exis t within HQ and between HQ and the Counties. We know th e amount of traffic along ce rtain routes and whether is th e right so rt of traffic. There are oth er adjunc ts to HQ 'sco mmuni ca tion problems. We have littl e information te chno logy ( IT) experti.,e in this building - efficien t information gathering and data processing will enable u., to communicate both Il1lernally and externally much more efficiently. The existing computer sy.,tem meets individual needs. Tt doesn't meet any IT strategy and th e fir.,t thin g we need to do i., develop one to 'ierve the whole organi'ia ti on This is already almos t comp le te and we sha ll go on to implement it. We arc very grateful to afeway for lending us a ystem expert to get us "tarted.

In a urve y carried out by S t John World, 98% of the re pondent (a ll a t Divi ional Leve l ) expre se d a wi h for dir ec t co mmunication from HQ on matter s like policy, fir t aid r ev is ion and uniform. Will this happ e n '?

ice out to the Countie Gro venor Cre ce nt ha ,a t the moment. ome credibili ty problem s in the Countie What I hope wi ll be my fir t achievement is that people out there can look to Gro venor Cre cent and ay that it i a real HQ ; o ne th at erve a a flag hip for t John Ambulance.We ca nnot ac hi eve thi until we are all facing in the ame direction and talking the ame language I am not a policy maker , I am the man who wi ll put the policy deci ions of enior vo lunt ee rs in to practice. In my previou job I had to per uade a ll [he partner to vo lunt ee r to be managed a nd in a se n e I will have to do th a t agai n at Stjohn - I need to earn th e co nfid e nce of se ni or vo lunt eer in my ability to manage certain thing s for th em. I al 0 need to en ure , of course, that th e team of a la ri ed s taff at HQ h as th e co n fidence and ca pa biliti es required to g iv e th e be t possible service to th e Countie s. I don t think a ny of us would deny th a t Head qu a rt e rs needs to po rtra y a mor e unifi ed a nd co hes iv e im age a nd it is my job to see th a s uc h a n im age is d eveloped. W eare a ll Stjohn Ambul a nce. There are lon g a nd noble tradition s w ithin th e As ocia ti on a nd th e Bri gade but we a re a ll St J ohn Ambu -

lance-the talUt e say 0 and common say 0 as well.

What i your po ition in relation to er volunteer?

1 am directly re pon ible to th e Chief C mander , but I am also accountable to enior volunteer throu gh the Policy Board , of which I am a member.

What if they ask you to implement a po which you knew to be wrong?

I doubt whether I could ever be in a po it ir be th a t dogmatic! Butin anyca emember of the Po licy Board gives me the opportu to cont ribut e to policy dicu ion andl be expected to make policy propo al al as implement policy deci s ion s.

In a recent interview, Nicholas Hin Director General of the ave the Fund, commented "When I joined th e( it consisted of everal funds in one ea r which had its own committee. Hori zo connections between department Y often non-exi tent or at best tenuous rei '

The of mailing directly to Divisions would be a bit awesome but thing'> can go wrong if the County is regarded a<., a filter which is less penneable than it .,hould be. Thereareslmple rules of communication which can be offered to people abo ut keeping th e right people infonn d. I 'Iuspect that th ese have not been follow ed in th e past and th is may be reflected in a drive for a more rigid adherence to formalities of written communication than would otherwise be desirable. I think. the way forward in communicating with DIvisions is the visit programmes of th e se nior volunteer I have proposed that these visits hould be coordina ted here a t HQ so that we have as even handed a vi it programme as po ' _ sible There is no su bstitute for personal contact and lots of useful two-way communication can be ach icved th rough v is it I rea Ii e that a lot of grassroots membe rs feel that no notice is taken of th em by the hierarchy until some thin g i required of them Thi s is c rtainly not th e case but I a l 0 recognise th at we have some work to do if we are to prove it. does go both ways and it is vital th a t Divi s ions, through th e Counties. let us at HQ know what th eir need are. The -:hol e thin g ea n be t be solved by a penneatlon of exce ll ence in th e art of communication from th e top. If HQ put it Own house in ord r

th en the good effec ts of wha t we have achieved will tri ck le down and it wi ll become very obvious where any blockages are and what must be done to sort lhem out.

Will yo u be looking at uppli es?

Supplies at the moment is under th e con trol of th e Priory and of Michael Wainwri ght, Direc tor of Services, as th e Director responsib e to the Pri ory. He worh c lo se ly with all of us a t HQ and is th e natural and very effective interface between me and Supplies. r am of course interested in th e work of the Supplies Board because this is a crucia l part of the service that HQ provides to the Coulllies.

Do yo u think' Ambulance 2000', th e report from the Association of C hief Ambulance Officers which s tated that in the next ten yea r local ambulance authorities a r ego ing to generate income from commercial fir t a id training , public donation , corporate s pon orship and attendance at large public ga th e ring s in a fir s t a id ca pacit y, i. an}thing for S t John to wo rr y about?

I think. t John should always be concemed about people who are encroaching on our patch. We should be concerned for two reasons - we don't want to lo'>e any customers

(([ realise that a lot of grassroots members feel that no notice is taken of them by the hierarchy until something is required of them"

thr ough default and the public image of our o.;J...ill should not be tarnished b) anyone who comes in With lower <,wndard th an our'>. We k.now th ere are some thin g like 800 organlalions that each first aid and St John and the Red Cross have a dominant market share.

Many of th e other,> offering fir t aid training are ver) small operations. However we must not be comp lac ent. JU ,' t because we are a charity does not mean we cannot have a comperitive spirit. We k.now we are the best and will remain the be t but we won't maintain that position if we ignore com petition - or, for that matter , do no th ing excep t complain that it i not fair!

The competition de cribed in A mbulanc e 2000 i rather different from a mall organisation of freelance fir t aid trainer.

In orne area t John will be in open competition \ ith an ambulance authority who will be given the marketing support to approach organisation with both training and first aid cover requirement. Aren't they likely to plump for the ' profe ional' rather than the amateurs -a word, you must admit, often u ed by the general public to de cribe St John Ambulance?

On e has to be concerned about thi s but we s hould also keep it in th e right perspective

Firstly, ambulance authorities will nOt have been doing thi s work before and we've been doing it for a very long time Secondly, the regular ambulance services have a primary responsibility to provide an emergency ambulance service. Any potential customer will perhaps question where th eir expertise and real priori ti cs wi II Iie. The rol es wh ich are being called intoque'ition have a lw ay-. been Sl John Ambulance's primary job. There is another point, in many areas there has already been excellent cooperation between the statutory ambulance <;ervice and our elves and there is great potential for all kinds of partnerships in the futures. We have already started talks with th e Department of Heal th about how we can forge closer links with the ambulance service on a national ba is It is too early to ay wha lth cse link.s might be but perhaps th e eaiest way to describe the relarionshlp that is being pursued i lhat it might resemble the typeof relatlOnshipthatexlsts between the regular army and the terrltorials. Finally. it i'> not correct to a) that we shall be in open competition with the statutory ambulance ervices. The Government has directed that where the statutory services are con idering income generating initiative such as fir t aid training, they shall "have regard" to an) contribution which i being made by a voluntary bod). Thi doe n't protect us completely. but It help.

It i obviou that during the '90s public and governmental concern will be focu ed more than ever on the efficienc.\ of charitie and the \ oluntary ector - will t John urvi\e thi kind of clo e examination? Yes, b) concentrating on firm, effective and informed management.

N.'re Bevan hoped that the formation of the National Health en ic e "ould end fore' er the sight of nur e rattling their charity collection boxe on windy s treet corner, but orne nur ing post are now totally dependent on commercial ponsor hip. Thi indicate that St John i going to be fi hing for money in a 'er.\ crowded pool. Ho\\ do you think we can enhance our image a a de erving cau e?

omeone aid recently that profes ional fundrai ing will be the onl grov. th indu try in the 1990 and that i probably true We hould et our elves two obje rive s - the first i to tak.e a more profe , ional approach to our fund-raLing, and the econd is to develop the , kill of our people and the qualit) of our e",iceo that we can put across quite clearly and v. ith confidence (he image of a dedicated, caring and succe ful oluntar organisation. The word image. people, s k.ill s, quality and eri e are all inter-related. but image is the interface wi th our spon ors and donor and \\ ith the public We can enhance it b conc ntrating on the other four \\ ords: /J( op/e, qllalify and selTicl'. • 21

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increa ing daily and this was why when th e Energy Programme was introduced in 1989 there was a separa te sec ti on on Care. It is most important Lhat we all Lry to recruit new members into this secLion as there arc many people who would like to join our wonderful organi.,ation ofS John Ambulance to help in the caring field but nOL be involved with first aid

Mention was made in Mr Booty' leLLer of the \ MedIcal Loan depoL and iL may not be generally known that all round the counLry we have medical l oan depot'> from v. hich wheelchairs and variou item'> of nursing equipment may be loaned. We have a long history of such service, in fact the earlies t depot wa<; e tablished before John Ambu ance Brigade was fomled, when the ladles of the Association Centre at Oldham, Lancashire a kItchen and a medical loan depot in 1884.

The help given to the phy lcally di,>abled. the menta II) handicapped and mentally ill, the e ld erly and variou children's groups variesenornlously from ountyto ounty, so each Divisionmu<,tfind outtherealneed OTCOYEREDby o th erorganisaLions in theirarea

and try to fulfill it. [ am pleased to say many ofourCadeLs and Badgers also help by visitlllg th e needy and performing jobs which th ey can safely undenake.

The last recorded 'We have are for 1989 and t John Ambulance gave a total of nearly 260,000 hours giving care in the community am confident that ifall our DiVIsions have recorded their hours properly for 1990 that figure will be e\ceeded.

I am aware of th e great number of v. ho like orthwold are doing excellent wo rk in the caring field and we need to mainLain and develop that work.

Do pl ea e let me know of any new project in yo ur locality.

Jeanne Mercer Chief W elfare Officer Grosvenor Cre cent

A Little More Care

The Community Divi sion Lhank s L John W or ld for iL interest in our work, but followin g th e article in th e February issue would lik e to point OUt th at it wa in place s, ina ccu rat , at tim e patroni ing and on occasions - offensive!

We all in the Divi ion hav e deep respect for th e religious belief and Observances of Lhose peopl e we ca re for - and care about - and resen t the e being triviali se d

We would like La mak e it c lear that th e altitude exp re ' ' ed in th e article are not tho se of Our members and we hope t 10hn World will publish Our apology for any offense ca used 10 Mo slem reader..

Over the past five years the ommunity Divi ion ha learn ed not 10 tru st jOLirnali ts who inevitably mi srepre se nt our work and inna c urately report what we have said. We thought that thi time it would be different - we were wrong.

Dot Gulliver rca Commi ssio n r (So uth ) Wilt shire

Pointing the finger

felL that I must write and protest about your cover picture of your issue of January 1991, which in my opinion i<; an "accident waiting to happen", and seLs an extremely bad example.

FirSL of all we have LWO swimmers in the water with the Weybridge Divi,>ion s hard-boat very near to them , wiLh the outboard engine running (.,ee the exhau'>t water coming off the engine) It is known that even

Crossword No 3 (91) by WA Potter 9

CLUES ACROSS

1 Eye di ease ending in de p uncon ciou ness ( ).

2 Retum mad and grov. old producing injury (6).

9 Cranial nerve upplying extemal muscle of the eye (7).

10 Unu ual ra h on girl(6).

11 Widespread dental trouble (5).

12 Disorder in Lao as well (4).

14 Strange epic for emetic in hort (4).

16 Pu -filled cavity (7).

18 Tail-bone (6).

19 umber of lobes of left lung (3).

2 1 A number having di ease and a region under the shoulder (7). 26

23 See main variation in colourful nower (7).

26 One politician with one band of Bantu warriors (4).

27 Pre cribed for better vi ion (4).

28 Wrongly teal minimal quality (5).

30 Fall before end of day with oedema (6).

32 Fa hionable doctor ha a food container (6).

33 alTowing of an anatomical pa age (8). CLUES DOWN

1 French form of major epilep y (5,3).

2 Mi -user of drug (7).

3 Arrogant and impudent (5).

4 Condition of mind upsetting team' talent (6,5).

6 Before food he ha dull pain (4).

7 A prize for wasting away (7).

8 Ca trated male (6).

13 Vi ion of clairvoyant would be a cure for the blind (6,5).

15 Worthless people are an unv.al1led product of fermentation I-

17 Fi h for people (4).

20 Where William conq uered (8).

22 Proce ss of stemum (7).

24 Contagious skin dl ease beginning WIth crus t on wound (7

2

25 Attribute of the third molar ooth? (6)

28 Onl yi new having enlyme breal-.ing dov.n cells (5).

29 Is twice fertility goddess (4).

3 Why would it be necc,>,>ar) fora brol-.cl thigh to be c\po,>ed?

Bruc e Coltman Area Commissioner Northumbria

5 In the case of a fractured femur. what might you to modiry the location or tht.:

8 This bandage is /lO/ es'>ential: why is il applied?

6 Wh) do v,e in en padding bctween the limb" and III the hollov.,,?

9 When treating root fracture. what i the 0I17l'?

7 When treating a I-.ne e joint injury. \\h) we I/O/ attempt to force th e I-.nce s trai ght"?

4 Wh en treatin g a fracture of th e thi gh bone, which circums tances would causc you to give tr eatmcnt? Questions on the 5th edition First Aid Manual Fractures , part 2 (answers on pg 26 )

10 What i<; the main danger to a ca ualt y \\ Ith a brol-.en jaw?

11 Thiscasualty has a rractured cheel-. bone. What further complica tions ma) de\ clop rapidl) from this injur)?

o

{;r

Give them your upport , and be t wi he , and of co ur e anythin g you feel would help th em r el ax.

WE MUST NOT F ORGET THEM AT ANY PRICE

So , if you wi h to give omethin g, writ e or teleph o ne:

M r W. W S Et h erin gt on 17 Shanklin Pla ce , off Frog m ore, H a n ts Tel e ph on e: (0 32 9) 46884 HELPER REQUIRED 23 Ju y to 1 August 1991 holid ay

For

To apply, write wi th CVand two refere

British Heart FOundation

The

Do yo u kn ow yo u r manu als?

Fr ac tur es p a rl 2

1 Th e hi n bone 2 O n h e uninured side 3 On y if necessary to id enti fy th e ype of rrac t ure 4 Th e arri va of the ambula nce s 11 0 1 immi ne nt 5 Tf th e f r ac ture i s near th e kn ee or hi p, 0 as to preve nt bandagi n g ove r i t 6 T o en sure ha h e app l ica ti on of band ages does no t di p ace brok en bones, and to cove r bo ny promi nence at kn ees an d ank les

7 Th er e m ay b e a di spl aced ca rtil age o r i nt ern a b eeding fr o m a ruptur ed li ga m ent o r a f r ac tu re d kn eeca p w hi c h m ake s th e kn ee j o int tense and im po ssibl e o str ai ghten 8 For comfo rt and prot ec ti on 9 T o m in imi se swe llin g i n th e inj ured f oo t and arr ange r em ova to hos p al 10 Ch o kin g by ob s ru cti on of th e ai rway du e to da maged tee th and ti ss ue 11 Seve re swe llin g of th e f ace an d brui sin g aro und th e eyes

BRITISH GAS HAVE GOOD N EWS FOR VISUALLY IMPAIR ED, DISABL ED AND OLDER CUSTOM ERS.

W E'RE constantly updating the services we provide fo r people with special needs.

Having listened to your suggestions and those of the G as Consumers Council , we've come up with some new ideas wh ch should make life a bit easier.

For example , if you re visually mpaired , we can ring up and te ll you how much your gas bill is if it helps.

On a pension? You might be entitled to free gas safety checks.

If you 're disabled, we could advise you on a more suitabl e cooker, perhaps If you d like us to keep a record of your specia l requirements, just let us know.

If you'd like information on the new schemes or know a friend or relative who could benefit, fill in the coupon or FREEPHONE 0800 181 565 for our leaflets They will explain what help is at hand , and how to get hold of it.

Diving for . cover In Jerusalem wand why resuscitation works

Ambu Man ®

Cove r Photo: This month's cover chaws the nev.ly converted L.H D. Ford Ambulance of the Stjohn mbulance, Territory of Gibraltar, which i.., Llsed along with ib sis ter vehic l e for public service duties and for all cross border tran rers into pain. The Ten-itory recently scored a notable fund rai<;ing coup raising money from Barclays Bank (£255.00), afeway (£600) and the City Fire Brigade (£920). The la c amount was raised by firemen in a 72 hour 'sit-in' at Leonora \ Cave - alas, whether L eonora's Cave i an inho. pitable dungeon or the ocal bar isn't clear!

Editor: Victor lien

St John World I Grosvenor rescenl

London W I X 7EF

Tel: 071-2.15 5231 eXl 25R Fax : 071 -235 0796

Adve rti e me nt Manager : heila Merrell 14 Boxgrove Gardens Bognor Regis

W Sussex P021 4BB

Tel: 0243 265198

Fax: 0243 26671

Publi hed by: Ilill Faml Pnnllng Ltd Watford. Tel 0923 679946

Co ntribution : 1 John World IS y01l1" muga/ine and, while It IS nOt possible to guaran ee IIlclusion, all contributions arc welcome These should be typed, double -s paced, on one side of <I paper. Please make sure events arc properly dated and that you have IIlcluded the author's cOlllact

International (UK)

Christopher Veevers ha s worked on the Blackpool Ambulance Service for two yea r s and is Lytham St A nn es' Di v is ional Officer for ambulance cadets. He recentl y got an emergency call to hi s own hom e and ended up deliverin g hi s own bab y dau g hter on the wa y to

Victory in sight !

"Gaining Ground" is th e theme of the Annual Bri gade onference

This year it is to be he ld at th e Gui ldha ll , Port s mouth - known asth Fla gs hip or Maritim e Eng and - which ne s tle s on the South Coa ll wi th g od rai l and road link s.

The Conference programme is bein g fonnulated at pre ent an u members a tt ending wil l gain a wealth of infOl1l1ation about St Joh r and th Foundation as a whole. They wi ll also have an 0PP0rLUIlIII to meet peop e from every county.

Th e Gui ldhall is a deli g htful venue for th e onference andth IVI C uthoritie s are very plea ed to welcome t John The Lo n

Ma yor of Portsmouth is arranging a Civic Re cep tion on Frid a' e ening followed by en tertainmcnt. On aturclay a number 0 pre , entations will be made which will be of interest to all t Joh l Members , on ludin g with a Conference dinner and en tert,llnme r' at th e Guildhall.

Blackpool' s Victoria Ho s pital. The photo gra ph how hri topher and Sharon Veevers with s pecial deli ve r ., Victoria E li zabeth. Sunday will tart with the Interdenominati ona l ervice, 1'01 lowed by further presentation. The onference concludes aft t lunch on Sunday, but during th e afternoon there will be an oppor tunity to visit some of' th e many attractions of Portsmouth The include HM Vi c tory , The Mary Ros e. HM Warrior and tn Overlord Embroidery. centrepiece or the D- Day Museum (all ad antageous prices).

'" ".m From Marathon 10 .,.;;;;;.11ftf1 "J o hn -a- th o l/ "j The conf'eren e fee for 1991 will be lAO,

Received w-ith thanks

The Federation or Ma s te r Build ers ha s made its largest donation yet to any chari ty ; and the recipient is St John During th e past rour years the Federation ha s su pported th e Association Schoo ls Project , funding a s peci a l certifica te and providin g 50 sc hool with a Three Cross Award video pa eL Now it ha s give n a rurther donation or £ 15 ,828 to the Association ror adul t trainin g. It is planned that th e money will go to produ ci ng a video to promot e St John Ambulance First Aid courses.

o A cheque ror £500 was presented to St John Ambulance in Surrey on 30 January as part or theStembergAwards. Sir igmund temberg awards three cheques, totallin g£3000, to tho se coun ti e who recruit most members in relation to their current membership. Last year's winners were Humb erslde. who gained 75 new recruits The tw o runn ers up were Cumbria (who received £750) and urrey.

They'll be amazed it's a Mazda

Youth ouncil on21 28th April. The cadets fom1 the majority of in t John ye t feel th e have th e leasts, in policy trend s. The declared aim or th e Coun illS to reverse thi" of affairs - so e pect SOIT li ve

th e thim th ey can do in it. " Said CDO Susan Yau. " It IS also a very good experience ror them under s tanding the problems of mak.ing and ge llin g things donc."

Trailsheets bring museum to life

o yo u rind the orthe Ord e r com- g hostly erfigy rests In thl: crypt? plicated? Are you having trouble re - There arc two new trai15heets availabk membering the relevant facts and figures ? one for badgers and one ror cadets. The dlul

Why not come to St John's gate and leam the trated trailsheets take you on a tour of Ih l fun way. Follow the trail orthe Knights of t Sixteenth Century Gatchouse and the Grant John from the 12th century to the present day Priory Church, and provide an enjoyab k Discover the mysteries or the gatehouse. outing for adults as well as children. Arterthr

Climb one or the oldest wooden staircases in tour there is plenty morc to see in the two mu London and discover seum rooms, includiOf how many knight are armour, jewellery, ane tationed in th e libr ary. the early St John Am' Therearesomanydi - bulance uniforms anl coveries to be made equipment. To make

How many drawers booking or ror more 10 does the beautirul eb- formation plea se con ony cabine t have and tact Amanda Dev on which ones are 'ecret'? In what way was shire, the orthc Order orSt J ohn ,S Florence Nightingale associated wi th th e Or- John's Gate St J ohn's Lane, Clerkenwe der? Why is th ere a white rriar in the Coun - London EC 1M 4DA. Tel : 071 2536644. cil Chamber? With acknow legements to : Mrs H Come and be a detective Find the clues Desmond, Brambletye Badgers, Surrey ; M and discover what th e Grand Pri ory church or C Hasler, Grays Badgers, Essex and Mrs r th e OrderorSt J ohn used to look like Whose Hedges.

After eight year'! th e Warden or the t John House Club. Major Sydney icoll, has reydney, who has a background in pubIishmg and the hotelier trade , was originally brought in on a con , ultancy basis to tUI1l the cl ub around from a lo ss-maki ng s ituation He was th en persuaded to s tay on as warden. La t yea r was appropriately the most s uc e, ful year of his tenancy.

The sa d lo ss or his wife eighteen month s to a strol-.e decided him to retire bacl-. to Edmburgh h hiwere e 1<lS famIl y and a permanent home, used as an occasional refu ge.; from the asse h rB " ndC so e lgravia Hewillbe g reatl y Inlssed for h' I IS personal warmth and hiS excelent breakfasts.

J The new warden and secretary of'the c lub. ohn and Vera d 11 b E 0 y, WI e mOVI11O in on as ter Weekend t:-

This year th e Grand Rafne is known as the "O VER TO YO U JOH " R ffl a e, an Important pan or our 18 month appeal. The first prize IS a ca r with a J ror John' regi tration! The Mazda 323 three door hatchback ha been kindly donated by Mazda.

Other prIZes include: a holiday for two in the Algarve, Portugal - dateubject to availability donated by Maclaine Holid ays); Bl ack and De cker Equipment- Workmat e tool, hammer drill, hover mo wer and trim & edge '>trimmer (kindly donated by Bla ck and Decke r); Weekend break ror two In a Cot cottage - date ' ubject to availability (kindly donated by Group Captain RD Bat es, Comml lon er for Derb y hire); Olympu Camera Gifr Set (T rip MD - kindly donated by Optical Safeway voucher for £100 (kind ly donated by Sareway). More prizes will be announced In next month's issue.

Tickets will be available from 25th March 1991 and can be obtained from HQ Marketino Department, tel: 071-235 5231 ext 277

CADETS SHOW THEIR SPURS

An visit to France proved a dramatic outing for Cadet twin Ben and Chri Davi on of the Gateshead Borough Ambulance Cadet Divi ion

On the ferry cro ing one of their party fell and uffered a blow to the head The tWin attended to him and alerted the ferry company taff to the fact that he wa concu:ed.

?nce in France a member of the Town Twinnin g Committee of Gate head , Mr Don L o:ve, 78, ollap ed. Mr Low uffe red from angina, although the twin did not kno\.\ and the y perfonned mouth-to-mouth re u citation and external che t compres:ion

De pite attaining pontaneou breathing for a hort period, Mr Lowe did not recover A number of the di tre ed at the incident and. although deep) affected them e lves. the tWin continued to offer comfort and rea urance

ow would you treat thi ca ualty? Thl young woman \Va ,>,earing plastic hoe near a garden fire. piece of' buming t im ber fell out of the fire onto her -hoe

What is you/' diagllosi ? H hat acrioll will you rake to srahi/Ise fhe' ('(lsI/a/tv? What lI'ill yOIl/, [olioII' lip acriol/ /Je'? Thi i the format for a ne series of First id que tion s being planned by th e author of Do YOII Kil OII' YOII/, Mallllo/s. Bru ce Coltman. The olution are not s uppl ied since th e aim i - to stimulate research and disclIssion at all levels.

The project de , perately needs colour photograph of simi lar injurie and if) ou can help - or uggest an) lil-.c1) source of such - then contact Bruce at "Bracl-.en Fell". 6 Her eford ourt. e\\ca , tie upon T) ne. T.

t John World 5

The 8th General Meeting of the Fellowship

The th General meetin g of th e Fellow hip will be he ld at th e Victoria R oo m s, on

Tue da y 21 t May at 2.1 5pm Th proceedings will open with pra yers said by th e Rev. Ca no n

D. Frayne , Vi ca r of St Mar y R edc liffe, Bri tol.

1. Th e Chairman, M ajor G e n ral PR Leuch ar , will welcome all tho se present.

2 Apolo gie for absence.

3. Minute of the e venth Annual G e nera l Mee tin g he ld on I M ay 1990 to be ap pr oved. MatteL arising

5 Adoption of th e Annual Report for 1990/91 - propo ed by th e hairm a n , eco nded by th e ational Secretary

6 Adoption of th e Central Account s for 1990 - pr oposed by th e Treasurer. seconded by th e Vicc -

Ch ai ll11an

7. The Central Committee:

a) Approval of [he following appointments for 1991 /92:-

Pre ident - Th e Lady We tbur y. CBE

Chairman - Major General PR Leuchar CBE

Vice Chairman - Major WJM Gr ee ner

ational Secretary - Mi ss SC Puck Ie. MBE, TO

Trea ur e r - Mr C Butl er, FCA

Re g ion a l Repre en a tive - Mr J W a ter - Region 2; Mr H Cording - Region 5; E. Bryant

- Region 6; Mr G Kirkham. MBE - R egion 7; Mi AL Gadd - R egion 9; Mr E Bowd - Region

11 ; Mr T Jeffrey - R eg ion II

Prop o ed by Mr E. P erry m an - County Repre.enta ti ve, Avon Seconded b) Mr A -

County R e pre se ntative I Ie of Wi g ht.

b ) omination to fill vacancies for four R egio nal Represen ta t ives:-

Dr JB He ycoc k , MC , TD - R eg ion I - first ap pointm en

Mi s SJ Bi s hop MBE - re gio n 3 - vice Mi ss E Boocock, deceased

Mr E. Bilk , BSc - Re gio n 4 - vice Mr EG Groves. ten ure completed

Mrs L Pl att - R eg ion 10 - vice Mi s L Ril ey. te nur e comple ted.

The se repre se ntative have been elected by th e County Represen ta ti ve in their Regions, and are therefore decl ared elected unoppo ed.

8. Any other bu s ine ss.

The meetin g will end with a talk by Dr Sheila Cassidy, BM B h M A, Medical Director ,

St Luke 's Ho s pic e, Pl y mouth , on ca re of th e termi na lly ill.

Competitions Calendar for 1991

(M=Men ; W=Women O=Open ; C=Cadet ;)

Date and location of events:

Thur s d ay 2 nd May

Electricity Supply Indu s try (M,W,O) Wint er Gardens , Eastbourne

Thur s d ay 9th May

British Port Federation (M,W,O) Aberconwy Centre, Ll andudno

S und ay 12th May

Coach & Bu s Firs t Aid A n (M,W,O) Town Ha ll , Wat fo rd

W edn es d ay 15 th May

Police (M,W,O,C) St David 's Ha ll , Cardiff

T u es d ay 2 1s t May

ationallndu trial (M,W,O) P av illion Gardens, Bu x ton

W e dne s d ay 19th Jun e

BP Chemicals & BXL Pla s tic s (M ,O) Pavilion Gardens, Bu x ton

F rid ay 21 s t Jun e

Fire Brigade ( M,W ,O) Fire Service Coil, More ton - in - M a rs h

S aturda y 6th Jul y

St John Ambulance Brigade (M,W,C) Fairfi e ld Ha ll s, Croydon

T u es d ay 10th Se pte mb e r

Briti s h Ga s (M,W,O) Wint e r Gard e n , Eastbourne

W e dne sda y 16th O c t o b e r

Post Office (M,W,O) Winter Garden s, Eastbourne

British Rail & London Underground Ltd (M,W,O) Spa Pavilion Sca rborough

S aturd ay 16 t h Nove mb e r

Briti s h Coal (M) Wint e r Gard e ns, Blackpool

Thur s d ay, 2 8th Nove mb e r

Grand Prior' s Trophy (M,W,O) Engli s h Rivi era, Torquay

6 S t J o hn World April 1991

Update

Voluntary orga ni sations in rur a l areas art predominantly s arfed by women - to 32% men. In the cari n g chari ti es, the propor ti on of women vo lunt cers is even higher (77S; to 23%) - but th ey don't care as much abouttht e nvironmen t (env ir o nm en ta l c hari ti es have m o re men th a n wo men - 55% to 45 %) ! Th esl' facts come from a su rvey of volun tary organl sa ti ons by the Volunteer Centre UK. Th· en tr e found th at it is becoming more di fficu to recruit vo lunt eers. The 1, II 'o !1'emell! ( \ ollill/el'l's ill R/l ral Areos o{ElIg1011 d is pncea £4.00 from th e Volunteer entre. UK, 2' Lower Kin gs Rd Berkhamsted. Herts

afcway's fundraising month begins 0 Monday 29th April and runs through UnI , Saturday 25th May taff in each store hal been set a specific target In an effort to ralsea ambitious total or £ 1m nationally and mal well welcome help from t John

The A,->sociation plans to hold ano th er BUll ness Managemen l Course later thIS year rO i lowing th e succes, of those introduc ed r 1990 by Mer yn Malcolm s before it open to al l oun y Directors and olher SCOI P ssoclalion or Bngade ollln teers as well new oun ty '1taff. Fees will be around n per student (inclll"ive of accomoda t ion etcl.' would be useful to have "omc idea of Ih number of people In attendIng Ih course, a lth ough no firm COmll1 ltm ent IS e\ pected a t th is stage. W ould anyone interc slt please '>igni fy this to Leslie Gibbon ASOCI , lion Secretar) at Grosvenor rescent.

Obituary

Norma n Ma r gare t Mari, Ce lia and Ka· t ri n a Coate - On Thursday 2 1s t Febru an a fire swept throu gh th e home of th e Coale family in Eldon, oun ty Durh am killini everyone in th e house tr agedy in itself but doubly so as they were a ll members l. the Aycliffe Divi sio n of St John Ambu· lance. Father, Ollnan oates was an ambu· lance member ; Moth er, M a rgaret, a nursl m o ffi ce r ; Twins M a ri and Celia were cadet' a nd eve n 3 month old baby Ka trin a haa a ll e nd e d with th e family o n meeting nigh l\ and bee n adopted by th e Divi sio n as then ma sco t. Th ey had joined th e Bri gade near!) tw o yea r ago a nd acco rdin g to olhe me mber s of th e division, " Had thrown th em se lv es wholeheartedly into Bri gade actil!ti e. Th ey would be a g rea t lo ss". The fu ne ral se rvi ce was he ld on Monday 4th Mard at St John 's hur c h , Shildon, where frien d, from th e Divi s ion acted as und er bea rers and esco rt s and a ppro x im a te ly 150 from a llover th e ounty acted a a g uard O honour. The se rvi ce was follow ed b) priv a te cremation a t Da rlin g ton

The St John Ophthalm i c Hospital in Je ru s alem belongs to you .What ca n you do to h el p ?

• Sponsor a Nurse

Fourteen Arab nurses arc in training in our ursing School. When they have completed thclr training they will be able to spread the t John ethos among th e ir own people. ponsorship of a nurse ror their twO year course costs £1,000.

• Buy some equipment

There arc many rractical items the hospital needs. Wh y not fund one of them'? Most 01 th e m hav e to be bought in Israel because of the difficulty in importing good".

I Operallng tablc OPX 300 £ I 1,604

2. Storage Buildll1g for Ga" Cylindcr"-. £5,QOO

3. Ward bed" with cot "'Ide,> - 6 required £600 each

4. Cots - 8 requircd £225 each

5. Reclining trealment chall'" - 3 rcqulred £900 each

6. Arm chairs for v.ards - 20 reqUIred £100 each

7. Pillows - 160 requIred n.Ol) each

8. Wall c locks - 5 rcqulred £50 each

9. Dcc!.- chairs for nur ing school '( 16 {55 each

10 Dnp tands - ..j. required £75 each

II. imulated Ward for nur<.,ing ,>chool £2.300

12 ProJeclor screen for nur ing 'ochool [100

13. VIdeo and monitor for nursIng chool £ 1.670

14 lide Proces'>or for nur ing ,>chool

15. Chain <,av.

16 Roto\ ator

NEW RADIO CHANNELS FOR ST JOHN

MORE VERSATILE. You may not know that following negotiations with the Licencing Authority extra channels are now available to St John Ambulance.

As a leading supplier of ICOM equipment to St, John we are pleased to announce our retuning service to include these channels on your ex isting high-band radios

We offer this serv ice for most makes so call our Hotline now on 07 1-252 1849 for our latest information pack

Asused by : •

£700

£299

£500

17. Ward TV sets - 2 required £1.075 each

18 Autoclave

• Work there yourself.

£30.000

If you arc a traIned nurse v.ith the RG ,and would lIke to \l.or!.- In Jerusalem for a ycar (o r 1l1ore) come and talk about it at Gro \ enor Crescent.

Whatever you would like to do , telephone or \\ rite to : ir Godfrey MIlton -Thompson KBE, FRCP, Il ospi ialler. The Order of t John. Grosvenor rescenl, London, WI 071 235 523 I

CHEAP TO RUN. ICOM 2-way radio has proved to be the most popular and cost-effective mobile system for St John Ambulance. ICOM is used exclusively by London District to give excellent low cost communications and help make the most

budget . If you would like your diVISion to save money get in touch with us today!

Have you any novel ideasforfund raising that might be useful to other divisions? Yvonne West , Ormeau A/N cadet of Northern Ireland kicks off an occasional series on the topic.

On July 3rd 1990 we held the Great St John 'Duck Derby' with th e help of R adio One DJ Bruno Brook and Liz Ker haw ow you might well a k, what i a Du ck Derby?

Well, we sold little yellow pia ti c ducks for a £ 1 each and had twenty grea t prize for the fir t 20 duck across the lin e. The duck were put into a massive ack and thrown off Shaws Bridge, a local beauty spot, into the River Lagan at Belfa t.

The duck were then caught down stream at the fini hing line by our duck catchers and some canoeists from the local canoe club. We even had a rna sive fishing net placed acros

Five Coins on The Table

Reviewed by Sheila Puckle

You must be quackers!

the Riv er Lagan to catch tray ducks. Our Divi ional urgeon Alii tair Dick took offhis white coa t and put on a wet uit to carry out thi task. Our prize were donated from variou ources, local hop ', companie and organisation The fir t prize wa £200 for the bike of your choice from a local cycle shop. thi was won by the icecream man who was elling icc cream on the day at the v nue. He had only bought hi duck that morning and had been aving up for a bicycle after hi grand on had recently had his tolen

The Radio One DJs were in orthern Ireland that week doing the Radio One Roadhow. Liz Ker haw did the big countdown to launch the ducks while Bruno Brool-.s and Onneau Cadets' three officers, D/O Julie Andrew, DOuala Green and myself - all dressed a ducks - emptied the sack over the bridge.

Liz and DJ Bruno Brooks commentated throughout the race and presented the prizes to the winner at the end. A thoroughly enjoyable tim e wa had by all and we raised £ 1360 for St John Ambulance, Ormeau Cadet Division. £500 of this was donated to the t John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem and we are now in the proce of arranging another Great St John Duck Derby

is not often that we can read a book about St John Ambulance written by a member with 45 years' service, whose father , hu band and three sons all served in the Brigade. It is even more rare to find an enchanting account of the ocial history of outh Devon over a hundred year et down 111 a mo t attractive and amu ing tyle - and to learn that thi i the au th or's first book

This i the tory of a family's service to mankind, and of one member in particular.

William John Best Perriam, Mr ichol on's father. He was born in 1888 and died in 1963

It tell of hi life from his childhood in the cobbled treet of Exmouth when life was hard but satisfying, through his ervice as a Methodi st Lay Preacher (he preached his first ennon at the age of thirteen), hi service to England in two world wars, his work for his local community and above all, hi dedication to St John Ambulance Bri gade.

William Perri am was a founder member of the Brigade in Exmouth when the Exmouth town Divi ion wa fonned in 1925 In no time his children were enrolled a cadets, and when Mr s Nicholson married her hu band wa recruited as a matter of course. Her three ons in turn joined as cadets and the family continues to serve today Mr Nicholson is County Repre entative for the St John Fellowship in Devon, and sits on the St John Council for Devon ; Mrs Nicholson is Secretary of the St John Fellowship branch in Exmouth, and their

County and n a Divisional News

Up and mer , the ducks rain down

Elisa Kenncdy of the Chri tchurch Combined Divi ion has been acccpted for nurs e training at t Thomas ' Hospital, London Shejoined the Division at the age of 10 and one of the topic s for her A Level was a paper on the effec ts of exercise on multiple sclerosis, which wa highly commended The Division bou g ht her book tokens as a leaving prcsent.

37A Paddington saw the dedication of what is only its second ever brand new ambulance on 17th February. The vehicle cost £29,000, raised by duties perfonned by the Divi s ion and substantial donation DI

..,on is an Area Commissioner in Bedfordsh m Mrs icholson I'> giving the profits ofthl edition to the Order of St John The car be obtained at boobhop'> or ordered from the Librarian at t Johns Gate, lerkenw ell London EC I M 4DA. Price £6.50. (I B 0 901485-17 -9).

Other Publication

The Early Days of Grie, ing by Derek ut· tall, fonnerly director of ru e - Bereavement are. A booklet that aim to provide support explanation and information for bere avet people. Beaconsfield Publi hers, Buck Pn c £2.50. (ISB 0-906584 -29-9).

Miscarriage, Stillbirth and Neonatal Deat h Guidelines for Professional Publi hed b) ANDS, the Stillborn and Neonatal De att Society, the book provides infonnation for al; profe siona ls who come into contact wi parent in distre Endorsed by the Ro) Colleges and th e Dept of Hea lth frorr SANDS, 28 Portland Place, London WI. o

The Fourth Edition of Who' Who in th l Emergency and Rescue Services ha jUI been publi hed The only directory pecl fi' cally for the UK Emergency Service, th ene\! edition has been updated with amendment sor training e tablishment and a new Over ea sectio n Publi s hed by Lincoln Public ation; London. Price £ 15 (ISBN 1-87 1309 -08-5

Acheque for £ 1000 was presented by ursing Cadet Karen Morris and Ambulance adct Kevll1 to Halford's Manager imon Forbes after a 26 mile "pon'>ored bcd-push by H erefo rd Area Cadets and Halford\ employees Meanwhil e Mrs onya D/S to HoI. Trinity Cadet Dh i ion Hereford, recently presented a shield for be t overall cadet to arah ollcy of the Kington Cadet Divi.,ion. Mr'> Johnson was fonner!) With the Kington adCh and donates the shield on an annual basis.

Kathlcen Burdctt is retiring after 22 years with the t John Ambulance Division in Leicester he joined the HinckleyCadet in 1947, was promoted to Officer of Cadets in 1954 and became Supt Co-op Nursing Cadets in 1964 fn 1969 she became County ecret<lry and was Subsequently invested as Serving Sister, Officer ister and finally Commander Sister in 1989 Hcr plans for retiremcnt in clude travel, taking up a crart activity and continuing to work as a first aid volunteer. peaking to the local press she commented "It will be strange but restfull not to be on 24hour call seven days a weeI-.. "

The officer in charge of the ambridge Military Hospital at Aldershot. BrigadicrLionel Lees , recently presented trophie at Surre) t John 's first aid and nursing compctition held at the Johnson Wax Plant (above) at Frimley Green Brigadier Lees became interested in t John a a direct result of the preparatory work brought about by Operation Granby.

Trophy winner of the Fareham Ambulance / Nur ing Cadet Dh i ion at a pre entation in February. Centre i Mr G Lake Cutomer Mark.eting Manager of Cyanamid (UK) who pre ented the "Cyana mid ward" s hield for outstanding effort to u'>an Cooper.

Thi photograph from the annual enrolment and preentation of the A. Ie bury Combined Cadet Divi ion a testament to it member " commitment. The divi ' ion numbercd 6 people in 19 and now has 39 members.

The Fourth nnual lnter- chools First Competition was held recently at Police HQ

hester area high school: took part and Ihe winners were a team from Catholic High chool.

Year (centre) is see n here with Sandra Philips and Suzanne Dawson. The lauer were winner and runner up re s pectively of the Divi sio n 's Patrick Trophy which

awarded to the cadets who perform

Cadets and badger from Polegate and Willingdon co llected parcel of weet ,toiletries and other home comfort foroldiers serving in the Gulf. A ' ting nur s ing officer Jacquiline Watk.in ugge red the idea

Tony Waring (P,c b) Ian Bullodd

uri n g memb ers Angela Glyn and Pamela Aston are both involved in showingandgrooming dog s and hit on th e ideaof an 'Exemption Do g Show as a way of r aising funds

from K ent , Oxford hire , Hamp shire, Buckingham shire and Su ssex as well as loca l areas. photo show s (in the gloom on the bottom right ) a 6-year-old Bl ac k MIllJature Poodl e, be l onging to Caroline

childrcn lOo! From lelt to ngh County Training Officer Dave Mason and Heidi: BadgerselleaderG ili Quy and James Mrs Lloyd Owen ; County talT Oflicer ade ts Jack, ole and James; County Badger Leader Suc )..O} Ie.., and Michae l

Pembrok e Dock Mayor, Mrs Pamela Georgc attended the St John Ambulance Brigade annual dinner and prcscntation evcl11ng. Melanie Shapland (r) of Blythe Bridge Quad Divi ion is seen here with the FES Jones R ose B owl, awarded aftcr saving thc life of her nei g hb our who suffered a hea rt atta ck.

Resuscitation - how and why the tnethods work Iill

eoplecan li ve rorthree weeko • without food, three days w ith o ut water, butonlythree minute s without air. Oxygen makes up about a fifth of the air that we breat he; most of th e rest is nitrogen which takes no part in active metabolism. There are sma ll 4uantities also of carbon dioxide, rar e gascs (such as argon and neon) and, of course, pollutants. It is th e oxygen whic h i s essential for life.

The importance of oxygen

Oxygen did not exi t in the atmo'>phere before plant life first appeared on earth, a'> it is produced when water and carbon dio ide are combined together wi thin plant cel by a proces known as 'p ho tosy nth esis '. This harnesses the energyof unli gh t to manufacture food sublances. Millions of years ago, th e early fo mls of life were total Iy dependen t on an alternative foml of metabolism which does not need the presence 01'0 ygen, and is as •anaerobic metabol ism' - Ii tera ll) meaning 'wirhoU oxygen'. The opposi te to this, and by far the more importan t for most li ving creature, is oxygen-dcp ndent. or 'aerobi metabol i m. In terms of evolution, aerobic metabolism is a reluti e l atc-comer to the earth. Why shou ld the change to a depend nce on oxygen h ave occurred?

Th e energy that the body needs come fro m vario u s food ub ance , the most im portant of' which i a :imp l e sugar, glu-

cose. This h as to be broken down (me t abo o iz ed) to release ene r gy. Jf the breakdown takes place in oxygen (aerobic metabolism), about nineteen times more energy is r e l eased for a given amount of g lu cose than it if oxygen is not availab le (anaerobic metaboli m).

Prod u ction of energy by the more efficient aerobic melhod is limit ed by the body's ab ilit y to transport en o u gh oxygen o th e si tes where it is required. Durin g period s of hard phy ical exertion, the mu Ties often need more energy than can be produced aerobically. They then have to rely on th e anaerobic breakdown of glucose, which allows in tant access to energy, but result · in the build-up of a Loxic was t e product , lactic acid. The accumu a ti on of lactic acid gradually make e ercise more and more difficult and produce s the mu cle pain which ath l ete know well. When exercise top , lactic acid i'> eliminated by a proce which itself requires oxygen. During prolonged tr enuous exerci e more 0 ygen needed th an is available at the time. An 'oxygen deb t ' is therefore built up which ha [0 be paid back' later. Becau e of thi we continue t o breathe deeply and rapidly for orne tim e after stopping exerci e in order [0 obtain e era oxygen to rid our. elve of the accumulated lactic acid. orne part of rhe body. for example the brain and nervou y ' rem, a r e totally dependent on aerobic metaboli m. In the ab ence of oxygen rhey rapidly cea e to

wo rk , and within a time su ffe r irreversible injury. This is why it is so esse ntial to tart Expired Air R e uscitation as soon a a casualty's breathing tops, in orderto avoid serious damage to the brain and other vita organs.

Lung volume

The t ota l amount of air contained within th e lun gs after a f ull breath has been taken is known a the Total Lung Capacity. In an average, healthy young man thi is around 6 litres. f we measure the amount of air that can be forced out of the lung after this full breath ha been taken we find that it on y come to about 4-5 litre and known as the Vital Capacity. The rea on for the difference i th at when pre ure has to be exerted to try and force the last of the air out of the lung it cau e the maIler air pa age to collap e, thu trapping air within the alveoli (air- ac ).

Durin g quiet breathing, when we are not u ing up much oxygen byexerci ing we do n ot u e anything like our Vital Capacity. In tead of the po ible 4-5 litre available, we probably move only about 600ml (0.6 litre) of air in and out V\ ith each breath. Thi known a the Tidal Volume. the end of nonnal in piration we can increa e the amount of air breathed in by about 3 litre , which i known a the In pirator R e, erve Volume. Similarl at the end of a normal expi r a ti on, V\e can force 1- 1.51 tre more air out of the lun g:.

LEGEND

T.L.e. - Total Lung Capacity

V.C. - Vital Capacit y R. V. - R e idual o lum e

I.e. - In , piratory Capa ity

F.R.e. - Functional R e idual Capacity

I.R. V. - In piratory R e erv olume

T.V. - Tidal olum

E.R. V. - ExpiratoJ') R e ' erve o lum e M M JV1M

Workin g R ange or chafer R pril 1991 St John World 11

Artificial Respiration Manual methods of artificial re piration can, in theor y, move about 1.2 litre of air in and out of the lungs with each 'breath'. Since the normal Tidal Volume is about 0.6 litre , thi amount of ventilation would seem to be quite adequate. In practice, however, it is found that manual method are very unreliable, mainly becau e the airway cannot be kept clear. The operator ha both hand occupied with moving the casualty's arms or applying pressure on his che t and is unable to keep the neck extended and the chin lifted to maintain an open airway.

Schafer's Method of artificial re piration (ca ualty on his front with pre sure applied to the small ofthe back) relie on the abdominal contents being pre sed up against the diaphragm, thus forcing out some of the air which remains in the lung at the end of a normal breath. When pressure is relaxed, the chest volume is passively re stored and air is drawn in through the mouth. Unfortunately as the lung s are compressed during the expiratory phase, the alveoli (air-sacs) and the very thinwalled air passages leading to them, become compressed also. This ha the effect of obstructing the flow of air, which adds to the inefficiency of the technique.

The Holger-Neilson Method (casualty on his front, pressure over s houlderblades for expiration and arm lift for inspiration) is an improvement on the Schafer Method because raising the arms produces some chest expansion and a positive inspiratory phase, drawing air into the functionally more efficient Tidal Volume part of the lung. The operator sti ll has no control over the airway, however.

In the Silvester-Brosch Method the casualty is on his back and some neck

extension can be obtained by plac in g padding under the houlder blade . However, both of the operator' ha nd a re occupied rai in g the casualty' arm upward to obtain in piration and preing them down onto the chest to obtain expiration. The airway i still at ri s k.

It must be emphasised that although manual method have been ucce s fulon occasion in the pa t, they are 0 mu h Ie s efficient, and certainly Ie reliable, than Expired Air Resuscitation (EAR), that the time ha come to relegate them to the history book s. In the very rare ituation that EAR cannot beapplied (trapped ca ualty; evere facial injury ) it is extremely unlikely that a manual method would work, mainly becau e of the nearimpos ibility of obtaining an adequate airway.

The greate t advantage of EAR over manual method of resuscitation is that the active phase of re piration is in piratory as far as the casualty is concerned. When air is blown into the lung it enter the Tidal Volume and In piratory Re erve Volume compartment which produce far more efficient venti lation ; as the lung s are well " blown - up" all the alveoli and sma ll air passages are open and there is minimal resistance to airflow. In theory it s hould be possible to achieve a 3.5 litre movement of air at each breath, and even in practice a Tidal Volume of over a litre i not difficult. In addition, the casualty's airway can be kept clear as both of the rescuer's hands are free to extend the neck by lifting the jaw.

The expired air which the re cuer blows into the casualty contains only 16 % oxygen compared with the normal 21 % in the atmosphere. This is a potential disadvantage of EAR. However, the first

We all know that resuscitation works ... but do we know why?

part of each breath come from the re s· cuer' upperairway.Thi sa iri s till "fre.h'· in that it ha not taken part in the exchan ge of gase in th e alveoli. Wh e n it j , mix ed with the re t of the expired air comin g from deeper down in the lun g th e nel re ult i that the casualty receive aircon· raining , on average, about 18 % oxygen From the functional point of view thi 1\ quite adequate and the s mall deficien c) compared with atmospheric oxygen II compen ated forby inflating with breathl of around twice the normal Tidal Volu me that i about a litre each time

All the theoretical con ideration th ai have been di cussed are important to an under tanding of how and why EAR effective, but it mu t alway be rem em bered thathoweverefficient i thecaryo u are driving , it i u ele if the road ahe aa i blocked; a clear open airway i the fir )1 and mo t important con ideration performing artificial re piration

Circulation

Until recently it had alway been tak en for granted that External Cardiac Com · pression (ECC) work by compre the heart between the ternum in front and spine behind. Blood is thu queezed OUI of the heart to provide a circulation, the heart valve ensuring that the direction ol flow i always forward. Unfortunate l) for the holder of thi theory, so me ve0 clever work has demon trated that ECC the valve are quite ineffective , and blood leaves the heart both forwards in W the arterie and backwards through the vein There must, therefore, be om e other explanation for the undoubted ef fectivene of the technique.

The alternative theory i that ECC causes a general rise in pressure within

the chest cav ity Beca use th e veins en ter in g th e c hes t are thin wa lled th ey te nd to collapse und e r thi s press ur e; on th e other hand th e arterie hav e thi cker, more muscular walls and remain open. Blood is th erefore driven out of the c hes t in th e only directio n po sib le, namely forward throu g h th e arteries. To acknow ledge th at there arc two different theories about how ECC may work, the technique has been re - named External Chest Comp re ssio n ; luckil y we can s till use the initials ECC!

Cardiopulmonary Re uscitation (CPR)

Expired Air R e usc it a tion gives th e ca ualty 18 % inspired oxygen rather th an th e normal 2 1%. Even performed perfectly, ECC ca n only produce a now of blood that is about 30% of nomlal. These two together are barely enough to restore and maintain con 'Ciousness, or even to keep brain ce ll s a liv e and undamaged. It is essentia l, therefore, to tart resuscitation as soo n as possible after th e casualty has col lapsed, to maintain as near-pe rfec t a techniq ue as po ible and to continue it uninterrupted for as long as necessary.

The optimum rate of EAR is 12 inflations a minute. There i agreem nt about ECC, as different authorities have shown that rate-; from 40 to 120 compressions a minute all work in practi e. The Resuscitation Council (UK) ha recently recommended a rate of between 60 and 0 compressions a minute; thi compatible with the teaching of the major voluntary bodies in Britain.

Wh en two rescuers are performing CPR together, th e ideal would be for each ro carry out eit her EAR or ECC at the respecti\e optimum rate . This would involve inflation of EAR being giv en at the same time as compresion of ECC. As far a the ci rculation i., concerned thi'i would be no disadvantage, indeed there is evidence that sugge ts that thi cou ld benefit the ca ualty. But, and this is a big 'but', if innation is attempted during che t compre ion, a much higher pre ure is required. Thi i likely to result in air being blown into the casualty ', stomac h a well his lun g.. distended stomach then interferes with the movement of the diaphragm downward and reduce the effective lung capacity. The ri k of regurgitation of tomach content' IS also much increased. To avoid the 'e problem, there mu t be a sufficient pau e after every five compre ion for an inflation to be given. The pau e shou ld be ju t lon g enough to allow full innation of the lun gs ( 1.5 to 2econd ) but ECC s hould be recommenced without waiting for expiration to occur. A ingle recuer givi ng CPR on hi own i at a great disadvantage. A oon as he s top s ECC in order to recomm nce EA R, the forward flow of blood fall dramatically. It then take two or thre e compressions to get it going again, so the Ie often the rescuer ha ' to top to change from EC to E R and back the better. The recommended ratio of compressions to innation s for a si ng le re sc ue i 15: 2.

Finally

ever let too great a concern for the th eory of re ll citation ca use you to deviat from the most important me ' sage: CPR but it need to be learnt, practi ed - and [hen practised aga m!

The Authors - Dr. Anthony J. Handley MD FRCP, is Consultant Physician, North East Essex Health Authority; Medical Advisortothe Royal Lifesaving Society and a Memberofthe Resuscitation Council (UK). Dr. R.W. Griffin MB FFA Res. is Consultant Anaesthetist to the North East Essex Health Authority.

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15th January 1991

Th e Is raeli h ave been preparing for war over the pa t few weeks, following advice abou t prep a rin g a ea led room in eve ry home in ca, e of a c hemica l attack, and buying in a ll th e recommended nece s iti es. East J e ru a lem and the We t Bank and Gaza eem to hav e deve loped W ar Fever' onlyoverthepast few day

Long queue can be seen outside hop e llin g nylon heetin g a nd wide s ti cky tape with which to sea window. Thi now eem to hav e disappeared from the market.

Gas m as ks were i s ued to I raeli foreigner a nd Ea t Jeru sa lem Pale tinian Arab about a month ago. The W e t Ba nk and Gaza Arab s have not so far be e n is ued as it thou g ht an attack there is unlik e ly. Over 50 % of our taff a nd mo of our patients, however, are from that area.

It was de ci ded to day th at W e t Bank taff who wanted to go, could tak e Annual or Unpaid L eave. The murder last night in Tuni of top PLO officials ha s brou g ht a bout ge nera l unre s t in the We s t Bank and Gaza, quite independently from the ge neral war ituation. Consequently many areas are a lready und e r curfew and s taff from tho se areas a re unabl e to go home anyway.

Many of the kitchen staff di sa ppeare d thi afternoon a they are We s t B a nk resident maybe tomorrow will see us preparing food

Several areas of the ho s pital have bee n prepared and de s ignated a 'sealed areas'. We have stocked bottle s of water and tinn e d food ; the water particularly in the event of contamination of the drinking water s upply

All routine admissions have s topped and we have reduced the patient s to one ward.

During the pa s t few month s three Si s ter s have left and not been replaced and the situation is rather bleak Sue Hodg s on went home for Christma s and ha s decided to extend her stay beyond the danger period Our Swedi s h sister, Siw We st man , has a flight booked on the 7th , as recommended by her Consulate.

Jenny Tragenza , the army s i ter , is awaiting in s truction s from the MOD 14 St John World April 1991

The rest of us, Khalil. Meg Oib , y, Ann Zawahreh, Jenny Muhareb and Oily., Hughes (the other expatriate Sister who not live here permanently) , will staff the hospital as best we can. Abdallah EI Baba and Hiyam

Kaibne arc at home under curfe\.\ and not lik e ly to be 'relea ed' yet'

The ho pital is not planning to take in any 'fron t line' emergency care in the event of war, but we are prepared to take injured limbs' e tc. and decanted patients from the general hopital ward".

Dimitri, the Pharmaci t, left today on an Evacuation flight to Greece, so th e isters wIll assume the added respon<;ibility for maintainin g medical s upp lies to the hospital.

16th January

I usually drive to the ho pita l at about 6.30 am.

Today I decided to leave early to make sure I was in the ho pital well before 7.00am - the deadline for Ir aq to withdraw from Kuwait.

The road were eerily quiet.

The deadline pas cd with surprising y little act ivit y and a sense ofanti -c lim ax. By 7.30am th e radio a nnoun ced th a t Presiden t Bush was 'at peace with him e lf and had go ne to s leep.

We all knew that th e re would be no wartoday.

Five patient were discharged to Gaza , leaving J 4 in the ward. Theanticipated kitchen crisi materialised and George, the ca tering officer, was le ft with o ne cook. Mrs W ard and Mr Banayan ralli ed to th e eau e.

Jenny Tr age n za received a phone ca ll from the Military Attache to ay that he had been recalled to th e UK. A ha s t y ga th e rin g of belongin g and s he was away on a flight thi s afternoon A the number of s i ters ha fallen to ix we can no lon ge r maintain full ni g htduty cove r. W e hav e impl e men ted an 'oneall' ystem.

Th e We s t Bank e rs without gas ma s ks in the hospital have now been promi sed 60 gas ma s ks from th e Mini s try of Health

17th January

At 2.45am we were awakened by our n e ighbours shouting to u that war had commenced.

For most of us the GWar was principally a television event. For Jaidy, Deputy Matron of the St John 0lalrnic hospital, the implications were indiate and serious. The following are her diary in the first tense weeks oj Oltion Desert Storm.

We all moved into the silting rool11 (childre n well awake too by now) with our duvets and in front of the televIsion - even though was mostly in Ilcbre\'v A nationWIde state 01 emergency has been declared and everyont must '>tay at home. The skIes were full of the heavy rolling and supersonic screeching 01 aircraft overhead. We began to thin" thai Israel had already jOlllcd the war.

18th Januar.

For the second morning \-\e are awakened bl the neighbour'>. thi" time telling u'> that the rt wa.., an air raid alert and that everyone had Ie go to th eir ,>ealed rooms We were al<;o to pUi 011 our gas (if we had them) The BSe was th e first to report that there had been m Ie attack on several parts of the countn

After an hour we were tOld to remove ourg, mask , but sta) in our sealed rooms. [ wo n dered how things were going in the hOSPI tal By 9.00am I decided to tl) my luck at gel ting out of the curfew and gOlIlg to the hospl tal. The soldier:-. would probably let me wi th my Briti sh passport. I didn't pass on, other vehicle on th e way.

I arrived to find the staff and paue n!' rather dazed by the night',> event. We hal only been given 40 instead of th e 60 ga promised and we have nothing for childw and babie at a ll Oil y was very tired, having been on Nigh' Dut y. Ann Zawahreh and Meg 0 ibs y a rrived Ann was to do 'O n Call thatnightand I dec id ed to tay with Oil ys in th e Si ter "

a lei urely s upp e r at 8.45 when th e warning s iren went. W e mad e a da s h ac ro ss th e ga rden , gas mas k flying , to join the nur se moving mattr esses from the patient 's bed

IOto the sealed area. We did not have to wait long for the all clear. Apparently an explosion In Jerusalem. that could have been a domestic gas explOSion, had triggered the false alarm. We decided to leave the mattresses in the sealed corridor from now on as moving them was so time con uming.

We were tolel before the war began that in all probabilit), wc would have several hours notice of an attack 0 far the siren., have not sounded unulthe mis'>t1es have landed. Oilys and I decided to III our clothes.

Sam Wise deCISion! The siren brought me to consciou'>ness and J met Oilys at the bOlLom or the stairs for a repeat performance.

6.05am A weary trek back to the iSLers' arter the all clear and a yuick cup of coffee before duty at 7am. The nurse coming on duty look very tIred but they all want LO carryon. There are 23 nurse., ""ho cannot get home, eight of them are students and they have been a marvellouo., boost to our number 7.05am Ano th er wail of the siren. ow I am becoming thoroughly irritated. The novelty is definitely wearing ofT. The seal d corrtdor is beginning to look like home already.

Everyone is beginning to run out of sticky tape. Each time we go into the sca led area we must re-stick the door We have already raided the pharmacy and are using ElasLoplast.

We waited for Jenny Muhareb, who was doing 'On Ca ll th a t night, before driving back to BeiL J a la. Wh en we arrived we found th ere had been an 'i nc id en t '. Although it had been announ ed th a t Beit Jala, Bethlehem and Beit a hour would have th e curfew lift ed for two h our, when th e peopl e began to re turn to th e village the y were gree ted by an gry so ldi ers firi ng teargas and telling th em th e an no un cem ent was wrong

Communications problem · of this nature are very common in the We s t Bank

21 t Januar y It must have been Saudi Arabia's turn last night a<, we seem to have emerged unscathed. have appeared on th e .,treeh again and things seem to be back to normal in the Israeli sector. It i a peculiar sight Loee the whole population carrying ga ma ks.

We had a '>ort of continuity meetIng toda) to see where 'vVe go from here. There were about 35 patients in the Clinic toda) : all from the Jerusalem area of course, although pecial permits can now be obtained in the We t Bank for people requiring medical treatment.

The curfews mean that \.\e recei\ e injuries for medical ophthalmolog) ca e ""ho "hould have come days before. The number of inpatients has dwindled do\\- n to three as we ent three others to ablu and one to Hebron \.\ ith Lhe Red Cross. U.I W R tells us it is no longer allowed to operate in Gaza or the We Bank, ""hich have been declared a cl sed military zone.

Two of our patient are children. One ha more or less Panophthalmiti , acquired after she remained untreated for three days following an injury. Her village. Azzoun. wa , under curfew for two weeks before the war began. The orherchild had Congenital Glaucoma and has had bila teral trabeculotomies - he i-..just a momh old.

Mary Manario ha been on holiday and wa LUck in Egypt when th e war began It \\ as a great relief to hear her voice toda) and learn that he and her family caugh th e first bu over th e border when it re-opened.

Hi yam Kaibne is tuck in Ramallahbehind W est Bank line , W e ha e heard th at permit are now being i ued to ho pital ' taff and have begun to olllple te application lOpm Once agai n it's ale rt time We did not have to wait lon g before th e 'all c lear' but the news is bad. A Scud Mi si le had landed on a densely populated area of R amat Gan. near Tel Avi The film lo o k grim: crumpled buildings a nd sha tt ered windows eery\-\ here

22nd Januar

Early morning TV reports tell of one person cru hed to death and at lea ttwo elderly people who died of heart attacks in last night's attack. Many were moderately injured. Patriot antimisilemis ileshavebeenru hedtoIraeland one was apparently fired at the Scud, but did not appear Lo have intercepted it.

One or two more hospital staff are appearing back at the hospital. Many have sneaked out from behind curfew.

9.00pm. Here we go again. After a short time in the ealed room the new cater appear with a , mile to tell u that the first mi si le had been intercepted by a Patriot. Even o. Lhere i alway the n k of gas and we have to wait with our ma k on until the ecuri t) Force have te ted the air and proclaimed it pure.

23rd

One week of war. It I m) turn toleep in the ho pitaltonight.Thecurfe\.\ wa liftedforlwo hour and Khal i I \.\ ent to buy meat and egg More have appeared today Romain De Cock invi ted U all to upper, which wa , mo enjoyable, and we departed at 10.00pm in antiCipation of another vi it to our ealed room.

10.30pm Saddam i becoming predictable. Our three patient were already I) ing on their mattreses so we ju t a i ted them \\ ith their ga ' ma k It like a militar) operation no\.\ no mor panic. Thi proved to be a fal e alarnl, \-\ hich \\ a 1110 annoying. terrific clap of th under and a fla h of lightning complete tonight' incidents. lean 't help thin"'ing \\ hat it would be like to b up in a Tornado during u h weather.

Th BBC ha ju t announced that a small i land off the Ku\\ aiti Coast ha been ta"en ba k frol11 Iraq and th at the Kuw aiti flag has b en hoisted on the fir , t bit of lib erated terri tory

(Cel/lre eicIl/re ShOll S Jodie .Iaidy heillg ill1'('slee/usOjjle('/' iSler/asl May/Jy /1' l('ph(,11 Miller) pril 1991 St John World l5

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n February an [raqi mi ile tore into a barrack building in Dhahran hou ing more than 100 US marine Military and civilian peronnel who had been carefully trained to deal with horrific casualtie were called into action. What the TV picture howed, though, were people clearly shocked at what had happened. They had been prepared for large number of ca ualtie to be hipped in from the battle zone, but this wa different. Thi wa happening, unexpectedly, almost out ide Iheir Own front door. It had, aid the reporter, taken them by urprise -a comment only too clearly borne out by the expre sion on their face and the remarks picked up by the TV microphone

It is perhap unavoidable that even the mo t practical training in First Aid technique can till leave peoplc unprepared when they encounter a human di a ter, a road accident or a ho useho ld emergency.

Jus t over a year ago, in the H igh Street of a mall Hamp hire easide town, a large car being d riven at peed by an elder ly woman veered out of control and knocked down 13 people in its path. I n a local e tate agent' office, Ga ry Du nkerley heard the crash and ran out to offer a i tance. He had previous

experience of dealing with casualtie during hi time in the RAF; omething which helped him keep a cool head.

"There wa blood everywhere" he say.

"People were creaming, crying; orne had ru hed out to help but didn't know what to do. lt wa a scene of total confu ion, and very frightening. Even when you kno\ what can be done, when you're actually tanding Ihere facing dead and mutilated bodies. it' ery hocking.

"A tyre of the car had driven acro the face of one woman, and al though he wa n' I actually dead at that point, he wa almost unrecognisable becau e of all the blood. Still. omebody had to get down and make ' ure he wa till breathing. Other had limb Iwi ted o badly Ihar I had to top some by rander rrying to move them into 'more comfortable po ition to prevent them doing further damage. The smell of vomit wa omething el e to cope with. It wa , chao.

"There wa a lot of anxiety among tho e les seriou Iy injured who had been with the ca ualties before the accident. It wa ' important to rea ure them once you knew the other per on wa alright. There were tho e who thought they'd 10 , t an arm or a leg, or thought they'd never walk. again: you could alleast tell

"First on the Scene", an audio cassette ofpeople 'sfirst hand experiences that is intended to promote first aid techniques. The information it contains should be familiar territory to any Brigade member. Nonetheless, the cassette's producer, Andrea Adams, highlights the importance of keeping calm in an emergency. All the people quoted here had taken St John training courses.

them that they weren't too badly injured and that help wa on it way.

"I think what you're never prepared for is the amount of gore you encounter when you face a major accident like rhi or for the di tre of the ca ualtie and tho e who witne ed the incident. At one point four nur es came on the cene, but they were panic tricken too. They didn'l eem to have a clue \\hat to do. until a doctor pa , ing by in hi car topped and helped organie them. I uppo e unle you \\ ork in the accident department of a ho pital omething like thi would be out ide the realm of your experience. I don't imagine there's an ordinar doctor in the land", ho " ouldn' t be di tre ed by the ight of all that blood in unu ual circum tance. I lea t if you "-now how to ' top a flow of blood it doe take you mind off the unpleasantne of the experience. It al 0 helped the con ciou ca ualtie to be abl to rea ure them Ihat the blood looked worse than it \ a ."

Three people died in thi incident and everal other u tained eriou lnJune.

De pite hi. initial reaction a he ran onto the treet, Gary wa able to put hi pm tical training in Fir t Aid to good u e. the la t of the ambu lance drove off. though, he experienced a typical reaction: he began to , hake. Ever) pril1991 t J o hn W o rld 17

Last month saw the launch of

The 60 minut e tape, Fir s t o n th e Sce n e includ es Bob Monkhou se and G loria Hunniford re ca llin g th e ir o wn r e al-life e m e rgenci e Th e tap e aloha a e ction on w hat NOT to do in a n em e r ge n cy, whil e tw o S t John in s tructor s pro v id e th e ad vic e on emergenc y aid. Th e tap e cos t £ 4.S0 , including P&P , and i av ailabl e from S t John Supplies ( Product C od e P2001 S).

nigh t 1'01' some t ime afterwards Gary relived th a t acciden t scene in nig h tmares.

The delayed reac tion to a catas trop he received much attention after thc events at H ill sborough Football tadium in Shcffield where. two years ago this mon t h. 95 people died. Ka th y Wells, a t John First Aid ins tructor. was on duty with her hu band, Pe te, whcn it happened As they 'e about lhe task or re uscitation. Kathy remembers the day "pa 's ing wi hout any sound, like asi len t film"

Despi tc her years of c pcricnce a a Firs Aider, she wa, deeply affectcd by the trauma for many months.

" fterward I kcpt thinking it cou ld have been my 20 year-old son ying therc" she said. "At the debriefing session three days after it happened. lean 't remcmberanyone whodidn 't brea\... dO'vVn and cry."

Army signalman, Bob Anthony, looks back with amazement at his e pericncc of real life emergency aid. Driving over the brow of a hill in Dorset. he saw two badly smashed car' in the road ahead.

" [ suppose was the hoc\", of actually coming across omething for real, but [ k.now I didn t do things in thc order that' wa'. taught on my first aid training" he explained. "The driver of the first car ' looked' dead, but I didn't really check. I rushed ovcr to the other car 'v\ here there were of life I have turned off the ignition and madc "ure thc car was safe. but instead [ went to a girl lying in the road."

Four teenagers were badly injured in this accident. They had been travelling bad to boarding school in a taxi when another car slewed into them Both drivers dicd. and the boy in the front pa<,senger scat might have added to the fatalities if Bob Anthony hadn't been there.

'" went to the door and J could hear him mak.ing a rattling. rasping noise in hi" throat. so [ adjuted his po.,ition to keep hi'i airway open. It was only then. I think.. that I remembered about the ignition."

Il aving sent off a passing car to get an ambu lance Anthony continued to comrol'lthc injured, making sure other people were directing traffic around the accident.

"It all came together in the end but, lO ok. ing back , it must have been the confusion ofll all lhal threw me - and, I suppose, t he shock You know what you're supposed to do at a road accident, but if it's never happened to you before there' s an awful lot to think about al l at once. This accident happened at night ,so there was the additional worry of other vehicles not stopping in time ."

One Sunday morning, Perry Godfrey wal having a lie - in while his twin sons were starting their break.fast downstairs Suddenly he heard agonised screams. and by the time he arrived in the k.itchen his toddler son wal turning bright red in highchair and hll clothes were steaming. The child had been le ft too close to tht: nex of an electric kettle and had pulled it towards him elf with th e Il1e\l· table consequence:-..

"My Wife didn't k.now what to do and \\Ial hysterical" recalls Godfrey, "After I realised what had happcned 1go tJalllie outofthe high chair to get the clothes ofT him - think.in g to stop the scaldll1g water burning dcepcr IOtohll sk.in."

PelTY Godfre) had tak.en fir..,t aid tr all1lnl in the police force. butthe plerclllg screamso hiS 0\\ n child wcre another maller Panic anguish, and the deSire to do \omethll1g faIt combined to crea te co nfu..,lon

"As I too\... ofThI" 'babyg ro'v\ " hi.., sk.lnJu1t came away 111 strips. J nov. k.now that I should havc poured jugs and jugs of cold water ontlr his lothes while he was sl111 silting in 1m high chair. t the lImc I thought 1 was dOlOg the logical thing ."

Month.., of hospital treatment helpea Jamie'.., badly scalded sk.in to recover " [ \"n o\\ my practicaltrallling dldn't prepare me for the hOITor of something happening for real" sa)' Perry Godfre). "Now J k.now what to e\pect think I'll be bellcrpreparcd "

Accident Update

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There is also a variety of Automatic and Manual Resuscitators and Oxygen Therapy Equipment available at a fraction of original cost. All reconditioned equipment carries a one year warranty as it has been completely overhauled and restored to its original standard _

Specialists in Alnbulance Conversion.

We

'Rapid introduced around the Counties to bring advanced techniques to bear on requiring lIltubation, infuion, defibrillation, cardiac monitoring or the admini tration of oral drugs. Some services have Introduced motor cyc les In order to get through congested traffic. West (see JW, November 1990) IS a recent example, although II ha also introduced a Paramedic Unit based on a Peugeot Talbot

Other services have introduced ec.,tate cars equipped for Paramedi trained usc Thee can rapidly attend Incidents, upported by ambulance vehicle:, for eventual casualty evacuation a'> the vehicle ,> do not generally have the apabilit) to taJ...c recumbent patient>.

Cornwall maJ...es claim 10 the first British helicop ter ambulance, and there have been Similar services established In London. Kent. orthumbria and another one planned for West Midlands These are expensive to run , but are ideal for reaching patient · in remote area or when roads are blocked by traffic

At present ea h County or hire service i. different. Each devises specialised ystcm and vehicles that meet their own particular criteria. With th e rapid development and deployment of advanced trained crews. the ervice are striving 10 create their own identitie

Re gre ttabl y there are many change of atti tude in our modem ociety which have not bee n for the good. We have recentlyeen amb ulance crew attaeJ...cd by a mindle s minori ty of the community; perhaps because they a sociate unifonn s worn by ambulanc per onnel as repre enrative of authority ew item of apparel are currently being tried in everal colours to break away from th uniform image in the tricle s t ense of the Word, while at the ame tim maintaining a practical garment which identifie the wearer. For example the Cornwall Ambulance erviee ha taken up a red jump- uit tyle uniform. This i both comfortable a nd practical and, no dOUbt, a frac ti on of the co t of the traditional tu nic - omelhing we in t John are only too aWare of.

Other service are current ly trying out garment recommended by the working party

on uniform s. These are green uniforms which make prominent use of the Crown Bad ge' lo go. They are not unlike the woolly pullover concept a lr eady introduced into St John, although the choice of colour has been del iberate ly chosen to break away from the dark blue as ociated with the police or fire brigade service. How many of you, while in uniform, have been approaced by a member of the public thinking you to be a police officer? I know it has happened to me on everal occa ions!

Ambulance vehicle liverie areal ochanging ; high profile marking are being applied and the blue Star of Life' logo i appearing more and more a lon g ide the Crown Badge oI1humbria Ambulance Service has already made a clear distinction in liveries between its front-line and those of second tier (out-patient/non-urgent) vehicle. The latter have markings in green, while front-line vehicle are white with green and white chequered band This policy, with slight colour variations, has been adopted by variou service

The yellow stripes along the length of vehicle!>, enclosed in reflective blue, have in ervlce tarted to be applied to other parts of the vehicle body Both the Scotti h Ambulance ervi e and Avon have recently developed thi tyle In the ca e of A \ on. their ' illing ca e vehicle are whIte intead of green. wi th applied marking in midgreen and blue (paI1ly along the length and diagonally to th e vehicle body).

The Essex mbu lance Serv ice ha tarted to introduce an unu ual livery incorporating the word 'Essex' within a modem layout de ign: [hi i both effecti e. and different. Can it be that we are eeing hange in H County logo design \\ ith the purpo e of etablishing a new corporale image?

We have all seen in the media the fact that ho!>pital have been offered the chance to 'opt out' of the H and become elf upporting. Thi pportunity has al 0 b en allowed Within the H mbulan e er ice. The fir Ihree, orthumbria, Lincoln hire and orfolJ.... have now entered into a ompetiti e market. eff ctively elling their ervic , on-urgent' day ca e orJ... i a co tly financial drain on any , ervi e and in ome area i now being offered out to tender quite u e fully Dor etand orthumbria are two in , tan ce ThL ha allowed more re enue to be injected into the Ac ident and Emergency sections, re ulting in improved higher kill training and implementation of more p ciali ed equipment.

We will all benefit from thi should we ever require the killed as islance of th Ambulance Service and its per onne!.

A D V A N C E D S K I L L S

Ambulance M emb er Martin Hopp er, of th e Pangbourn e Quadrilat eral Di v ision recounts his experienc e s on an Advanc ed Skill s Cours e

2 2 S J o hn W o rld April 1991

tubalion. The and selection of a suitable tube was explained. along with all th e ancillary equipment which is necessary to assist with insertion and securing of th e tubes.

When everybody had a clear understanding of the equipment, we were all allowed to try insert· ing an endo-tracheal tube into a Laerclal airway Management Mannequin A Ithough we arc not allowed to practi<.;c this techniqu e when on dUiy it did give a much clearer understanding of the pro· cedure.

co nsiderable ti me

The other type of fluid we carry is ca ll ed J [ artman's (a l so a trade name), which is basically an electro ytic solution containing .,alts and sugars. It is used where there has been massive Iluid loc.,s such a<, in heatstroke/dehydration. It can also be used (frequently so in some areas) as the rirst lInit of nuid in a trauma casual y. This is because due to ils small molecular si;:e relative to H aemmacel it can run in a lot quicker, hence replacing much needed Iluid

other story.

On the la st week of the course we were examined both theoretica ll y and practically on everything we had covered. We had to take a multiple choice exam which had a 70 % pass mark We then had to demonstrate our ability La opera te the semi-automatic advisory defibrillator on our own recognisance. This, after all, is what the eour<;e is all about, since we would be expected to do this in the field and not wait for a doctor/ paramedic

IIII

n Beck h;,e. bccmn;ng a member or the Advanced Team

we have been tened) il1\ olves a ralr amount of study and hard work at the Berkshire Ambulance ervice TraIning School in Bracknell. Over an eight week. period every Wedne\day night from 'e eno'clock.until ten °'clock (or commonly cleven o ·cloek!). candidates are taken through an inten"ive programme of pracllcal and theor) work. The course basically cover" three main areas:

• Advisory De-fibrillation

• Endo-trncheal Intubati on

• Intr avenous Infusi on and there is plenty of related anatom) and physiology thro\\n in for good measure

D e-fib rill atio n

Before any allemptlAa'> mude at uny kind of instruction in the actua usc of the machines themselves, we were expected to have an understanding of all the anatomy and phy iology relating to the heart. We needed to know all the main chambers and valve in the hean and how they were controlled by th e central system. This then led on to the eleetncal impulses generated by th e central nervous sy<;tem which feed through th e conducting pathway,> in the heart muscle. In turn, this led on to the fact that those same impulses give rise to the trace that we see on th e e le c tro -cardiogram (ECG) or th e monitoring part of the de - fibri lIat or. We had to have an under<;tanding of these basic wavefonns generated on the E G tra ce.

Finally we had to be able to

list and have "ollle understanding of the pre - disposin g ractors in coronary artery d i ease ami IA ha t effect this disease has

When all t11l" had been mastered we then moved on to the of the machines themselves We were initially trained on t\\O machines: the MarquetteTell1tech 1200 and the Laerdal Hcart'>tart WOO.

We have been e\cared on the Laerdal Heartstart .3000. The onl) real dllTerence between thi., and its predecessor IS that the Marquette ha'> a built-In printer for prinllng ECG traces and event reports. whereas the Laerdal u'>es "eparate printer'>

All ortlle machine,> are fairly '>imple to once the baSIC protocols and the \afet) comlderatiollS ha\ e been under'>tood Both ty pc'> or the machine bell1g semi-automatic/advi,>ol") removes a lot of the worry about when to usc them.

The machin es will only allovv the Advanced Skills Team member to '"shock.'" \\ hen the micro-processor idcntific,> Ventricular Fibrillation or Ventricular Tachycardia above I gO B P 11 both of which are rhy thm convertible by dc - fibrillation

In t u ba t ion

Again, all the anatomy and physiology of the <lIrway and of re'>piration had to be mastered bcl"ore an introduction to the intubation equipmcnt wa,> l1ulde

We then had to rcfre'>h our basic Resus' protocoh, inclucling usc of the bag/mask resuscitator and the mechanical resuscitator ( Pn eupac in t11l'. case).

After this we moved on to types and selection 01 ,>uitablc equipment lor endo-trachea in -

[t abo gave rise to much hi arity as all the team memb er\ attempted to inscrt the endo-tra· cheal tubes into various o nfic el on the trainin g mannequin - and not necessarily the correct one\ There wa,> al'>o much breakingol front teeth on the trainin g mannc qUln,> \.\. hibt attempting to \. isual i<.;e the lar) n\ \\ IIh the laryn go· scope I am glad to repon that all the l11t:mber" or the team did manage to master the techniqu and some callle to be qUile a tlah hand at It. Suggestion'> aired that \\e would like to practise on IIH casual tie'> - n,\Ill1ng In pani ular ,>ome of the lecturer,> - wert fro\\ l1l:d upon Whilst \\e \\CIT dealing I,.\llh airwa) management \\e were taught to sclcct and insert oro· phar) ngcal alrv,ay" and \\'e reo fre'>hed our l11emone'> on the U'>t or equipment. In thiS CN \\e u'>ed an Ambu uction Pum r and both rigid and lle\lblc SUl lion catheter,>.

IntraHnou Infu ion

The la"t ,ectlon or the tr alll ing \\ as concerned with II1tra l"e nou,> Iluid replacement. As he fore. all the related anatomy an, physlolog) of the Circulator "y'>tcl11 had to be b( fore proceeding an) further am we had o dcmon.,trate a COllI plctc of II its various forms

We then 1110ved on to the t\l, cllflerent types of Iluid that II, would be carrying. One i.., u,el IAhere there is Ill\' <;uch as in .,evere haemorrhagc P major burns, and is called H aCI11 Illacel (a tr ade name). Basicall) thi s is wha t is ca ll ed a pla sJ11 expander, and although it has ii' oxygen carrying capabili ty it a very large molecular siLC all thercl"ore sta ys in th e circulatDf sys tem where it is needed lof

When the properties and relative merits of each Iluicl had been discLissed, we moved on to where and how they can be used. All the team members practised setting up and running through an intravenous drip. Al thi.., stage the precaution,> and problem" that can crop up with intravenous Iluid replacement \\ere di"cu'>sed before movlllg on to the "i/es, selection and use of the intravenous cannu las

For anyone who has never examined one closely, an Intravcnous cannula is basically a metal needle (the introducer) with a piaslic pipe around it. ThiS then has a drugs port on the rear and a specIHltype of connection de ice on the back called a LUt:r Lock. for connecting il to the intravenous dnp set.

A demonstration was given b) the Berbhire mbulance Service Paramedi s or the In'>erlion of the Intravenous cannulas and one or t\\O of the team had a go on the mannequin, although once again this a techniquc we will not be allowed to u<,e

We were then given a short talk on the drugs involved in advanced carried b) the Berkshire Ambulance servIce, covenng the types of drugs carried, their effects and ho\\ to assemb e the two -part syri nges

A friendly piece of advice at this point: if any kind oul ever ?rtcrs to allow you to try 50% Intraveno us dextro e orally, '"jus t tOsee how sweet t really is", then politely decline. W e all go tcau ght out - it is Sickening ly sweet and abso lutely disgusting!

One of the final ectures inVolved tra ining/re- trainin g n the lise of aneroid sp hy g momanometers for the takin g or blood pressure. It also gave a oeneral review of :vcrything covered and a very en lightenin g (for both parties) CO urse critique - but that an-

The final part of the exam was to demonstrate the selection and setting up of the necess ary equipment for IIltubating someone and etting up an intravenous line. Then we had to measure blood pressure using an aneroid <,phygmomanometer.

[ am please to report that all eight perc.,onnel on the initial course and e ight more personnel on a subsequent course all passed with Ilying colour.

The crews and equipment are out on a fairly regular baSIS providing Advanced SI..ills cover at both A'>cot and Windsor racecourses, where we are contracted to provide two four-wheel drive \ ehlcles and the Ad\anced Ski lis Team members to crew them for each meeting s well as thi commitment we will al,o go OLit to an public dut) \\ here we have been reque;,ted by the organisers/dut) officer In charge. and thi request has been duly authorised b) the ounty Commisioner This authorisation necessary a., the ounty Commissioner has to vet the duty to ensure that there is gOing to be a doctor/County Ambulance paramedic in o\erall charge.

We abo prO\ ide crews to go out on public relations duties to demon trate/displa) the dvanced kill sequipll1en t and what we are capable of; a ser icc am surewecouldprovide toanyo th r ountie in St John ei th er in assistance of a doctor or on our 0\\ n (anyone interested should contact the ounty E>. utive Director ).

hope that this article has beenofu etomcmbcrsandmigh t encourag some readers to attemp t e e III tr aini ng as and when it b com aV3ilabie in th eir area. ft an cnjoyable and cnli g ht ening course - if somewha hard work •

---Letters Page

Hunky dory

I feel moved to write in defence of the conclusion "jumped to" by Dr Frank. Pre ton in last monrh's Leller Page.

One momen t of rime captured on camera doe not convey a complete tory, but I am amazed at the assumptions drawn Surely, basic training in fir t aid teaches that without the history' of the cene, th diagno i as umed a t firs t ight is not neces arily the correct one. Weybridge Divi ion ha owned and crewed a afety boat (a Dell Quay Dory) ince 1976, worl,ing on the Thame and local reservoirs all year round. II coxswain hold an R Y A port Boat Certi ficate and are R L trained.

The picture in question was taken at an annual regatta, which held 500 yards down tream from a lock and a weir. Hal f the river i markedoff for the regatta, the other half being left as a channel for ri ver traffic.

One of the event "dongolla" racing, which involve six people attempting to paddle a punt in a traight line. The team are made up from loca l club " pubs, etc In the incident photographed, a punt had gone out of control and cros ed the main channel, colliding with the opposite bank. Two of the group jumped overboard and tarted to swim to the other ide in front of a tug towing a laden barge uicidal!

This cou ld have re ulted in both being ucked under, either by the barge or the tug. So. in tead of "an accident waiting to happen" the member is ins ructing the pair to tay where they were because or the imminent danger. Misleading conclusions could be drawn from the photograph, whi h was taken from the oppo ite bank. at a low angle

The two people are to the , tarboard (right hand side) of the dory, not near the propellor. The engine is regularly serviced and have never known a Yamaha engine, in neutral, to "creep".

As for the remark. ''There i noone at the controls", the other member of the crew (off camera) i , in fact, holding the punt containing the rest of the team to prevent the punt from dri fling into the path of the tug. Incidentally, a t thi point the depth of the water i between 12 -201'1.

Divi ' ional order state that noone is ever allowed on the rescue dory withou t a buoyancy aid and this is strictly adhered to by all members without exception. Closer crutiny of the photograph would, indeed, confirm that the member i wearing hi ' buoyancy aid.

How do [ know all the fact ? The member concerned is myself.

R C P e nn oc k , B EM

DIS, Pr o fe s io n a l F ir s t Aid In tru c t o r , W ey brid ge Co mbin e d Di vis io n

I am elderly and di abled but I have two very good St John friends who help me in dozens of way I suppose [ should not say' St John' as they're over 70 and too old according to the organi ational tho ugh they run around like ten yea r olds. My point is, I've just read t he letter in your December issue and I agree with Mr Booty that St John seems to lack caring when it comes to their older member<;. I'm sure some thought could be put into making usc of these very ab le peop le in branch of St John.

U n s ig n ed

W ave rl y A ve nu e Li ve rpool

24 S t John World April 1991

Praising pool

I w a very pl ea ed to see in you r report of th e St J ohn/ Sa fe way F undr ai in g Wee k th a t th e JII ogan D ivi ion wa me nt o n ed fo r ra s in g a co n side r a bl e urn of mo ney. I WO Ul d, howeve r lik e to po int o ut th a t th e a mo unt me nti o ne d was ra ise d e ntire ly a t th e S afeway Poo l St ore in Co rn wa ll. Th e ma nager a nd s taff there have given u tr emendou upport over the ast t wo years enabli n g us to rai ' e £4. 100. In addition, and probab ly more importan t, we have recruited 12 new membcrs following promo io n s a t the s tore and have found a very enthusiastic VicePre ident in the manager, Mr Mike Elloway.

The fantastic support that IIIogan DiviSion has received from Safeway at Pool has been a great inspiration to us and we are now eagerly looking forwa rd to working together with t he tore on the "Over To YOll John" campaign.

D a vid Polkin g horn e

Di v is ional up e rint e nd e nt lIIo g an Di v is ion

It was wonderful to read about the huge of this year ' s t John Raffle and congratulations arc due all round.

Perhaps other divisions might find it use(ulto hear what we did in Sedgley (Wolverhampton area) to boost sales. Our Superintendent had the idea of asking a local Lada dealer ir he would be prepared to put a car on display during awareness week afeway entered into the spirit of the thing and provided a prime parking spot, right at the main entrance of their store. I then spoke to the Lada people, told them about our division and the rarne, and that their car would receive con,>iderable exposure over the week.. They were Every morning the car was delivered - at some distance - and every evening it was collected. It was festooned with professionally produced posters and was a huge eyecatcher. We had sold out of tickets by Friday and the rew more we got hold of were gone by mid-morning on Saturday.

J oce y n T ho mso n H o n Vice- Pr

House of cards

We were once a combined Am bulance and ur ing DiviSio n Today we are ju t a ur Sinr Divi ion We once had our first aid instructor; all of OU members had first aid ceni ficat es Lhey were all regularly examinee and maintained a high level 0 proficiency. 0 what went wrong

Eventually our first aid In structor's certificate ran Out aI1i became in alid We found th4 there were no e aminers In county to re -examine them fa furtherq ual i fication, so no COUT could he rUll ror rc - eXamlI1<ltI O of brigade members

Our member" aid eef tiricates soon expired so no fur ther publiC duties could be und er tak.en First aid instruction II Brownie and Girl Guide pad wa\ qopped. E erything in Tc spect or rirst aid ceased

Both in\tructors and me mo bers still retain their sk.ilb an' k.no\.\ ledge and are able to ren de' fir'>t aiel. if rellulred, outSide h diVISion - and to impart th e k.nowledge to others The a certificate. however. means th , they can't do so v ithin the bn gade 0 p inl in accepling recrults to summarise : "For the want or an examiner , thl instructors were lost/ For the v. an of the first aiders wer, lost/ For the want ofpublic dUll e' recrUIlS were lost! For the want 01 recruits the division wa 10 tl A for the want of one examiner "

Bill Pa d g ham C hri Ic hur c h Co m bined Di vision

Do you know your manuals?

1 A casualty bitten by a snake is in the advanced stages or venom reaction Which signs woule! indicate this?

8 Which injury is clearly defined here?

Questions on the 5th edition First Aid Manual

Wounds and Bleeding (1)

Bruce Coltman Area Commissioner Northumbria

2 The snakebite casualty should be lain down and the affected part immobili ed Should this part be kept : "A" below heart level. or "B " above heart level?

5 Thi,> caualty wa trapped for less than one hour, what are you a ked to record?

You are treating a casualty for a super ficial al11mal bite, for how long should it b washed in oap and water?

6 [n a ca e of vaginal bleeding which i ' evere and continuous, \.\ hy is thi treatment adopted?

9 When treating a bleeding va rico e vein, why i it important to remove any con trictive clothing on the leg?

4 This casualty ha been trapped for more than o ne h o ur - what are you advised not to do?

7 What should you n o l do when treating a erious abdominal wound?

10 If the ca ualty cannot clench her fi t to maintain the pre ure over a v. ound to the palm of the hand, what el e can rhey do to a i t you? uninjured eye i unco\ered. ou a _ k the ca ualty to do?

CrosslVord No 4 (91) by WA Potter

(9). 12 nflamed and swolle

I3 Part of academic year for end of

pregnancy (4). 14 Ammendment to lease for art swclio or classroom (5)

16 Large g irl involved in crime of havin g two (6)

17 I. 1. tool used for type of lime ,)tone composed of tin y spheres (7).

20 Il ow a fracture of femur m ay be reduced by a jocular deception ? (3-4)

22 Play on word') said in French for learned (6).

24 Shock (5)

26 Shed the epidermis after scarlatina or sunburn (4).

27 Preserve a remedy (4).

29 (9).

30 tudent of the eye (5).

31 Teste,> for fly spreading sleeping s id.nes s (6).

32 Part of large often removed surglcall} (8).

CLUES DOWN

Micro -org anism dependent on ox)gen for multiplication (6).

Pam puhating \\ilh the heartbeat (9).

Il avlng low 1.Q (4)

Grew old in attempt maklll g a grievous eve nt (7).

AnimOSity and ll1al[lIsc (3-7).

PreSCribed amounts of medication (5). Dislocate (8)

Do you want to know:

• Th e la te st d evel opm en ts in Fi rst A d care

• Ev e ry thin g t hat ha pp ens ac ro ss th e D ivisi o ns

• Ne ws from t he Ophthalmic ho s p

• from the Cade

from the Museum • from Overs ea

SAMARITAN AMBULANCE CONVERSION

BADGES

CERTIFICATES

NEW DESIGN, HIGH VISIBILITY TABARD

Introducing

SAFETY BADGES

NEW MODEL AMBULANCE

To c ommemorate the "Over to You John " Appeal SI. John SuppLies has commissIOned an exclusive model ambulance , another vintage de si gn to add to your c ollection In pns tm e while , Wlth the "Over to You John " logo , the model IS 3" (80 mm ) long Sure to be highly sought after by collectors everywhere so place your orders now E52 Om Model Ambulance £3 95

Start a c ollectIOn order the five prevlOusly ISSued models K00042 for the set at a speCially dIScounted pnce of £17 25

NEW GIFTS IN CRYSTAL

Ord

Lache',' .,hurt

I

, Lomplete

"e,lther Gelt

ll 1\ hite pohe'tel

epaulette, ,1110 a single breast po c kl't Bust size _ tate required

Ord e U06726 Laclie., Shirt [9 .25

NEW BRIGADE GENERAL REGULATIONS

s - Save a further £ 200 on each

E:XTRA Ease. Evcn defibri ll ator purcha sc ca n be ord e red

wnh e a with tciep h one numbers. cas, ordering. and automat Ic zero rating 101 VAT purpose (no c c ci a rallon ne cessan ) EXTRA Care - Worth over £400

EI cr\ dcllbr ill ator p u rc h ase covered b) a un iq u e ran g c of ben e fits - To t <llcarc fro m Sf. j o hn , up pl ies gi ves tota l protec t o n to t h ose essemia l p ll rc h a, es on w hI c h Ih e q u a lit) of )o u r se r vice depend You a

Youth Leaders Manual

St. JOHN SHOP

The

A

Three Cross Award STUDENT REFRESHER BOOK

TWO NEW TRAFFIC SIG N S AND HIGH VISIBILITY TRAFFIC CONE

f o r mounting on tripods, ideal for advertising the location of f i rst aid stations and reserving ambulance parking spaces at numerous sport i ng , leis u re and fu nd- raising events, or major incidents

Th e signs can be Inte rchanged so you only need one tripod

eight B ag", to fill with sand and provide additional stability to pr even t t he tripod blowing over in strong Winds.

Ambu Man ®

Cover Photo: l erben Grander<;on. 66, of London Tran<;port and Jim Thomson 64. of I I an wei 01 \ Ision Ealin g. Ro}al Maundy glfh from II 1 The Queen at Weqlllin<,ter Abbc}. on Mdrch 2Hth. They Llllended the ccrel1lony ith their wive and are pictured holding while and n.:d leather pur'>es the white purse contain dver maundy cOins totalllllg a penn} for each year of the 0\erelgn's lile (a 65p!). ""hile the red purse contalllS a COIil and bank.notc III place or the food and clothll1!l that u,>cd to be I given.

Edit o r Victor Alien John World I Gros\'enor rescent London I 7E ITel: 0712155231 e\t 25X r<l\ 071-215 0796

'\-t a n age r hella \,Ierrell 14 Bo\grow Gardens Bognor Regis W lMe\ P021 4BB Tel : 0241 26519 Fa>.: 0243 266711

Publi s h ed b) : 11 111 rarl11 Prtllllll g Ltd Watford Tel : 0923 679946

Co ntributi o n I John World YOII/ magallne and. while It I, 1101 posslhle 10 guarantee Inclu,Ion, ali arc welcomc. These should be typed. double-spaced. on OIH: "de of A4 paper. Please ma"e sure e\ enls are properly dated and Ihat you have II1cluded the aUlhor\ contact name. address and elephone numher Transparencies. blac" and white prillts and (gloss)) colour pnnts are ali acceptable illustration, Photograph, wi h addresses on the bad arc more II"el) to be retumed , 1<I"e heed! PRES DA Y: da) of the mon th.

Sub cription ll Individual COplCS of t John arc [1.00 each. Posta l subscriplion IS [14 00 per annu m ([ 16.00 oversea, ). S u bscnp t ioll enquiries shou ld be d i rec ed to : PO Box 599 Amersham Bue", II P7 OPZ Tel. 0494

St John has a new patron in Swaziland; no le ss than hi !\IIaje t y King !\II wati III. His Maje s ty recently commi ss ioned a n ew ambulance which has been funded b y donation from th e E d\\ Ina Mountbatten Trust and Barcla ys Bank " Ther e can be no g r e at e r gift to man than to have the opportunit y of s.omeon e. e lse' life" he said. The king, (I ) , is seen here with John OlIVIer , C haIrman of the local council at the ceremon y on 15th March.

OTYJ takes to the skies

J une 26 th is your chance to see Tim Guuvain at least brieny. In the la test OVER TO YOU JO ti ex travagan/<l the new Executive Director will clamber into the pilo t scat 0 1 a Piper aeroplane and attempt to ma\...e 47 touchdowns across the length and breadth of England. Every county (with the excep t ion of Durham, which to share an airport with leveland) will be visited. The plane h"" been donated by Cabair and appropriately regi"tered G-OTY J Refuelling and handlIng teams will be proVided hl British irway" Spon\orship for each successful touchdown is being sought and the rip should provide nationwide publicity - including. with a lIttl e s\... i l fulnaviga t ion. a touchdol,,\ Il ill Bor"et<;hire. the co unty of Radio 4\ Archer"

Obituary

, took o n a n ope rati o n al rol e a nd became V o lunt a ry

Aid S oc ie ti es Em e r ge n cy E xec uti ve (V ASEE ). Ope r a ti o ns

room s w e re se t up jointl y w ith th e

R ed Cro ss. Th e g reat es t requirementwa s forqu a lifi ed nurses and a u x iliari es to tak e on Ward Dutie s in th e major military ho s pit a ls

Th e re s po nse from bo th St J o hn and th e Red Cr oss wa s m ag nifice nt a nd in addition many qu a l i-

4 St John Wor ld M ay 1991

fie d me m bers of the ge ne ra l p ub lic

ca m e fo rward. I n addi ti on, many of o ur m em ber volu ntee red for welfare wo rk in upport of he m i lit ary.

All of us were th a n kful th a o ur se rvi ces were no t requ ired Howe ve r th e re is no d o ubt th at S t J o hn a nd he Red Cro s we re prepare d , rea dy a nd tr a in ed to res po nd t o a ny ca ll. It wa an exce ll e nt exe rc ise w h ic h b rought toge th e r no t o n ly St J o hn a nd th e

Re d Cross but a l 0 gave S t J o hn ex pe ri e nce in o pe ra tin g across

Co unt y b o und a ri es. Sp ec i a l me ntion s ho uld be made of th e 10

St J o hn a nd R ed C ross We l fa re ladi es wh o sa w o perati o nal se rvice in th e Gul f workin g n Serv ice fi e ld and ge ne ra l ho s pit a ls

Bad?ers Samantha Bamard (III tlte wileelchwrj and Emma Reynolds of Ihe SOLlfhcoates COl7lpanv Wllh thell' "goodies collection" for troops in the Gulf alld (b e lo w ) John Cross of the Fle e twood DI1 islOlI. manning tlte Gulf /l elpl/lle.

h a rl e E d wa rd T ow n , I 1 Dece mb e r 1908 - 10th F br u· a r) 1991 : Townjoined TWlckenham Division ( Rich · mond Section) in April 1931 ln o tober 1933 he was made up to orporal and became the 01 VISion's Treasurer In 1941 1 promotion to ergeantoccurred just a period of five year I,,\Uf service wllh the urrey In · fantry began. I n eptember l 1946, he took up Brigade work again as an Ambulance Officer. and in 1948 was reappointed Divisional Trea urer -a post he held until 196 In 1970 he transferred to the London DLtrict Staff Pool until hi officwl retiremen t from active Brigade du t ie His associa ti on with St J ohn' Gate and the L ib rary and M useum of th e Orde r ofSt John began in the 1950' A vo lun tary guide to th e hi toric bui lding of th e Order' headquarter, he con inued volun t ary service after hi re tiremen t from the B rigade. H is he lp with man) l ibra ry and museum ta k was in va luab le. H is pa rt ic ul ar inter· · e t was hera ld ry, o n w h ich he was a n a uth or il Y. He was made a Serv ing Bro th e r in 1967, later beca m e an Officer and in 1974 was appoi nt ed a Co m mander.

New at the top

Lord Ves ey, who suceceds Lord Grey of aunton as Lord Prior, has been associated with t John for about twenty years. He !'irst became a Depu ty President for adets in Gloucestershi re and then eventually became ounty President for In 19H5 he became Chairman of th e ounci I for St J ohn in and in 1986 was appointed Bailiff of Eg le and 1987 Chancellor of the Order Lord Vestey lives in and runs his family business which is based on meat, farming and shipping from their mithfield headquar ters on the other side of Smithfield from St John's Gate Il aving finishcd threc years military servicc in the Scots Guards he joined the business and travelled around the world lea rnll1g it for scven years. He is married to a tate Registered urse who succeeded him as County President for Glouceslershire He says that the St John Fami ly so very worthwhile and there are so many wonderful sides 10 it and he is looking forward to the challenge of leading St John • Professor Anthony Mellows, TD, PHD, LLD, the new Chancellor ofSt John has had parallel careers as both an academic and a practising lawyer. In 1962 he founded a firm of solicitors in the City of London , of which he continue,> to be the senior partner. He has had various d[l[lointments 111 the niversi ty of London, where he became a professor in 1974 He has at different ti1l1e., been Dean of the Faculty of Law of the Univer1>ity, and of ollege, where he is based. Last year the University confelTed on hi1l1 the title of Emeritus Professor Profe..,sor Mellows 1\ firmly committed to the volunteer principle For 15 years he was a member of the Territorial Army, in which he served as all Intelligence officer. and on the General Stafr.

The nel,,\ hallce Ilor ha" been a member of the Council of the Order since 198 I and he became the Registrar in 1988 He has also beell a of the t John and Red Cros\ Joint Com1l1ittee since 19878. Hi ire. EIiLabeth is an enthUSiastic tJohn supporter, who was appointed an Officcr of the Order in 19H6.

• Ian Charles Hugh Moody has been appointed the new Commisioner In Chier. Fa II 0 1,,\ ing a period in the rnly as a regular soldier ( 19461950), Mr 'toody for the hell International Petroleum Co From 1952 to 1972 he co-sened abroad in VeneLuela, Trinidad. \Igena, Indonesia. and Ea t Pa\...lstan. In 1972 he returned to London and was im ulved In personnel management. He is a Commander of t John and in 1983 was 1l1ade CommiSSioner In Devon. becoming Commissioner/Commander in 1987 He married 1,,\ Ith three children and four grandchildren.

and Lady Vesley

• During his tenure as President of the Addle tone combined ursing and Ambulance Divisions the new DirectorGeneraL Dr Anthony John Blowers , CBE, KStJ JP DL PhD CBiol FIMLS, phy ical\y helped to build the new HQ. He worked as an ambulanceman at the otting Hill Carnival ill 1990 and performed duties at Trafalgar Square on ew Year 's Eve la t year.

In 1983 he became County Staff Officer, Surrey and became County Commander in 1987. He held the post of A sistant Director General from 1985 and wa made a Commander of the Order in 1990. He has previou Iy been Chairman of Surrey Council, Runnymede Council and Chert ey rban District Council. He ha erved on a variety of Public Health Committee, wa a Chairman of We t Surrey and orth East

forms, equ ip me nt a nd memo rab il ia. T hi s is yo ur m u e u m to visi t a nd is open dai ly. o r i rhat a ll he mu e um has o offer. free of cha rge o members. You have rh e unique opport u n ity to tour a s ix tee nth ce ntur y gate ho u e a nd twelft h cen tur y cryp t. Y o u ca n u e th e muse um as a re o urce ce n tre

Co nt a in ing bo o ks, s lid e, ph o togra ph s, print , dra w in g a nd ob ec t (yo u ca n write o r ph o ne us w ith c nq ui rie ). S o me item are ava il ab le fo r loa n

We a re c urr e ntl y co mpilin g a n o ra hi to ry o f St J o hn Ambul a nce a nd loo k o ut for o th e r forth co min g publ ica ti o n nc lu d ng a Furniture

Ca talo g ue a nd a G aze tt ee r of th e Ord e r' s Prop e rti es in Eng la nd

And you ca n he lp

Lord

Where the hea Imr

" Th ey' re ve ry goo d ; ve ry act ive" ay M a tr o n. " Th ey've jus t purchaed o ut ize d e t s of p layi n g ca rd s. do m in oe a n d Sc r abble ki t They he lped to furni s h th e rece nt lo u nge ex te n io n a n d pr ovided th e canopy for t he front wh e r e a ll th e re d e nt s i t in th e Sum me r a n d ma n y, many ot h e r items."

The h o m e h a its in st tut io n a s ide: a ai r lift (" in val u ab le"), ba th room hoi s ts, safe t y a larm in every roo m but th e e a re h ardl y int ru ive. " W e tak e p e opl e th a t a re o ne s tep p a h e lt e re d h OLl in g," ex pl a in s J oyce

M itc h e ll " p eo pl e w ho a re ca p a bl e of wa lkin g,

tin gs.

In June 1990 , tw e nt y me mb e r o f th e Fe ll o ws hip we re in v it ed to a tt e nd th e Tribut e to Qu cen Eli za be th th e Qu ee n Mother on he r 90th Birthd ay. he ld o n th e Ho rscg uar d s Pa rade. Be fore th e e ve nt th ey ha d ea with th e Supe rint e nd e nt -i n-Chi

, for

The president s have organi sed ma ny other ev e nt s s uc h a a St John Day se rvi ce a t C1impin g Church , a lovely occ as ion for all age s , from Cadet s to th e Fe llow s hip , and whi c h mad e £ 100 fo r the Ophthalmic ho s pital in Jeru s alem Th e Pres ident s Committee a l 0 a rr a nge d a ve ry pl e ndid Carol Service in Ardingly College c hapel and me mber s o f th e Co mmitt ee we re mo st he lpful in the running of th e Order of St John Service in Chiehe te r Cath edral las t a utumn whi c h Su ssex had the honour of ho s ting They made the arr a ngement s fo r 1,000 teas after th e se rvi ce ! Th e Presidents a re ass isting in ev e ry way po ss ible with the OVER TO YOU JOH Camp a ig n In th e 18 mo nth s, amongst o ther event s , they will have he ld two ra ce and a Dinn e r Dan ce to wind up the Campaign. A lway s w illing , ever he lpful and hugely s upportive, Pre s ident s in Su ss ex g iv e me all th e backing I require and con stant help th roughout the County Ea st and W es t - I could not s urviv e without them. There can be no doubt that the existe nce of my Pres ident s Commill ee do es mu c h to ensure this rema rkab le level of cooperation

8 S t John W o rld May 1991

Out of this World

Duke or We s tmin s ter s tourism market

mfo rt to th e e ld erly ') Th e n th e Tun s ta ll T e leco m a t io na l Canng A wa rd wo uld lik e to hea r a bo ut th e m For mo re d e ta iIs

The Rc\ T Roblll MartIn (I ) rccellll) dcd lca ted the Thurma ton Combined Di\i ion nev.. ambu lance. Thc 1977 Range Rover \\as fundcd to thc tunc 01 C!.500 b the Beaumont hopping clllre (raised from ar Boot Sales) and a further donatIon of £652 v. as receIved follov.lIlg a ShopplIlg enl re hn '>tma" Raj'Jlc 01 \ iSlonal Orricer teve LI,>k IS "een reCCI\ IIlg the l-.e) \ from Centre Manager Julie Webb.

Iho'>t orlhe Thame'> T ,>ene "The Best of MagIC " made the presentation

Stop

the \.I a) In a scnlce of alter 50 years of servIce to the community or the Is lc of Man. The 0 1\ l'>lon fomled in thc R P head qu arter" on 10 t h February 194 1 T he Serv Ice v. <)" a tt cnde d b) -"""'-.......,"'"""-'---=..,,"""""

HI S Exce ll ency thc L Ieutenan t Governor Air II' Laurence Jones and Lady J ones. and thc Mayol and Mayorc s or Douglas. The CoulllY S tandard was carricd b) upenll tendcllt L) nn Taggart of the Laxey Q uad DiV Ision, wi th l hc co lour part) made up of ndrev. Hard in g a nd Rosleta J oycc. co ll ec t io n or Don \\ fomardcd to the Wor k of th e Op hth alm ic Hosp It al.

Th e mc mb ers o f th e raw ley Ad ult a nd Cade t have as k. d us to pass on the ir bes t w is hes to g t L i! Wad du [1 anu /Nl Brian Ped low who we re ma rried o n I Hth Feb rua ) a uni for med guard of hono ur c heered the m fro m th e c hu rc h

Th e L y tham t nne _ Dh is ion , "een abo\e v. ith the -h wd Landrovcr ambulance purchased through a bequest from the truslees of the late Mr J ohn Richardson and exisling ambulance appeal lunds Meanv..hile. three ambulance Cade t and fifteen nur"l ng Cadet enrolled at a special sef\ i ea t j lhe W hIte hu rch Lytham_ '" conduc ted b) th e Rc\. Brian Bak.er Ince the Count) was on hoi ida) t the Count) Commander. John :c Holt. perfolllled the ceremony e dgle) Quad reaped a s'v\atch of rop h ie afler the W oh erhalllp ton Com petI tIo n Bo th the Cade t and du lt team \\ on through to th e ne \ t roundtv.o ade ts ga\e up a s k. iing hoi ida) to allend.

nne K ing. Tansy Birc h anu Tracc) W) les (1r ) or th e Crawley ur ing Division rece ntl y recei \ ed th eir Grand Prior \\ ards from HRH Princess argare t In Chiehe ter athc d ral.

ST JOHN FELLOWSHIP

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CALL MAXON 'S

Cadet" Victoria Shearing and

Cadet Johnathan Starford or Kirkby Coil Di\. We,>t Corp Winner of the Retford Challenge Trophy rorthe highest individual mark at the ottingham hire County Competition in March.

by the Lord Prior of St John in the Grand Priory Church, Clerkenwell, London ECI 4DA on 19th September 1990.

Gillian Mary Burmingi1am hropshlre Peter Gtr Manchester

J ennife r Mavis Balchin BA ACP DIp Ed Lllie) Edward William Willshire

Doreen tran ge USSC\ Wing Commandcr Pete r William windlehul t Eng

Gillian Heather Hole Elec up AC

John Alfred pton taffordsllJf'c

Margaret Ann oper Glo

Andrew Vincent DC\OI1

Ve ronica Mary Arnott London

Surgeon Cmdr Dere k J ohn Coun Walker MR S LR P

Jul ia Susan Tofrolo London

J ames Michael M e ade Walsh RD MRCS LR P u<;SC\ Lydia ancy Bi"hop R hie of Wi ght

Trevor John Wintcr

J ane Seymour Clarke Olllersct

Keith Woodford Lcicestershire

Ma rga ret Anne Fox Mcrs eys ld e

De rek John Wri gh t London

Be tt y Joa n Greenfield Avon

A lfred Ro na ld Wi seman Berkshire

Patri cia Montier Wiltsl1lfe

Ra lph Willi am Ma rkh am

Cadets' careers: w o cares?

It would be the height of cynicism to suggest that people join the Cadets to improve their Curriculum Vitae; but in a climate of hovering recession it would be the height of idiocy to ignore any advantage you've got. Shelagh Young reports 14

f your first job application fonll made you go clammy at the thought of"listing relevant experience and achievements in the space provided below", then you wcrc probably never a member of St John Cadets.

Too many anxious school leavers reali e far too late that a list of respectable extra-curricular activities say more about them than their exam grades ever can. If all you have to list is passing your cycling proficiency test then you can be sure that some other eager beaver will hop on the career ladder at least one rung ahead of you.

Atthe University of London a spokesper on for the graduate careers advisory service confirmed that even the best qualified graduates need something extra to make them tand out in a well-qualified crowd.

"I wo ul d liken being a cadet to doing vol unteer work in the community and anyt hin g l ike that is very helpfu l and is bound to l ook very good on an appl ication [OnTI.

" We always say that it is not good enoug h to j us t be a graduate. One is look ing for persona lity and certain persona l q ua li t ie whi ch are far more importa nt t ha n t he s u bject yo u read a t u niversi ty. Any ex tra-mura l activity is a p lus and he lp s at interview".

In the y uppy-dominated eighties caree r pl ans seemed, I ike as tro logica l c harts,

to he mapped out at birth and if joinIng St John can help your career prmpec[<, then it "eems fortunate that children can join the Badgers at six. Wait to JOIn the Cadet\ at II and the interviev. er will probabl) think you had a mi""pent youth.

And if this holds true for graduates then it is perhaps even morc oran i"sue for non-graduates who are orten wrongl) assumed to be lacking not only in intellect but also in the social skills and broader horizons that are supposed to result from the undergraduate experience. s one employertold me: "Unemployment never seems to go away and we have a good choice of candidates for some posts. There are many factors which innuence our choice but I would always look twice at an application from a youngster who wa an active St John member - even if ) hadn't a c lue what they do."

We asked four ex-Cadets irthey agreed that joining St John gave them an edge in the jobs market.

R a lph W ild e 17 yea r s o ld

A' Leve l s tud e nt

"I haven't lert school yct so can't prove that being in St John is good for your career, but [ suspect it might bc."

Ralph Wildc is one of tho e mature sounding teenagers. If you took him home for tea your mother would probably end up offering him a gin and tonic while handing you a glas's of Ri bena. Is this maturity all down

to the St John experience'?

" Well the dl cipline ccrtalilly checl-.., you and makes you thll1k very carcfully about what you ay and how you mal-.c critiCism.,. It prepares you for dOll1g that elscwhere so I suppose you do learn more about tact and diplomacy sooner than some other people Being a cadet certainly gave me confidencethe fact that you arc taught first aid ancl other people kno\\ nothing about it i" important. J do feel speCial about the fact that you can be somewhere ancl bc the only per..,on there who knows how to "ave life ,· It gives me a semi - an-ogance which allows me to think that I am vcry different from other people "

He is also undeniably different from the average cadet. A relatively laLC starter. he did not join until he was 14, and was initially "just there because a friend JOI ned and It sounded quite good." From thiS inauspicious beginning he evolved II1tO an extremely active cadet and, through his membership of the United ations Youth Association, became youth ambassador to the United at ions He was also asked to speak at the econd World Climate Conference and after hob-nobbing with heads of state it is no surprise that Ral ph confesses an interest in politics.

He has appl ied to the London chool of Economics and been accepted to do a degree In Politics ancl Economics.

"J am taking ometimeotTfirst and will be going to China to teach English, I want to go away where nobody knows me to get a different perspective on things. After that I'l l do my degree but I 'm not decided about what comes next-I don't want o rLish into an arca. I think it is important to just concentrate on the actual

course for a v.hile.

"In all kind!> of situations the fact that J\e been a cadet and the respect that v. ith that ha.., been Invaluable For one thing people oflen feel fair!) guilty because they don't know how to clo first aid and so they respond to you differently. It is such a good thing to put on an application form but at the end of the day that's not \vhat i important. The major

"Ill all kinds of situations the fact that I've be ell a cadet alld the respect that goes with that has beell invaluable"

achievement for me has been the thing I have learned 111 St John - hO\" to be assertive but not arrogant; how to voice my opinion effectively, and having my effort ' re\\ arded on a national level.

"] am fa cinated b the politics going on inside the organisation and there i always a lot happening that I don't agree \\ ith. But the rank structure means you just have to abide with decision you don't agree with and I guess that will happen to me el ewhere in my career so it's all good experience. I thll1k I have really learned how to get my opinions across and how not to offend people when you di agree with them but need them on your side."

Unfortunately for St John. Ralph will be e ercising his practical and 0 ial sk.ills el ewhere in the future.

"I don't want to so und like I've used St John to get what I want and now I'm dumping it but it does take up a lot of time and I 've made the decision to cutdown on my St John acti"itie to concentrate on my A' Level s.

"With St John it ha alway been all or nothing forme and 1 want to be challenged and pu hed to the limit. As a cadet that happened but a an adult member, becau e of the wa) thing work in St John, the opportunitie are not really there for people my age. It has certainly been good experience though ."

E li zabet h H az le hur 22 yea r o ld R GN

"By O' Level time r Imev. r wa going to be a I1Lwe but 1 wOLildn't ay that being a cadet made that deci ion an obvious one," a) Elizabeth HazlehuL r. ow 22. Elizabeth has been a St John member ince he v. a'i eight and qualified as an RG 18 month , ago. Her mOlherwa a tJohnmemberwhen hejoined and she is also a nur e. Like mother like daughter?

"I couldn't say that my mother in pired me to go into nur ing \\ hen I wa vel') young because she ani fini hed her training ju t before I started mine. But I did join St John more or Ie s because she \>\ as so invol\ed.

"You do have to have pa ed your O' level to be accepted for nur ing training so you can't just rely on the fact that you have loads of first aid experience. in fact there is 0 littl actual fiLt aid work to be done on the wards as a nurse that I don't think that i. all that rele ant to Illy job. It eems like I ju t do load of paperwork most I)."

Even so. EI izabeth has no doubt that her May 1991 S J o hn Wo rld 15

in

t he

vcr

and

ige

tt

Gra n

Prior

For

It m ade me feel th at I was a capab e peLon. Y es. I clo enjoy prac ica l firs t aid wo r k, but I think being in S John and ak ing pa rt n a ll t he ac t ivi ies e me fi n d ou t th at I was ca p ab e o doing o ther things as we ll ."

im o n Stock hill , 20 ye a r s o ld Me di ca l Stu d e nt

"Did 1 join S John because wanted to be a doc t or'?", Simon S t ockhi ll is not at all sure.

" W ell , l e jus say i t he ped me to " now that I wantcd to be a doc t or. I hav n't a cluc really bu t k now I did want t o be a doc t or all the way through econdary schoo but it was a chic"en and egg si tu at ion and I clon' t rea l l) "now \\ hich came first. Certainly l1Llr:-.ing and fip,t aid raining \\ere a '" a) out ",hether

I wan t ed to do it or not."

Simon. :W, is now in his second year of training at t Marys, Paddington. H e had no medica l role modeh in t he family and think"

his St John experience was an invaluable "C) to entering the medical profe".,ion.

" 1joined \\ hen and wa" Cadet of the Year in 1987 - the year before I ",ent Cor interview. and I thin" that was part I) \\hy St

NORMANBY COLLEGE

O F H E A LTH STUDIES

John was t he main topic of a foUl' interviews. I had o ther awards and so on bul they just d dn' ask abou h em.

"Bu t isn't just that which I think is so helpful. A cadet has '>0 much more experience ofpeoplc whe ther it's a little o d lady who has fallell over at a garden fete or mecting he Princess Royal. They don't leach you how to communicate at medical "chool and on the wards those who can a l ready do that arc the best doctors in the end."

imon points out hat, unti they have some di fricu l t experiences, no one know'> how they will reac t under stress and perhap,> the intcrview panel had more confidence in hi" potential because he had already proved himself in this re'>pect.

"It', now almo.\t to gct in to medical ) ou havL.: \Dllle practical c\penence to put down on ) our UC A form. But it goes deeper than that, you bl:comc really Involved. Then at the intcrview lhcy "no\\ you have already 'Iurvived te.,t\llg e\that) ou've had practical C\penence of dealing WIth people III dl\tres\ - you "no"", it'" \ery dIfficult talklllg to "ollleone who ju"t broken theIr leg becau.,e people in paIn react very dlfferentl) and It can be up.,etting."

imon helped to \\.:1 up aLi K scheme at Marys. Hc believes the lack of fir"t aid traIning 1'01 medical "tudcn\', i" \\ OIT) Ing but hc sec'> the funn} SIde: "You hcar all kInd,> 01 '>tone'> of metlical student Lind even hou"emcn \\ ho are on the \\ ard \\ hen col iJp'"c,"

in front of them and thcy don 'Lcvcn know how to rc<,uscitate Ihem. I L ha"n't happened to me yct. I gCl1l10!"(.; thallmy fair share of drunk mcdical :-,tuelent<;. I i'i ridIculous - wc arc all supposed to be potentIal doctors but I' \l1 the (llle who gets called III il someone falls over and gets hun."

BUl was SImon's experience at intcrview unusual becau'ic he has stayed within mcdiCIIlC'? " don't know. ,>uspeel that any intcr viewcr loo"lng for which stand" (lut <ll1longa load of well-qualified candidates would look favourably on a St John member. l'eI definitely rccomlllend being a Cadcl to anyone for any job or any degree they wanted to do Whether you are glVll1g a specch to other Cadets, tryIng to tactfully persuade your supenntendent to actually Include something interestll1g in the programmc or ma"tcring that little 10 year old brat that seems to be In c\ ery Badger group - it's all useful experiencc.

S ub - Li e ut e na nt S U'ia n Bull oc k W R N 23 yea r ., o ld

P A to CO l1lm a nd a nt Ge n er a Royal Ma rin e "I joined John becaLl"e 111) mother had been in It for donkey'" years and I wouldn't say I gave ll1uch thought to it in terms of how much good it do 111y career." explains ue Bullock "I don thlllk It had any bearing on Illy career chOIce becLlu"e I've been potty about the a\) 'olnce I \\.a.., little. Both 111) parents had been In the <.,el"\ ice\ and the)

always made it sound like they had a good time."

Sue wear blind that she did not have any concrete plans to apply to the avy until the third year of her degree.

"And even then," she ays, "I had a rather dreamy VIsion olwhat It would be like and had no idea that would rea II y do l."

As a personal a'>sl'>tant working at Whitehall Sue is not enjoying a dramatic life on the ocean waves, although she planning to take advantage of the new rules which allow Wrens to carry out duties at sea.

When she applied for officcr Lrainll1g in the Royal Navy she was aware that the selectIon procedure would be tough and soon found out that the actual trallling evcn harder.

"O n the trall1ing cour.,e you do something called a PL T - a praeticalleadership task. You go yomping across the moors carrying a 61b pack and the appointed leader has to perform a task which involves the whole team Mine was getting a ,>tretchcr over a fence so it was rather appropriate.

"What 1 rcal i'led then", as how much the things I had done \\ IIh John helped me. had been on a few leader hip courses already and gonc dO\N n cha"ms on outward bound type weekends up in Wale [had that experience to oller the av) and It howed could lead people and take charge or people. al<;o did a cour<;e ",hlch was a big plus ."

And did the actual fir..,t aId train1l1g count for anything", hen he joined up'? "Well shall we jU"t <.,a) that it enabled me

to a.,ses.., the standard of the fir.,t aId tralni ng in the avy - what there Wa., of it anyway. There i.,n t very much at all and r feel there should be and have mentioned It 111 certain quarters :' If Sue has a criticl.,m of St John It is that '>he had to work very hardju<;t to find out about the very actIvities which she ha found so helpful to her in her work.

"T he organi<,ation ha changed a lot since was involved. only found out about the outward bound cour<.,e by accident when someone casually mentioned it to me. The structure meant that If your division \Nas not particularly on the ball then the local members tended to mis. out. hope that has changed becau'>e there was a terrible lack of communicatIon and just being in the Cadets doesn't mean allthat much to a future employer. Some peop\eju t. it there week after week and ha\e to be pushed into aCLivlties. To do well anywhere you have to be the right kind of person to begll1 with:' But for those with the right tuff. would Sue recommend t John as the icing on the cake?

"Oh ye<;, if people are 100"lng around for something to give them a chance in the job market then they "hould tl) it but obviously it can't be a sub titute for good qualifications." Sue is a graduate in Zoology, a subject chosen not for its marketability but because she"al\l,ay liked biology at choolanddidn't li"e ph)sics" ot highly relevant to a career in the Na\)- you might think -un Ie s. like Sue.

You may be able to handle a defibrillator - but can you cope with a red blanket???

T h e O ld Scene

Traditionally fir aid and ambulance workers utilised the red blanket as a modesty provider and a <.,ource or wamlth at the scene of an accident or dunng transport

[t was also used in time of need as a source of moving a patient. in cases where an ordinary stretcher was unu..,able or conspicuou ' by its absence. Canvas and other modern material soon came into vogue and replaced the blanket in its carrying fOrn1. so the blanket returned

LO its old uses. ow thanks to some clever pro ider'> our old friend ha returned to the fold in a new and exciting role, as a u. eful piece 01 frontline equipment.

New Stori n g

Blanket storing methods have never been ,>tandardised and many user have developed their own

Currently there is a move toward" gelling the sLOring of blankets standard ised for usage d u ri ng emergency work

Dick gives the following guidelines: Take your blanket and place it Oat, divide it widthwise into three and fold the two outer thirds onto the central third. Tightly roll each end until they meet in the centre. You should now have something about a foot wide, with the two ends rolled together. Secure this roll by encircling it with a papertape.

A d va n tage Bl a nk et

The advantages of this rolled blanket are numerous

• Easier to carry to the cene of an accident.

• It take up les storage space on the vehicle.

• It can be thrown safely to a colleague at the scene of a difficult incident.

• It come ready to blanket the stretcher, by just breaking the tape and unrolling.

H owzat

By simply breaking the securing tape you can use the b l anket to help you treat some of the following injuries:

• Two slightly open rolled blankets, one on top of the other, can be used to help maintain an open airway in a casualty with facial injuries.

• One or two rolled blankets can be used to provide additional head support for a casualty with pinal

injuries

• A rolled blanket under the neck in an arrest casualty will help maintain an oren airway

• An open rolled blanket placed across the abdomen Or chest will help dressings to control bleeding.

• number or rolled blankets placed alongside a casualty on a "coop stretcher will help immobilise a casualty with spinal injuries.

• An open rolled blanket placed around an injurcd 11mb will help stabilise any injury present. In all these l.:xalllpics success will depcnd on the blank et being secured by triangular bandages. Irac straps or restrainll1g belts

A n ot h er ro ll er nother u age of' a dilTerentl) rolled blankcl. is to roll the entire blanket widthwise until you ha\e ..,om c thill g that i.., about two inches In diameter and about SI\ I'oot long

• Alonn - rolled blanket can be used to support a Co casualt) in the ITCOVCI) PO'>ltIOIl.

• long - rolled blanket can be moulded around a casually".., injured limb and", ill act ao., a padded "'pllllt

• A long-rolled blanket gcntly 11<1\"C(\ undel a Gl\uall)"", ncck which is then ..,ecured at the end.., under th e armpit..,. will gi\1,; additional ,>uPP0rlto a ca,ualt) '" ith "'pll1aJ Injuries

Final Fo ld

The object ol'thl'" article i" 10 encourage the use of the ol d red blanket. a cheap and elTc c tlve fir"t aid arllcle dar t and improve!

I) ./0/1/'11(/1 oj ,Iil' [II/('/!.il'//CI ('I'\'Il ('\ reb 'Xl) Vol 02. "Elegant immobil i,>cr,> that) oUll1ake youro.,elr' b) Tholl1 Dick.

2) BU \ll M edie II/e.f(}/ · LlJlel'!.il'//C\' Pa \oJlJlel jC)85 Edt: R Evan" and P DUl'slon Pub' BUllelworth T h e Aut h or: Derek BaconKinsella is an Emergency Medical Technician (UK); RGN Student urse 3rcl year and a member of the 402 Division Mill Hill/ Edgwarc. L ___ __ -

The EVACUMAT Stretcher tS a vacuum action

Immobiltsation mattress deSigned by professionals for the transportation of the injured

The Stretcher reduces the risk of further injury, and protects that patient suspected of long bone fractures, hip and spinal injUries

The patient can be moved from acctdent scene through X-ray to theatre whilst remaining safely cocooned in the Evacumat Stretcher.

Please contact us for details of thts stretcher e

andourothe pARAID

FOR SPINAL INJURIES ....

Specialists in Ambulance Co nversion.

TRj VELFORCE

TRAVELFORCE have recently been appointed as the corporate travel agency to the Order of St John. We handle all aspects of travel for the Order. This means that we can offer special rates for its members and their immediate families on all ABTA holidays.

Please telephone us on 081-994 7724 for your ABTA holiday booking and introduce yourself as a member of St John to obtain your special holiday discount

ofr. This article is for people who are to camcras wha t Frank pencer i,' to DIY : it's for people who forget to removc the cap and who cut off the top of heads like so man) boiled eggs at breakfast.

Thcre are more mottos in photograph} than in Aesop's fables The only one that really matters IS this: it's not the 'ix inches in front of the camera that aunts, it's the six inches behind it!

Ifsomeone asks you to take a picture of an even t don't just turn up on the day with Uncle Tom Box Brownie pend five minutes and yourself why you are taking the picture The principle reason is probably that you Want a record of the even t: both (in the case of St John) for your division and maybe for the press Mo of th e 'records' we receive here at St John World aren t about eve nt s a t a llthey're abou th e prize giving ce re mony after an event. W e get hundreds of pi tures of gen tl emen in suits giving a panoply of cheq ues, shie ld and certificates to ladies and gen tl emen in uniforms

Except to th e few people involved, they are all id entica l and a ll deadly dull. Shots lik e these, if th ey a re used in a magazine, are liabl e to be used I e,-y sma ll

Press photo g raph e rs tak e a lot of formal prize-giving s hot s - but th ey don't have yo ur adva nt ages. They are working to a tr ic t timetable and often know I ittl e abo ut th e tor y. You hould know a ll about th e s tory, you

know the people involved and you should be abJe to get them (II1 a) from the lacklustre 'cheque-and-hand<;hake' shol.

Here are a few instance whIch might suggest ways of approaching an event:

I) A set of Badgers are being commended by the mayor for clearing up rubbish in a playground

2) An officer of Cade t is retiring and being pre ented with a shield.

3 A local bui Ider merchant i donating £SOO (0 refurbi h the St John hall

All three of th e e events could be hown with a standard ceremon) photograph. That' fine for the people involved, they will want to remember the ceremony For reader of a maga7ine, though, the story lies III why the) have got th e award. So :

I) Photograph the Badgers next to a bin in he playground. Forget the mayor (un less he's good enough to come a long - in which ca e you've go t it made)

2) Photograph the Officer after the award ceremony.wi thth e hieldandv.iththeCadet, See if the Cadet. are making th eir own award (c han ces are that it will be more original). If th e officer plans to spe nd their retirement garden in g, take a photo of th em with a t J ohn ca p in o ne ha nd, a pair of s hears in the o th er.

3) Photo gra ph th e film' repre enta tiv e in thc most de ola te part of the hall. 0 doubt you will want to how th e compa ny in a good li g hl. soinc lud e th e ideofavan"ay,ora hop front. Build ers merchant often have plendid

A picture speaks a thousand words : unless it's got camera shake , been underexposed or is out offocus Afew pointers for contributors to St John World.

T!Wt' f heIl e I'. and ahow time too

buildings that are a local feature - why not take ome unIformed member dov.n to it?

Rcmember. there is nothing more frustrating than reading a tory about a St John volunteer who wa spon ored to ail a bath blindfold aero the Antarctic Ocean. only to be given a picture of the nautical hero merely receiving a cheque.

The tion above all involve the idea of hooting the photograph out of door Even if the light i ubdued (mo t St J ohn activitie do take place in the evening) and you have to u e nash, the extra daylight \\ ill till improve your sho t con iderably. lnd eed , bright unl ight i one of the mo t difficult condi t ion to v.ork under. Some people till in i tlhat the photographer should have the sun behind them. This is a left-over from Edwardian time w hen fi lm emu l ion , were ery ow indeed. All it doe now make people quint. I f you have a F1a , h on your camera. u e it on unny days to take a picture i/1to the un Provided ou hield th e len (hold your hand abo e it 0 that a hadow fall 0 er the camera) YOLl v. ill be plea an tl y urprised at the re ult. Bri ght light bring out the be t in co lour film. The other g rea t pill to ph otograp hin g out of door i that it u ually 01 e th e almo t univer a problem of intru iv e backgrounds. Anyone who understand depth of field \. ill kn ow how to ut out' unwanted chair and curtain (by u ing a large apertu re). The uninit iated need remember only [hi : the be t Ma y 1991 John World 21

way to avoid d ifficul t background s is distoll ce Th e ne w a mbul a n ce

A typica l s ubject for "On Call ". An ambulance may be a thing ofbcauty to you. To mo people it's a lump of metal. Remember why you are taking the shot - thi n t ju t an ambulance, it's Little Puddleduck' s ambulance Why not photograph it next to the town hall or Little Puddleduck 's famou Buttercro ? At the very lea t include the St J ohn hall. If you want to include per onn e l, then find a fire e cape and take the hot from above. It' s urpri ing, incidentally , that our file have 11 0 picture of ambulances that co nvey peed ( which i mo t people perception of an emergency vehicle, and not beyo nd th e whit of a competent SLR u er).

nex t to a 19th Century roundabout at a fe te. T h

Everything e lse ha s failed and there is no escape - you hal 'e to have a reco rd of a presentation. Lady Sno gg in s is being g iv e n a rose bowl for no particular reaso

a nd show the audience (d isc ree tl y blurred) in stea d IL s a lso th e angle that will pr ov id e a IJrq/'iles hot of Lad y no gg in s a nd he r presenter - so no danger of red eye' and falsc exp ressio ns. Advice for mi ce

Peo pl e who are n ' t reg u lar photographers get und ersta ndabl y nervous when put in charge of a camera. If th ey had a good id ea for

A good photographer would s till take charge of th e s ituati o n Thc y would insi ton bein g g iv e n a mom e nt afte r or during th e pre sen ta ti on when they ca n co mmand a few fornl al s ho t

There are two con rad ictory mottoes YOll'l\ sce wri tt e n abou t hand lin g a photo es ion The first is: "A few casua l wo rd s will put the If all of the e options defeat you, then a k your elf why you think the ambulance is beautifu l. If it' s becau se you and a mate rebored the engine, then take a picture of omeone in oiled dungaree emerging from th e bonnet gra ping a tappet (w hatever a tappet is ). If it' because it show St John

fyou're a mouse with

Con ider taking th e picture from th e hack of th e pre , enta tion area. Thi should cu t out th e woodchipped wall a nd row of chairs that nea rl y a lw ays appears on presentation shots

Camera Types

The most important thing about a camera is the size of film it u es; the bigger the negative, the better the picture. For most purposes a camera that takes 3Smm film is the optimum choice. It might upset thousands of readers, it will certainly upset hundreds of manufacturers, but if you're u ing the type of camera that takes a plastic cartridge or (even worse) a disc film then you are not taking press quality picture Don t cxpect them to appear anywhere but in your own photo albums.

The second most important thing on your camera is its lens. To say much on this score would be t iresomely tech n ical. S uffice it to say that if you've got a camera with a plastic lens that takes good pictures, be t hankfu l. If yo u 've got a came ra with a glass lens that takes bad pictures, consider yourself unlucky.

• FIXED FO CUS CA M E R AS - Very basic; usually made of plastic (sometimes even cardboard!) and often given away as f ree gifts by petrol companies and banks. Some versions have simple focusing switches (typically shown by small drawings of mountains for landscape hots, and silhouettes for portraiture); others h ave sim pl e expos ure switches (typically shown by drawing of the un and clouds). Providing you are not too ambitio us (and don 't forget to adjust the switches) 3Smm fixed focus cameras are capable of taking decent ph otogra ph s - mainly because modem film quality is so high.

C OMPA C T C AMERAS -A compact camera is basically any camera that is more ophisticated than the previous examp les, b u is n 't a si ng e-lens reflex camera. Some have automatic focusing systems that work by reflec tin g in fra- red beams, some simp l y rely on the pho tographer to estimate the distance and set it m an ua ll y by urnin g the le ns. Some have automatic light meters, some still depend on cloud/sun hine switches. Some h ave zoo m lenses, others have fixed lenses. Nearly all 3Smm version are well up to high qu ality res ul ts. The po tential failing they have (in common with fixed focus cameras) is that the picture seen th rough the v ewfi nder is not EXACTLY the same as the picture seen through the lens. This is where all those 'd umb' m istakes - leaving the lens cap on, putting your finger over the lens, cutting off people's heads - can creep in.

• SINGLE LENS R E FLEX C AMER AS - SL R s (as they are conveniently called) are cameras which - by us ing a mirror tha t flicks up as he picture is taken - give a lmost precisely the same image in the viewfinder as th e one o n t he f ilm Unt il comparative ly recent ly they were t he main choice for peop e who wanted inte rc h a ngeab le an d zoom enses and they rema in the sta ndard tool of the press p hotographer. Modern SLRs a re m iracles of h ig h tec hn o logy, which in itse lf can ca use the unwitting more problems than it solves. H owever, a n yo ne who can afford the la test Nikon or (celestial fanfare of trumpets) Leica can also afford to b u y a few ph otog rap h y ma nu als to go wi th it.

22 St John World May 1991

should

• POLA R O ID S - These are the cameras that give you instant colour pictures after you press the button. This mean that if you're not happy with the picture you get you can repeat 11 almost immediately The type have automatic focusing systems that use sound waves and - since they effectively have a large 'negative' - should produce high quality results. Experience contradicts this Polaroid pictures sent to SJW are invariably 'flat'. the colour contrast i low and the squarish shape of the picture makes for boring composition. Our advice (until Polaroid send us a free camera!) is to avoid them at all cost.

do - hid e behind the camera. Conce ntr a te so lel y on th e im age in th e v iewfi nd

And don't forget to turn th e camera vertica ll y once in a w

Many a re the sto r ies or photographers who tak e th e first 20 pic tures of a formal shoot deliberately wit hout a fi lm in

Ted Race , the owner of the Gym and Trim Health Cluh , Ipswich , recently presented a cheque for £1 J88.83p to Palll Welham)pS wich Area Commissioner. It's all imponal1f STory - bur the Polaroid didn't do it justice.

picture

If you do thi s properly you' ll di .cove r that a ca mera has a natural aut hori ty; you don't have to apo ogise for it and no one is going to lunge at you for being there.

In any case you can put too much emphasis on moving th e subjec ts aro und , as if they we re th e co nt ents ofa bowl of frui l. Do this for too long a nd there\ a danger thal they ll s art to look I ike lemons

A mouse should concentrate instead on moving itself around. Flcx your knees (bu t avoid including the ceiling ill the picture). BC(ll:r sti ll , get some hcight. Climb some stairs or even jump on a table if nece ssa ry from a hei g ht are excellent for group because th ey condense the per<;p ec t ive. Some peop e wi ll look at you but fine. A few faces looking to camera help draw

Sooner o r later, th e one brave thing that a mouse , a las, ha s todo isr:e t close. Look through the pictures you've takcn in the past. You'll almost certain ly find th at haIr the photo is was ted becau se there 's a n inch around the margins that means nothing

Ind eed, if you come away from thiS article with anyone idea in yo ur head, let it be this: TAKE MORE THAN ONE PICT RE. If the event is worth photographing at all, it has to be worth more than the 30p that the average co lour print costs.

For quality reasons, colour magazines like transparency (ie slide) film best. In fact, the be t colour prints are arguably produced by tranparencies - but it i an expensive option Another problem with transparency film i that it require more accurate expo ure to get good results.

Magazine regularly convert colour pictures to black and white, but the subtle colour variations are often lost and the resulting image lacks COntrast. Picture taken for b&w media (eg local new paper or "On Call") are best shot on b&w film in the first place

Unfortunately, b&w i more expensive and generally lower to get developed. To the grief of many keen photographer, most people today con ider b&w fi 1m to be a poor' econd', like black-and-white TVs.

Note that if you are ubmitting colour print film to a magazine, then don't send in a STipple-finish prin/.

When choosing a film, remember that the fa ter the film peed the pOorer the film quality. If you've been buying 400ASA colour print film for the past two year, go out now and buy a IOOASA, or even a 64ASA film and compare the difference in quality.

Fuji is currently the favoured colour print film in the popular market, but Kodak has a long- tanding policy of obliging the less experienced photographer by offering greater expo ure latitudes If you have the kind of camera with cloudy/sunny etling, tick with Kodak.

Fi na ll y, develop your films as quickly as possible. If you can do it a matter of hours after the event (and Boots now offer an excellent one hOur service) you really will notice the difference. Avoid, at all costs, waiting several months to finish off those last two frame before developing.

Flash is a boon and a bane. Even cheap cameras now have flash as standard because it guarantees that the foreground of the picture (at least) will be properly exposed and because it 'freezes' the action, avoiding blur and shake.

But flash also produces bleached skin tones, harsh shadows and 'e xploding stars' on every reflective surface from windows to spectacles

The best flash guns can be directed so that the light 'bounces' off the ceiling (which gives a better, diffu ed light - but if the ceiling coloured it can tum everyone into green meanies)

If you're taking a flash picture:

• avo id people standing close to background walls where they will cast har h hadows.

• a vo id people in peaked caps (their eyes disappear).

• avo id infonnal groups of people where anyone at the back will fade into the gloom (many flash guns are only effective up to fifteen feet).

• avo id having windows or anything in the picture that might give unexpected reflections.

• avo id having people staring straight at the Canlera, since (hi might produce "red eye"

('Red-eye' i cau ed by light reflecting from the vein in the back of the eye-ball. If your camera turn all your subject into vampires, then the flash gun is too close to the len this is true of nearly every compact flash camera on the market. The chances of getting 'red-eye are also reduced if you photograph people in comparati vely bright light so that their pupils are narrowed )

You might like to write down all he above points to avoid on the back of your camera. If they won't fit, then four words will suffice: rake The picfl/re outside. A little extra daylight will compensate for mo t of the problems. May 1991 S t John W o rld 23

Do you know your manuals?

When treating a nose bleed the bleeding ha topped, what advice would Y0 U give the

2 You are treating a nose bleed, what should you forbid the ca ualty to do?

5 What doe the head bandage not do?

8 Wh y would you app ly indirect pressure 10 this injured limb ?

Letters Page

ADET TRIUMPHS ...

Arter leaving a ci ty division (where I was D/O for Cadets) I joined Hanb orough and Freeland Divi,>ion They were an adult divi ) ion , although there had been adets there some time ago. I still wanted to work with young people and decided to try and encourage \ome of them to come down and perhaps 're form' the cadet side. I put out600 leanets around I Ianborough and surroundlllg villages in our area and announced the for 4th May

Hanborough and Freeland Cadets were refonned in May 1990 with just ')even members. Gradually , due to word of mouth, the numbers have increased to an encouraging 2H They are a wellmOlivated and interested group of young people and during their shon time in the Brigade have taken part in many County events. They attended the oun ty sportS day in June 1990; entered the Area Resuscitation ompetltlon in ovember, gallling second place ( not bad for newcomers) ; attended a leadershir weekend; went on a weekend camp, and some have gained their fir<,t rroficiellcy badge

Amazing Graces

With reference to the letter in the March i,>'>ue of StJohn World headed "Saving Grace", I should like to point out that in the Cadet BOOA oj Prayers , pages 59 and 60 , there are the following:I ) Bless , 0 Lord, these, thy gifts to our use and us to Thy )ervice for Christ's sake. Amen. 2) For what we are about to recei ve, may the Lord make us truly thankful. Amen. 3) For food and fellowship we praise thy name, a God. Amen. 4) For health and fellowship and daily food, we praise Thy ame, 0 God. Amen. I do not know if thi., book i<, out of print but we find it very useful as It aha contain prayers and scripture references

3 Watery blood i issuing forth from your casualty's no e: why should you be cau tiou s,)

6 Wh y do head wounds appear 10 bleed profusely and alarmingly?

9 You ha\ c lhal thiS casualt) is bleedlllg internal I) What should you do with any material passed or vomited'?

On 3ru March five or the girl.., (Jo Jackic Williams, Michelle Young, Paula Bennett and helley Barlow) entered the County Fll",t IU Comretillons and much to their surpri<,e, won! They no'" go forward to the regional,> In May They have all helped in fundrai<,ing events, cake ales, Bnc -a- brac sales - culminating in a 12 hour sponsored diSCO held on March 9th.

So, as we approach our fi r'>t ann iversary, I think the whole di \ i.,ion can look bacJ.. on the adets' fir<.,t year wllh pride, and the Cadets should be proud ofthcm,>elves. After all, v. ithout them there would be no group and none of this would have been possible

Debbie Co u in Officer in C har ge

Hanb oro u g h and Freeland Dh i ion

AND

10 What is the " Aim or First Aid" In treating minor e'(temal bb:ding?

4 You are treating this casualty who has bleeding from the ear, what shou ld you not do and why?

7 The wound on thi s ha nd is 52 hours old and i not yet s tartin g to heal properly, What would you think is wrong?

L1 If this aml wa!> impaled on a railing, who would you a k the Ambulance Control to con ta ct and why?

I run the Friday section orthe Guildford Cadet Division and have been in St John for near!) fourteen year'>. In that time I have een a lot of changes in the Bngade, some for the better and ome for the worse

One of the more majorchange has been that of the Cadet's action pack and G rand prJ r 'y II abll r feel that these changes ha vc been one of the e, although the principle of the action pack i good in that It IS trYll1g to get the new Cadets involved in the diVision a lot quicker. However, in practice this doc!> not happen.

The action pack cour e i meant to la t seven weeJ..s. This is both llnpoible and Impractical, th e new Cadets cannot learn all that is et down in the cour e and take it in. AI 0 the in ' tructor cannot fit in all the course. I have found that it takes an average of twelve to fourteen week to complete the course.

The action pad, doe not contain enough first aid knowledge to et the Cadet up. Therefore, the y need to do an E sentia ls of fir [ aid Course within a rea onable time period Thi lengthen the course can iderably and it' hard to keep the Cadet' intere t.

The other major change in the Cadet i in th e proficiency ubJect When I wa a cadet th ere were many more llbject for u to choo e from, for example I did Nature Study, Collecting, amping, Animal W e lfare, anoeing, Swimming, atural Hi s tory and many more There were about thirty to forty different ubject ow a lot of the se ubjects have di appeared and I am findin g it di fficult to keep the Cadet lI1terested when choo ing cour es to do for the Grand Prior Plea se let have a revi ew of th e Cadet' activities before we 10 e their intere s t pelmanently!

Gary Phillip AIM, IIC, Guildford Divi ion

The director of C adet training would welcome more view on this topic

of any di s tinguishing marks - Ed

Our divi ion ha been given a large quantity of Xmas parcel tao for ,>ale on a chariry tall later in the year. They were made by an gen tl eman and are very attractive. The tags were made from old ma card. What I want to know i ,by elling them to the public, will there be an infringement of copyright and shall we be liable to action by the owner thereof?

I am aware that the e tag are made by othercharitie to rai e fund. bur I wi h to be ure th at there can be no repercu ion in our doing o. W.J Padgham PRO C hri tchurch Co mbined Di v i ion

A poke per on for the greeting card company, Gordon Fra er, commented: "You are on very, ve ry s ticky ground. Technically it is an infringement of copyright.". That aid, the chances o'f a company s uing you for the ake of a few hundred cards are negligible. Your only real worry if yo u have thou s ands of card from one company - in which ca e contact them fir t -Ed.

a ked u to inform reader '" ho use ba k i ue of Do You Kn ol\' YOllr Mallllals for training purpo e to note that the following que lion hould be withdrawn:

Paper I, q. ,(pbl. july 1988)

Paper 2. q l3, (pbl. Aug 198 )

Paper 14, q .3, (pbl. Sept 19 9)

Paper 17 , q.II, (pbl. Dec 1989)

St John World May 1991

Letters continued

Training

and straining

The article by Bob White (Oc t 1990 ) and lellerc by Eric Bowd ( Dec 1990 ), Marlin Hopper and others (Jan 1991 ), point up a problem that will be at b t hard to olve. and perhaps impos ible. Mr White 's view might be written off a ultra-con ervative. but hi s concept of the Brigade is the main reason why most people join it.

Mr Hopper and those of his opinion are looking forward to a fornl of treatment that wa notavailable until relatively recently But whil t one hould admire their enthu ia as volun teer pan-timer they have time to undergo the neces ary training. For thi i hard work; it isn t only breathing apparatus which is dangerou in inadequately trained hands.

It i worth looking back a bit.

From the ixtie onwards, a recurring concern at Medical Conferences was the unreliable tandard of R e-Examination. one of u fe lt that they were atisfactory: properly searching testing wa logistically (and psychologically) fraught WIth difficulty.

The new F W regulations and particularly the courageous production of the t John FA W Pad.age' at lea s t offered a system whereby both the in:truetor and the examiner could really sa ti sfy them elves that each candidate wa compe tent. And even thi has proved extremely difficult to integrate into Brigade instruction. again for logistic and p ychological reaso ns. Mu ch or the resentment can bc put down to resistance to change. but practical arc obv iousand enormous. The four-day course is far beyond th e reach of members unle s the y take it out of holiday time: other", i!o.e, a cour e mu t be spread out over many weeks. and continuity is thinned almost out of e It i unlikely therefore that more than a handful will become paramedically trained: the are stacked against them Once trained being few. they will themselve s be very thinly spread amongst the necessary duties. But, once they are trained (and I do not undere timate the value of this happ) few), what of the remainder? Having qualified for entry. and then logged th rough FA W, they will till be "seco nd cla'>s ci tizen ". Will they make the tea')

The attraction of mem bershi p of rhe Brigade has alway,> been

th a t we offer tr aining. ancl expect competence. in basic malleI'S within the rea c h of volunteer part timer s, withjob and fami li es to look alkr. "Finst Aid is the s ki lied appli ation of accepted principles...u:-,ing facilities or materials available at th e time " (FA W 1.1.1). What will happen to recruitment?

All th e arguments 1'01' para-

medical trainin g appearto be valid. I have asked questions. but alas, I have no answers. I do not envy St John 's Gate or Grosvenor rescen t a<, th y seek one. Let us hope that lhey ge t it right.

Rob e l-t Pel'cival Meh, F RCS Sometime Bri ga de Surgeon, C dr S t John A mbul ance Kenl

A word of caution

The following sad story may providc 'food ror thou gh t for fellow memb ers of St John and. in particular. those responsiblc for the next impression ofthc P.F.A. manual. 1was recently Instructin g at a P.F.A course. and covering the R.T.A. cction. A class mcmber queslioned the wisdom of "swi tchin g IT' the cngine.

It appears that in a recent accident a 10 year old girl ended up under the wheels of a Citroen car with onl) superfiCial injuries

Unfortunately when the eng.ine ""as SWitched olT the hydroelastic uspensions was released and the young girl cru..,hed to death.

I hav e alway.., been aware of the Citroen su<,pcnsion. but I must confess that untIl no'" I would not ha\ e given It a thought in thiS particular scenario. It surely must ca us e <,ome concer-n if litigation procedures are brought.

R e '\ Purch a c CSO Dorset

We contacted C itroen U K ",ho ",ere not familiar "ith th e in cident Rex refer s to. They told u : "The C itro e n BX doe s utili se a hydropneumatic u p e n ion ys tcm with an e n g ine drhe pump However , in the intere t of s afety a accumulator is incorporated to en ure that the u p e nsion sy l e m r e main s pr es· \ s uri se d for a con iderabl e period after the ignition is turn ed ofL.Not knowing the full d e tail s of thi. ca e it i difficult to peculate on the indh idual circum tanc e ".

Crossword No 5 (91) by WA Potter

IJ May be cause of epidcmic or intestinal infection (7).

12 Harbourer of a great number (4) IJ Make lise of the sense 01 tou ch (4).

14 Bandage for thumb. great toc. shoulder. or hip (5).

16 Wrinkled like thc stomach linll1g (6).

17 Type of mu cle which can be Changed inlo gas (7).

20 Purt or lanyard : no mailer which (3).

22 Dust net for pupil (7).

23 Just a short dOl.e (6)

26 Muscle Ilexing and rotatin g the thigh (5).

29 Bow drop or fall (4).

30 Regular event Without end (4).

32 Disea'>c caught Irom infected carcase.s - begun by 17 down (7)

33 atural environment of a ,>pecics (7).

34 Gets nice Ch<UlgC 111 clentrfic stud} of mechani'>m'> of heredity (8).

35 Protein-dlge'>l1ng krmenl 01 gastrrc JUice (6).

CLUES DOWN

1 2 3 Hopc pair prouucc.., a great no", of tears (8). Hypermetropta In Manchest er (9). Micro-organi 111 (4). Go bac\.. in qrange COIOIl) for study of tumour,> (8).

6 Convolution or bra 111 fr0111 mangy Rus"ian (5).

7 Secreting unIts 01 eXOCrine glands (5).

8 ccrelion 01 gland,> 111 e\ternal aUdllOry meatus (6).

9 Appearance in cvcrc blood lo s (5)

15 Second - hand (4).

17 Ins ect from Call1on (3).

Do you know your manuals?

Wounds and Bleeding (2)

Answers from page 24

I Avoid exertion and do not blow th e no!o.c for four hour'> so as not to any clots 2 Speak. swalloY\.. coughing, spitting or "niffing 3 May be a signofa fractured Do not plug the ear or try to slOP the now from the ear: may build up inside the middle ear 5 Provide adequate pressure for the Control of severe bleeding 6 The scalp has a rich ,>upply of blood and the skin is nonnally tretehed over the s kull 7 The Wound may be infected 8 Direct pre ure and elevation have prOved ineffective 9 Sene! a samp e to hospital with the casualty 10 Control bleeding and minimise infection 11 The other emergency services. as Cutting tool may be required

18 Sight of myopic (4).

19 Innaml11ation of lining of a JOlnl (9).

20 Sufferrng from loss of appetite (8).

21 Split pea and nut in drug controlling epilepsy ( ).

N Arranged escape rrom cuslOdy (6).

25 Side of heart carrying deoxygenated blood (5).

27 Frequenll} found in oft endothelia (5).

28 Trust broken ror upport (:).

31 Competenl (4).

Classified

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Tel: Draycott (03317)

A BROKEN LEG NEEDS A LARGE CAST.

Good news ronhe ever hard-pressed Ophth almi c Hospital in Jerusalem. ot on ly has the new matron, Janet Bowman, been appointed but the Edwina Mountbatt n Trust has proposed tosponsortwoqualified nurses to serve there ror a year. The nur es have to come rr m t John mbulance Brigade and the Hospital is now looking ror applicants. More details on page 4.

Editor VIctor All e n 51 John World Gro\\ enOl London SW I 71:.1 Tel 071 2155231 e\t 2.'iX I-a\ : 071 2350 796

"tanager : SheIla 1crrell 14 Bo\grove Bognor Rcg" W Su.,.,C\ P021 4BS Tel: 0243 2651 9X rax. 0243266711

Published by; Q Pnnl Walrord Tel. 0923 679946

Co ntribution : John World I, \'0111 rnaga/tne unci. whde II" not rmslble 10 guarantee Inclu:'lon all conlributlons arc welcome These should be typed, on ol1e \Ide or A4 rarer. Plea,c sure cvenls arc properly dated and Ihat you have Incl uded the author s coman name, and tdephone number. Trall',parencies. and white rnnts and (glos\y) colour pnnts arc all acceptable IllUstratIon, Photographs with addrcsse\ on the bad. are more to be returned so heed PRE D Y: la:.t day oflhe month.

Subscription: In dividual corie'> of t John are [1.00 each. Po:-.tal 1:-' [14.00 per ,lnnUIll ([ 16.00 Subscription enquiries shou ld be direcled 10 PO Box

nd a hl y ob c ure quiz On Call ll ew , and events from around the Divi ion.

Medically speaking ................. 12 ------"

Ju 't what do all tho e doctor get up to in ottingham every year? o. She's Ilot ill pain.

A surprise guard of honour greeted Christine Symon and Germain Farrelly as they left St Wend rona church near Hel s ton after th e ir marriage. Christine, an optical receptioni s t , gained th e Grand Prior's Award as a Cadet and ha clocked up 1 000 hr s in public duty. Her mother is DNO in charge of Hel s lon Quad Germain i stationed at RNAS Cold rose. The Division prese nted the couple with an inscribed carriage clock.

A FRIEND INDEED

The impre ario, Roben Luff. has undertak.en to support a new benevolent fund to help both active and retired St John Ambulance members in financial need Mr Luff. who i a s upporter and pa&t president of the Brigade in Scarborough , ha s already macle a s ub stantial donation to et the fund up through hi charitable tru t, The Robert Luff Foundation.

"I feel very strongly about it " Mr Luff told SJW. "Fo r years I had shows in the We s t End, including the ten years in The Victoria Palac e with the Black and White Min trel Two member from St John Ambulance attended each performance A lot of people were tak.cn illas really doe happen in theatre - and in ome ca , e liv e. were saved.

"St J ohn Ambulance members give their tim e freely, they pay their own money to travel to carry ou t duties a t performance s. [ felt] was repaying a debt. When these people fallon hard time s it's a way of repaying them for their efforts."

The new Fund will be known a the Roben Luff Foundation Benevolent Fund and wi ll s upersede the existing Brigade Ben evo lent Fund which has been in existence since 1921

Monies from the Bri gade Benevolent Fund , which la st year made three payments - inc ludin g a stairlift for a di sa bled member and help for a bereaved member - will be abso rb ed into the new and considerably large r Fund.

The funds co ns titution states: "The purpo se of the fund is to address hard sh ip s in a Ll its forms. Thi might include infirmity in old age, poverty, disability or in capac ity." There is no age limit for applications, s ubject to five yea rs service with St John Ambulance.

As with the Bri gade Be nevo e nt Fund , th e new trustee s expect that most of th e payments they make will be of a one-off nature , a lth ough it is open to them to co ns id er longer term support in cases of exceptional need. A max imum payment of £500 (open to annua l review) is perm itted to be mad e. " Thi s is a most gene rous ges ture by a tru e fri e nd of St John, " sa id Stuart Latham , Secretary to the Tru stees. "I hope we can now say th at beca use of Mr Luff no St J ohn Member shou ld ever have to undergo se riou s ha rd s hip because of fina ncial need Appl ications, which s hou ld be directed throu g h County Commi ss ioners, wi ll be treated in the stri ctest confidence".

4 St John World Jun e 1991

Nursing Members

The Edwina Mountbalten Trust has chosen to spo nso r two nur ses 1'01' the space of a year althe St John Ophthalmic I fospita l in Jeru sa lelll. The <.,ponsorship i" estimated to be worth some'(24,OOO.

The Ho spital i" now seeking applications forthe post. Id eal ly both nurses should come from within

th e Brigade and shou ld be qualified to work at an ophthalmic hospital (0 D). Il owever, the Hospital a lw ays welcomes nurses with interests other than op hth a lmology and the Trust has agreed that one nurse without an 0 D will be considered. They will nonetheless have to have fami Iiarised themselves with basic ophthalmic nursing and the anatomy and physiology of the eye.

The turnover of patients at Jerusalem is very and the nurses will have to adapt quickly to lheir new circumstance". All '>Isler'> are expected to Lak.e charge of the Hospital on ighl Duty , on Late Duty and at weekends.

The'>uccessful appllcanLs will join a team of <'ix nurses with responsibility for35 male beds, 21 female beds and 21 c hildren'<, beds

Any non -O D sister would have a bac1-.-up "tafT of ophthalmic - trained nur.,es, but ""ill be respon.,ible ror the decisions tak.en duri ng lhel r span of dut) A longer penod ofonentation will be gi:en to ,hsi..,t thelll, with as much help as i.., necessary from the ur"ing chool. Othcrwi.,e the job description for both posts IS Identical. Those IIlterested in apply IIlg t \hould contact the Hm,pitaller, Ir 2 Godfrey Milton -Thompson at Gro'>\'enor Crescent. •

PRESSURE AT YOUR PLEASURE

Guernsey's professional St John Ambulance and Rescue Service has receiv ed national recognition for its expel1ise in recompression treatment, and may even help to sct the standards for th e rest of th e EE

The UK Department of Health has asked the Institute ofOccupational Medicine at Edinburgh to 'ct up a working party to draw up acodeofpractice forall hyperbaric c hamber s us in g comp ressed gases in medical treatlllent , and the c hairman, ProfR I McCallum , has invited Staff Officer John Marshall of Guernsey's Ambulance and Re scue Service to join th e working party and help draw up th e guidelines.

With the borders of Europe opening up in 1992, it is possib le that the new UK guidelines wi ll be used as a base for a European standard.

Mr Mar. hall recently attended ameetingofthe British Is les Group

for hyperbaric in Lon · don, at which the surgeon'>, ph),I' cians and operators involved In hypcrbaric trealment discussed ,>tandard, of operation for all chamber,>.

He explained that there are now many recompression cham bers the K and Europe, opera ted at naval offshore oi 1 rigs and hospitah Wh i1st the y ori gi na 11 y concen trated on Lreatin g divers for the 'bends', many doctors arc now referring a of illnesses for treatment in recompression chamber, onditions from moke inha· lation to osteomyel itis, and including cr ush injuries, fracture healin g and blood los s are being give n hyp e rbaric - high press ureoxygen tre a tment in recompression chambers, and the working party will lay down the minimum stand· ards of patient care, m dical SUo pervision and safety for all centres.

Srajj OllicC'r .Jo/tn Marshall ;11 (;I/('rns£,\ '\ Ne CIJlIl/lr(,,\\/()1I C/WII//JCI

The wor1-.ing pan) I"e\peeted to he made up of around '>1\ C\perh In addition to Ambulancc and Re,>cue ervin: arc li1-.cly to be from Aberdeen, from Whipps ross Ilospital in London. the DI' ing DI\eases Research Centre at Ply mouth and the Royal av) at PorhmOLith Guern..,ey ' ,> hler mbulance Officer , eil TudeI'. said he wa,> vel"} pleased that the ervlcc had been a..,1-.cd to contribute it" c\penence and e,\pcrtise in the field of recompression. The St John 111bulance and Rc,>cuc Service III Guemsey "tarted its recompression operations in 1969. v, ith a portable chamber jus t big enough for one man. This accoillmodated the patien t under pressure whilst the chamber was flowllto a stut ic centre in Prance 1'01' long duration treatments.

In 1972 thc ervice commisSI?,ned the first purpose-huilt ciVilian Matic rccompression centre

In the British Isles and ha-; cooperated over a number or years with the Royal aval base at Portsmou th , with the results of local treatment being sent to the Diving In cident Panel ill London and th; Diving Diseases Research Centre at Plymouth forll1edical evaluation.

The thing John and Vera Cody did after sett lin g into the St John HOlle Club was tell off SJW. It seems we've been printing the wrong telephone number in the Hou se Advert. We also said had three sin g e rooms, when th ey've got four- so Bridge partIes are okay all. The new Warden and Secretary come from London onglllally. John retired in February after 22 years in the RAF. oW, what wa that number again

Bear Necessities

A BC, as ,"e all kno"". stands for Airv. a) Breathlllg and Circulation l';O"" baby food manuracturer Milupa in aso lallon "" Ilh SLJohn ha produced a colourfulleatlet for parent'> e'en'vhere on Fir L id for babies and toddlers. Free copie from HQ Public Relation Department.

ervice commenced tri als in the hyperbaric trealillent of multiple sclerosis patient-,. under the supel\ i ' ion or Dr John Bolt. and has treated i-.,olated cases of other illne ses for dOLtors in Guernse) and The recompression centr; in i operated b) ambulance starr \., ho undergo special trainin g in the techniques and disea 'e s invohed. and Dr Bolt said the invitation tosit on the \\ or1-.ing part, \\ as recognition of the high standards and e\penence of tIle Gueme) el\ ice and its tafL • June 1991 51 J o hn World 5

Conference Pairs

Lef;: The hotel ill Bermllda may he ill the pillA, hilt the weather lI OS/1't so rosy: right: Lady EIi:oIJ('th Godsalll'ith alollel Be rtralld CottOIl ill CookstowlI.

"The

was

The Conference was officia ll y opened by Mr Quinton Edness JP, MP , Mini ste r of Hea lth Socia l Service & Hou ing Bermuda in the pre ence of HE The Governor Major General Sir Dc mond Langley. A in Ma la y ia, eac h country wa in vi ted to deliver a presentation on ' Th e W ay Forward' to hi gh li g ht how they aw th e future development of St John in their region. Bri efings on Operation Granby, the Energy Pro gramme, Medica l tr ends and Developments in Relation to Fir t Aid, and the Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem were also given. A

The making of a video

Work on th e Association's new Firs t Aid Training Video h a proceded apace si nc e we announc ed the ge nerou s award b y the Federation of Ma

Pi c tur es from t wo sess i ons. Ri c hard Gardner, so m etim e SJW photographer, was recruited when th e crew ran ou t of bodies (Iefi)

He had both his legs th e las t tim e we saw him, so they can't Ita l'e let him use th e chai nsow.

joint presentation by th e urgeon -in - hief from Britain and Canada was as infoJlllati c as it was entertaining.

Much 'behind the scenes' v. ork was done including the furtherance of twinning schemes between Ihe Provinces olTanada and aribbean 51 John Branches. cnalor Blackman, Barbados hairman of ouncil, QC of Barbados also successful ly proposed the fonllLllion of an informal aribbean St John Nctworh..

The Brigade in Bennuda, incidentally, is a small one - 50 all rank, _ but has two modem ambulances and a new Headquarters and plays a significant pal1 in CommunIty affairs Comma n dery of Ard

ChieJPre idenl oJStJohll Ambulance, Lady Eli/abeth vIsited Northern Ireland on 5.6 & 7 April a\ guest of the Annual Brigade Conference in Loughry AgrIcultural ollege Cookstown Over 300 Brigade Pre - idents, Oflicers, Members. adel and Badger leaders took part in worbhops, lectures and discussion groups Lecture topics included 'Training in the Brigade in the decade up to 200Cr. 'Trauma' and ·Renexology'. Dungannon Fire Brigade put on a fire fi g hting dlspla) , while the Cadets had tht:ir own Starlab Planetarium hov..

IT'S NO ACCIDENT THEY CHOSE A DEFENDER

Matron appointed for Jerusalelll

Janet Bowman has been made the new Matron of the John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem. Her father was a member of St John Ambulance and he herself wa a St John Cadet. She took a degree in hi tory at Sussex University before training as a nurse at the Royal Alexandra Ho pital, Rhyl, North Wale, After working atthe Plastic Surgery Unitat Ea t Grin lead, he went to Vietnam with the Save the Children Fund's Anglo, American Plastic Surgery Team in 1970. he qualified a a Health Visitor in 1976. During her nur ing career, Mis Bow' man has acquired an extensive experience of the Middle East, working in Cairo, Baghdad, Tripoli and finally Riyadh, where her last appointment was Director ofNur ing at the King Abdul Aziz University Hospital. Miss Bowman live in Sussex, ha s what she describes as "conversational Arabic" and is looking forward to starting her work in Jerusalem in May.

Making a clean getaway

Raffled Feathers

rtment, 071-2355231 ext 277)

Jerusalem Casebook

Twelve year old Maysa A' Rahim seen here being by Sister Meg Dibsy one night during the Gulf War. Maysa got a thom III her eye and contracted a massive infection. She was unable to get to the Samt John Ophthalmic Hospital for a few days due to war time curfews; when she did arrive it was too late to save the eye. The patients are sleeping on the floor of the hospital corridors. The doors are sealed with Sellotape against the dangers of gas attack. Although the sisters were issued with gas masks (in the box, right), at this stage of the war the Palestinian patients and Nurses did not have them. Also in the picture are Practical Nurse Khawla Ellayan and (furthest away) Sister Muhareb.

8 St John World Jun e 19 91

ituaries

Rear-A dmir a l Royer My liu s Dick 1897-199J

Admiral Royer Di ck, whodied last month, was the ommlssloner-inChief of the St John Ambulance Brigade from 1962 to 1967. Hejoined the avy in 1910 and saw action in the First World War both off the Falklands and in the Battle of Jutland. In 1918 he also involved in action against the Bolsheviks and was awarded the DSC while in command of a river gun boat. I Ie took hi" first command, the destroyer Duillt\', in 19:'7. I l is second command, Basilisk, was involved in a skimlish in the Spanish Civil War Between 1939 and 1944 he served with Adml ir Andrew unningham, C-in- in the Mediterranean In 1940 British were responsible for killlllg a thousand French sai lors at Mers -e l-Kebir in an attempt to prevent the French neet falling into Gemlan hand.., Dick"" considerable personal chaml and nuent French (Did. was of I lu guenot descent) are credited with averting a similar incident in Alexandria Harbour After four dramatic years in the MeditclTan can, Dick took command of the cru iser Belfas t ancl in eptember 19-+) visited Shanghai to re-establish a Brithh presence and commence reJ1atriation of allied POWs. He had a "erie.., of distingUished appointment'> alter the war, retiring in 1955 as standlllg group liaison officer to the onh AtlantiC Council. He wa.., apPolllted CBE III 1943 and CB in 19)1. He was married tw Ice and had two children from hiS first marriage, a son (killed inaction JJ1 )- prus) and a daughter whodied in 1984. Hisstepson IS thcracingcommenLator. PeterO'Sullevan.

Eric Jame 1932-1991

Eric Jame.., was the ount) Commander of the John Ambulance Bngade In orth Yorbhlre bet\.veen 19K5 and 1989. havJJ1g been Count) Director for fOllr year before that. James joined the pollee force in V1iddlesbrough III 19)1 and \\ as deputy chler con'>table of ol1h York<;hire betv ecn 1980 and I9K-+ when a massive hean attack (his second) forced hlln to retire In 19 5 it became clear that hiS only hope wa a heart tran"plant hut he w.a,> -+-+th on the list at the Papworth Hospi tal. I Ie latcr admitted that he ncvere pected to see Chnstmaslhat year. A senes of COl ncidences. be gi nning wi th the establ i.,hing ofa new heart unllat the Freeman Hospital in ewca. tie, led toJame,> becoming the Fourth heart transplant patient in the fo rth East. Jame.., actuall) arranged for the tran,,fer between the t John erov. ing and the Freeman Hospital of hi'> 'own' donor organ. A month after the operation he contracted a virus which again threatened to end his life - only to be saved by a preViously untried drug from weden. On hi., recovery he became chainmlll of the orthallerton district branch of the British Heart T"ou ndulJon and \vas Founder and haimlan of the Freeman Transplant Association He leaves a v. idov.. three daughters and four gr.uldchildren. [n 1988 he \.\.as made a Knight of Grace of t John

Rear-Ad mir a l John Dougla Tr) th a ll , CB, OBE 191-t-1991.

Admiral 'Jan' T!) thall was Commander of St John Ambulance Somerset between 1981 and retirement in 1982. He joined the organisation as DepLily Commissioner Somerset in April 1973 and served on the St John Council until 1990, when he retired for health reasons. Hi s distinguI..,hed career in the Royal Navy started a, a paymaster cade t in 1931. He was seconded to the Royal ev. Zealand Navy at the tart of the war and it was there he met his wife, Elizabeth In 1944 he became ecretary to dmiral Sir Cecil HarcOLirt and was with him when he received the Japanese urrender in Hong Kong. He retired from the Royal avy in 1972 hi First id and ur ing certilicates proved. he led from the front, by example. Those who kn w will long remember quiet integrity, lo yalty and approachabilny. The St J ohn molto of crviee to Mankind' carried into hi retirement his humanity and the ieleals by which he lived After hi , death On 24th February, a ervice f Thanksgiving was held at t Ichola s Church, rfe , ncar Taunton and was well allended b past and pre ent t John m III bel'S I Ie was made an Officer Brother of the Order in [973 , was promoted to ommander in 1977 and to Kni ght or Ju stice following his retirement.

\.\

ea h receive a T- hirt. An wers and v. inner' names v.ill appear in the ugust edition of St John World. Please do not ring the Museum for the an wer !

Sheila Puckle rite - We wei ome three ne'W Bran he thi month: apier Order of t John Fellow hip , ev, Zealand

Lewe Branch , Sussex

Contact: Mr Harold Lovele 6, Heighton Cre enL South H ighton, ewhaven, Ea u e'\. Barrie St John Fellow hip Ontario, Canada

Contact: Mr Ralph Congdon.

S9 Campbell Avenue, Barrie. Omario L-l_ T2 Canada. Lewe Branch i a new fonnation, the fifth Branch in u e but both apier and Barrie were e i ting group of fom1 r member who have now decided to become part of the worldwide t John Fellow hip Ther are oth r uch group in ew Zealand and perhap in other parts of the world (including UK?). I hope [hat the too will come to reali e that throu g h the Fellow hip it i now po ible to belong to St John to [he end of their day.

Divisional News

The Specialist Vehicle Builders

and Divisional

NEW RADIO CHANNELS FOR ST JOHN

MORE VERSATILE. You may not know that following negotiations with the Licencing Authority extra channels are now available to St. John Ambulance.

As a leading supplier of ICOM equipment to St John we are pleased to announce our retuning service to include these channels on your existing high-band radios We offer this service for most makes so call our Hotline now on 071-252 1849 for our latest information pack.

No sex, no rock & roll, but some drugs. Vic Allen proffers a personal view of The St John Medical Conference (19-21st April, Nottingham University).

The g roup meeting s on th e eve of th e St John Medic al Conference were disrupted by the late arrival of both audience and peakers due to a se riou s accident that blocked the MI. " 0 pl an urvive the first impact of war" someone commented, paraphra in g the 18t h Century military expert, von Clau ewitl.

It is evident that the car i s an essential accoutrement for ottingham University carnpu - the number of delapidated doctors who felt it repeatedly nece ssary to drive the hundred-or-s o yards from the re sidential block to the Je sse Boot Conference Centre was not an e, pecially in spirin g example to le sse r mortal s.

This wa the fir st conference to follow on from the in stigation last October of th e recommendation s of the Medical Board Working Party. This has been a Herculean task (specifically, comparable to cleaning out the Augean Stables) and Executive Director Tim Gauvain had the job of explaining what had been done.

In simple term s, the structure of StJohn has historically given rise to a multiplicity 14 Stjohn World June 1991

of medical board." often ruling on the .,ame or similar i<.;sue.,. The new..,) ..,tem set... up a st ructure akin to a headmaster and hi" '-.tafT working under a board of governors. The governors, in this case, are the Medical Board who meet two or three timc., a ycar to discuss strateg) i..,<.;ues - "a ..,tand alonc branch that i s a font ofcxperti..,e and authority"; the headmaster and stalT are the Medical Standing Committee - "a regulaory board wh ch will be able to give a quick respon ' e to problems" It seemed lik e common sense; it seems to be wo rkin g; and no one in th e auditorium leapt up and ca ll ed foul.

Sarurday's pro ceedings began with the news that the first ,>peaker, Sir Douglas Bl ack, was unable to attend due to illness.

The Surgeon in Chief, Dr Brian Lcwi,>, filled th e gap wi th a carbona ted res um e of th e Bl ack R epon, the ear y Eighties' hea lth surv ey th at " reac hed the in ev itabl e co nc lusion that th ere is a direct co rrelation betw ee n th e amo unt of money yo u 've go t and the quality of yo ur health".

Dr L ewis more than li ves up to hi s reputation for ad-libbing (o n o ng- term m ental ho spital s - " Out of mind, out of s g ht "), but hi s m essage was a stark o ne: " There is very nea rl y a bottomless pit o ut there of elderly and very poor peo pl e".

The p syc ho ge riatri c se rvic es of th e D epartment of H ea lth hav e to co pe w ith th e sharp ed ge of thi s probl em The nex t speak er , Dr RG Jone s, se nior ec turer/ co n sultant at the DOH Care of t he Elderly

at the niversit) of ottingham. pro\ ided an outline of the wa) thl.., \\<1'" done In the cit)

Among .,t the difTicultic .., he outlined, the .,tcreolypecl image of the aged '>eemed to be e"'peclally "lgnlficHnt. rill'. Image made It difficult to atlrall good "tLlIllllto the lickl and tended to reinforce it elfdepre ion I!'. the commone..,t p.,ychiatric problem in okkr people. and yet people fail to recognise It. The a., umpllon i., 'If the) are old, they are hOlllld to be tlepre<;,>cd'."

Mr Peter FI) nn from Li\ erpool it) Counci 's Corporate Policy and Informa· tion nit next gave a "'peech on lIeoflll\ CIfWS. Thi,> proved in large part to be a defence ofdemographic "u -vcy" as a mean" of arguing for, and targetting, eem like common <.,ense? Well. maybe not to some politician Flynn's nicest fine.,sc was the evidence he providec.lto show that th e overall "ta te of th e economy need not reneet health cond iti ons. In 186 1 he pointecl out. Liverpool was a booming, weal th y ci ty with more millionaires th an London - yet the ave ra ge life expec t ancy in th e ci y was 23 yea r s-o ld

The morning reached it very nalLlral (and no doubt cu nnin g y planned) conc lusion with a joint prese ntati o n by David Nobbs. Area Commissioner, South Area Wilt shire, and Dot Gulliver of th e arul11 Community Care Team.

Community Care is an important topiC for StJohn and one cou ld write reams 011 it.

The "calc of voluntary commitment outlined lelt man) III the aLl(jlence gaping Id"e wellll1gton boot top'> Tw () comments tand out. Firstl) Da\ id obh plea for John toc.ii..,creetl) bUl') the \\ord 'v,elfarc': "Our client" didn t \\al1t an) memory of the Welfare tate Please note that wc ' re a (0/1/11/111111\ tll\ I ion .··

And secondl) Dot Gulll\cr\ ob en ation: "II thi.., 011 01 project I., to ucceed then without the profe..,sional people vve \\Ilil go nowhere"

The af'tcrnoon comprised five practical sessiol1'. including one by the 220 ( I stH ) Field Ambulance RAM (V) and concluded w nh a thought provo"ing ..,peech on The NmtOllaf POI WII Ullil alld Firsl Aid by Dr Virginia Murra). a consultant at the PU. Guy,,; Hospital.

Dr Murray "uggested that t John (and, IIlliecd, the UK) had a little way to go in understanding poison:.. and can'ied herca-;e convincingly. H erc was meal for anyone Who wan ted to argue against the notion th at can on l y develop down high - tech IlIles. arc poisonous lor there no thin g withou t poisonous qualities. It i:.. on y the dose th at ma"es thin gs poisonous" - so Bombastus von Hohenh elm in th e 16th cen tury. " If yo u clrank comfrey ea reg ularl y for thr ee months yo u 'd need a liver tran sp lant " - so Dr MUITay.

TheSunday M o rnin g ervice followed th e aturda y Eve nin g hen'y Pat1y and Dinner Dance (more closely for so m e th an

other'.) The Re\ Dr Dougla.., 0,1\ Ie., enior Lecturer III at t::: nivcr'>it}. then had the unenviable tas" of cnli\ cningthe faded and jaded \\ ith a ,>peech on , \ 'pee 1\ of'Griefal/d

In the last hundred }ear., the UK ha 1110\ ed from a Lime \\ hen \ irtuall\ I OOC'c of bodie" were buried LO a poi III v. h;re 70 cc of people are no\.\ cremated Dr Da\ Ie.., made some prO\. o"ing anthropological ob"en alions on lhi.,. but none 'ieemed quite as .,urprising a<.; the fact that in the 86 % of bodies are still buried.

The unday concluded \0\ ith '>pea"er'> from ational Headquarters - Tim Gau\ Olin gave ""hatmu.,t be becoming a \oer) practi ed "peech on hi" ne\o\ role: lison H'l'>selder. Community Care Project Leader, outlined r John \ aspiration'> III the field: and Keith Batten. Deputy Hospitallcr of the Eye I I ospi taI in Jerusalem. gm e a spe ch on wor"ing condi ti ons at th e Foundation and subsequent l y the keynote 'ipeech.

The Open Forum which inlen encd \.\ as a shOl1 affair with question about the ne\o\ manual for mbulance Aid: the need to recruit doctors: the on and two !'.tOlr rating :ystem for nurses; and the question of First id training for doctors. Only one remar " go t spontaneous applau:..e - a plea from th e floor for ess money to be spen on 'Iu;..,ury equipme nt and for more concen trat ion on Fir:..t id ba ie:.

The t John Medical onferenee: well planned, well e ecuted, well attended (a record 2 0 del gates) we ll done! Gooclh\'(' - liflll£,\/ \'(,lll'

Rad io e but we fe l we needed our own in dependen t nc t forthemassofrou tine logis t ical inrorma tion we anticipa ted. This desire to free the emergency net from needless cluner was in terpreted as an allempt to operatc Independent ly Re latiomhips cooled and dark threats of wi hdrawal from duty were made We had to resolve our difrerences. We wen t to a second meeting full of trepidation Two hours later, all our fears were laid to rest and we came away tota lly reassured. The meeting was a turning point in our relations with the professionah. The pace 4uickened, there was less than three to go.

Meeting were held on 'iite, maps and charts drawn up, duty establl'>hed. the number and position of Fir"t Aid Post\ finalised operating procedures agreed, medical stall confirmcd, radiOS hl1-cd , equipment and supplies purcha'ied , briefing documents prepared, local hospital standby plans conlirmed, made ror food and designated routes ror emergency vehicles establl.,hed - all against a bad. ground 01 v. hat , in duty tenll" wa 1111 our bu.,ie.,t time or year.

Aiders , qualified urse s and Doctors were deployed prelly much in accordance with our plan.,. We even had a midwifc, and that proved to bea wise move The BedfordshireAmbulance Service provided an additional two front-llIle vehicles and crew, and radio control staff. They maintained a watching brief for of the time, and we forged a lasting re lationship with them based on mutual 3.00pm, and a vast tide of humanity surged across the site - each person intent on gelling into the rront row Within a few minutes there wasn't a blade of gras'> to be seen and the true meaning of all those numbers on paper was brought home to u.,. It was going to be difficult findlllg a casualty in that "eething mass , let alone extractlllg them from it.

Our plans depended on a two-stage filter

Steve Nicholson, Area Commissioner for North Bedforshire, discovers how much trouble a diminutive pop singer can be and, coincidentally, provides a document that brings into serious doubt whether any member of St John Ambulance can be considered tnLly sane.

Who's Tina Turner? " 1said. My rea " ursing Officer Sue L:ach at me in disbelief. Could It really be true

ha t her Area Commissioner had never heard of this living legend, t his human dynamo, thiS rock p he nomenon ')

" Well," 1 said defensively, " ] remember the re u ed to be an and Tina TU111er when I was a t co llege. Is tha the same one'?"

It was Apri l 1990 and we hadjuI.,t received a reques to cover two Tina TU111er Open Air Concerts at WObU111 Abbey in the week of Jul y. As Sue ta lked, panic wel led up in me a, I rea lised that we had on ly fif teen weeks to o rga n ise th e bigges t du ty ever covered in the Cou nt y. I decided to s how true leadershlp 1 de lega ted: "l' ll te ll you what, since you obviously know so muc h about her, perhaps you'd better takc thc lead. Le t me know if you necd any he lp".

It rapidly became apparen t ha t we wou ld need a ll th e he lp wc cou ld get. It was es t ima ted th a the d ut y wo ul d spa n th ree day:, minimum and th at th e a ud ie nce wou ld be in excess of 100,000 peop e eac h day. We asked th e Sou th Be d for d s hire Area for sup po rt, then made co nt act wi th the Re d Cross. It ranspired hey had a lr eady been co n tacte d by the o rga ni sers a nd we qui ckly ag reed to cove r th e du ty on a j o int bas s. I th e n cons idered he q ues t ion of a reaso nab le do na ti o n " We' ll have to ask for a t l eas t a th o usa nd po un ds," 1 ai d Eycb rows we re ra ised - we rc n ' t we s upp ose d to be a vo lunt a ry o rga n isa ti o n?

1 o nl y rea li sed how n a ive T had been after ca rry ing o ut a de ta il ed cos t assessme nt. [n

o rd e r to recover mi nima l ex pe nses o n vehicles, e quipm e nt , s uppli es a nd a dm ini str a ti o n a lo ne

we v. ould need three lime Ihat amount - and that", a,> before into account prO\ I.,ion for 120 First Alder, over a 60 hour pellod

Arter a great deal of heart -.,t.: archlllg we ,ent the organiser'> a delailed of COsh and suggested a donation 01 C6,OOO. The) were not happy Did v.e really need so man) Firc.;t Aidt.:rs ') 0 many Doctors and ur'ies ? And did we have to 'itay ttll 1 ()Oam \\ hen the concert rini.,hed at midnight'?

They offered 0,000. Any Iingenng gutltl had evaporated, to be replaced by anger. Iter a ll. the\' had asked 1/.1 to on the cover

Eventually we agreed tn reduce our evel or cover and ';cllied for a donation of £4,000 - a decision I regret to thl!> day

April became May : planning proceeded apace A meeting bet ween the emergency services and ourselves was held and we discovered tha t t he hier Constable of Police had a.,ked the Bcdfordshire Ambulance ervice to a ll end. We we lcomed the proressiona l bac k-up a nd invited them to a tt end the nex t SJ AfBRC meeting.

It was a bad meeting. It seemed to us thaI th e Amb ul ance Officers were trying to "take over"; nor were they impressed w ith the roleof 'back-up'. I th in k th e prob lem was that we were no t fu ll y aware of their s tatu ory responsibtlitics, a nd they we re not aware of ourcapabilitics a nd exper ience.

In ev it ab ly, bega n to arise Alth o ug h I had no t bee n a t th e mee tin g, 1 began to fee l a mo unt ing se nse o r un ease. We had been to d th a t we wo ul d wo rk under th e d irec t auth o rit y of th e Amb ul a nce e

e"en days bcfort.: the eyent we 1an) problems were SIIIl unre oh-ccl. Vital infollllalion from the organl<.,er., had ..,till not arTived erve'i were becoming tr<ll11 e d and tcmJler., frayed But the comm1l1l1cnt had been made and therc could bc no turtling bacL We deCided to po iti'vel), and a I began to hammCf out the bneflng docuillents Ill) confidence gre\\. n enOnll0US amo unt had been llchIC\cd. It rcall} wa.., gOl11g to ",or\.... t 1"1\ e day,> notice the organl.,er.., us to pnwltie Firq Aid cmer lor tht.: ..,tage hand!> from the Wedne da} through to the follow 111g Tuesday We needcd a re..,t but ..,1\ of u., did Illu terand, between u" treat c d 16g ca uttltle On Fmhl) c\'Cnlllg the organl\cr., told u.., to movc two of our major First Aid POqs becaLI<.,e the] \\ ere ob.,tructlllg the TV cameras. It would be 1<111 to a) that] reacted to thi.., fairly intemperately Suc me to one Side and ,ugge'>ted that a at lhl\ parllcular juncture might not be a good idea We agrced to a compromise '>oIUlion I,uppose the organisers had thelrJob., to do. but at the time m) thoughts "'ere unpnlllabk - all tho e chart." tho..,e carefull) out acces.., route,>, those radio tests lrom established po..,ition., The day dawned and member.., began arriving at 9.00alll 10 establl'>h and 111an their POs s b) 12.00 noon The gate., opened at lOOp1l1 but already ten or thousands werc encampcd arounc.lthe pcrt1l1eter. We had been told st.:curit) pa\'ies were not neces,>ary since we had provided the organlser., wilh the namcs and date,> of birth of all member., on dut). No\\ they were being rdused entr). e\ en though they were in lull uniform It was not a good sta rt. It was going to go tembl) ,tcrribly w;ong.

But it didn' t. The initial confusion was c leared up, he bases were estab l ished and things s ta rted to Seven First id Pos ts and a major ca,ual ty clcaring station were es tab lished us in g eight 1110bile First id LCnts; ten ambu la nces were posi tioned a t Sll e exi t points and a t the CC : a nd I :W First

proces Each had a qualified nur e on it taITand. the} referred patient to the 111edicalteam ba,>ed at the Casualty ClearIng tallon From there patient.., \\ Quid be tran"ferred to tht: de.,ignaled hospital \\ hen authon,>ed by a doclor \\'or\...ed \\ell and ani) four patients from a total or nearly I sao tr ated reqUired I understand this caused some e11lbarrasS111entto the manager.., al LutOn and Dunstable wht.:rc additional starr had been rostered to cope \\ Ith the anticipatt.:d intlu\ t 6.30 pm the supporting act" began. b) ",helle ef) or casualties. At .30pmlltc lady herself came on slage <Ind pandemonium ensued. There \\ as a huge crowd surge and we began to pull collapsing pa t ients from the audience as it pre"sed up against the crush bamers. Our forward Fir t id pos t wa,> in danger of being oven\- helmed. t one poin l six semi -c onscious pa tients were being trea ted on stretchers in a

cordon measunng three metres by five metres. What is more they were being treated by torchlight in eondillonc, (namely the unbelievable nOise level) that allowed only the simplest communications by sign language.

Triage was vitally imponant. We had to be very sure that a patient required ambulance transport before earvlllg a path through the crowd; as darkness was falllllgand a moving vehicle presented an obvious danger. On the hree occasions we had to do this it was accomplished without mishap, and we were definitely grateful for the asc;istance of the tv.o qualified ::.mbulanee personnel.

The vast majority of patient'> were evacuated on fool. in to perimeter First AId Pots. Mo'>t simpl) needed time to recover from the clau'>trophobia. For those who needed treatment and referral our radio net came into its own: not only forevacuations butalso tocall on additional staff and equipment to reinforce the for\oVard First Aid Posts. midnight approached on the first day we had treated some 770 patients and every post had been at full stretch. The major Casualty C1eanng Station con i')ted of an inflateable 12 berth tent and had operated at maximum capacity throughout the evenlllg. Patienls had been able to recover under medical upervislon III an atmo<.,phere of comparati\ e calm. Without this factlity literally dozens of hospital tranfers "'ould have been nece .af) B} 1.00am the crowds had cleared. We had obtallled prior agreement for some of ourmember'> to camp overnight. but as we <;eltled do\\ n the securit) personnel ordered them off the "ite. An argument emued v. hich culminated in the Marquis of Ta\ i'>tock being ummoned from bed to decide on the maller. ThanUully he ruled in our fa\our. "rf\\e can't tru..,t t John mbulance" he said. "v. ho can we trust'?"" ome 20 people stayed overnight. v. hile 1made the of tf) lIlg to go home. After dropping <!I"leep in a trarlicjUm at 3.00al11 Jgot home at 4.00am only to getup again at 7.00am to be on "ite b) 9.00am. Sue stayed on '>Ile and fared no better. he had to escort an ambulance case to at 4.00al11. unda) \\ il'i a repeat performance. e\cept that we were allhattered and the crowd was near!) t\\ Ice as large. Evef) one gave I [O c.{- and we got through. In the end we made a lot of ne\\ friends \\ ith our Red Cro, and I11bulance Sef\ ice colleague and treated a tOlal of I AS6 casualtie'i. se\era[ hunctred oh\ hom were in a slate of collapse. It had been a and <;tressful dUI). 1 hadn't een more than fi\ e minutes of Tina TU111er - \\ hoe\ er she is! •

16 S t J o hn W o rld Jun e 19 9 1

King Alfred 's C oll ege of High e r E du ca ti o n w ith

Ba sin gs tok e & Win c hes t e r Co ll ege of Nurs in g & M id wife r y

Diploma of Higher Education: Nursing Studies (Project 2000)

Thi th ree yea r co ur se gives th e o pp ortu n ity to gai n a D ip H E a nd to qu alify as a registered nurse

Vacancies currentl y exi s t for s tudents wis hing t o train in Care of the Mentall y III (Autumn 1991 entr y),

Th e fi rs t h a l f of th e course is a commo n foundation p rogramme in care of th e me ntally ill or care of the adult (199 2 e nt ry) o r ca re of th e c h i ld (1993 e n try).

M ini mu m e ntr y re qu iremen t are: GCSE pa e in 5 di ffe ren t s ubjec ts i ncl u di ng Englis h and a cience subject. Ma ture a pplicants without the e qualitlcation m ay take a n e nt ra nce test, but are re q uired to show ev id e nce of rece nt stu dy.

For further information contact:

Admis s ions Office , King Alfred 's C olleg e, Sparkford Road , Winche s ter S 022 4NR. Tel: (0962 ) 841515 ext. 235.

5T JOHN FELLOWSHIP

Safe in the knowledge

Last year vandals did over a thousand pounds worth of damage to the St John Ambulance Road Show trailer in Wolverhampton; this year St John Halls have suffered at least two cases of arson, while the Brigade HQ on the Alway Housing Estate in Newport has had to be abandoned following increasingly violent attacks. Is there anything to be done? Trevor Lawson went to speak to the professionals

Twarning two days after I v. asl-ed to \Hite anlcle , and \\ hile the Government'" brochure - Crime : TO!!,N/icr H eCall em( kit - a<; still In the post. Car" are prime target!', for thieves II that glass bare,> handbags. wallets. bnefcases. personal computers and - 111 m) ca e - entire Motan collections. in all their l11el-able glo!). I had e\pcctcd thl'> in Hacl-ne). Ea"t and I had therefore lerllhe car door unlocl-ed in a damage limitation policy. But he. or "he or the) brol-c a IA indolA nevertheie s. and made a point abou t robber" in the al\\ays expect the 1l11e,pectcd rrom them

Being th e vic im of crime i,about as pleasant as having your house rated o the ground. ecing your busine<;s go bust. or paJ l- ing on double yello\\ line<; 25 yard from a \\ heel clamp (kpot. You'll feel between totall) gutted. financially bereft. or ju..,t plain rTi t ated

With more than 1.000 hall'> across th coun ry. t John is jus t as il-el) to be a \ ictim as any o th er "business" t an HQ ill trood. K ent. vandals discharged lire ex tin g ui shers around th e hall in FebruLlI') when th e di COcred th a therc were no drugs. syringes or money to s eal. It was the culmination of a series of all ad s. probably b) drug addicts.

A cording to nurse Lilian Lyons. it wa c C'L)

hell ofames s" But ometime it even --or e than that. Ke\ inJames.As istamCounl) Comml SlOner for ev" pon \\ a assaulted in March after asl-ing six youths to leave the t John HQ on the IIA a) hou ing etate Kev In spel1lthree day in ho pital as a re ult. and colleague Phil Smorher was also injured. rmed v. ith the e fact. and disa rm ed of m) ,>tereo. iteemed IA i e to con ult the profesional on c rime fighting PC" a) ne Boothroyd and And) Do) Ie from London' We End Cnminal Metropolitan police station. CO\ enng 1ay fair and Soho, these crime pre\emion officer kno\\ every in the rirninal's bool-, although at the time the) were mystified as to \ h) any bod) should v.ant to incinerate a homeles c man sleeping in a shop doorlA a}.

"He wasju tburned todeath."said Wayne. " It may ha\e been an arson attempt and the) didn't realise he \\ a in the boxes." The grim e\ idence, however. illustrated ho\\ usceptible buildings - and u ltim atel} the people that use th em - are to random crime.

o. ho\\ to light it '? The easie t \\'a), acording to Way ne. is to think differently." lot of people \\ ill ay.' Jt 'Il never happen to me. I'm not going o do any thin g about it' But in fa does happen. to thousand of people, and it a \ Cl) \H onganitude to ignore th at possibility. B) being (1\\ are of the ri Ks. you're a lread) reducing th em The t\\ 0 attempts th at ha\e Jun e 199 1 t J o h n Wo rld 19

Arson - all e\'er-prese l1( risk been m ade to break into my hom e hav e bee n " prevented imply becau e I'd fitted locks onto the windows and door. It can be as simple a that."

Crime preve ntion i e se ntiall y co mmon se n e. The va t majorit y of crimes are opportuni s t and, as m y car 's ha llcred quaterlight proved, many thiev e are low on IQ, hi g h o n mack The average Sr John HQ or ambulance i unlikely to attract professio na l and imple but effec tive deterrent are often all that are needed to det e r for exa mple , cas h- hun gry addict.

"Firstly," aid Wyane , "i t' s important to know what so rt of cri me occur in you r area, how they occur, and what orts of a re taken. By knowin g who i ke ly to str ike and where, it ea ier for us to say whether yo u 'd need a bar grilled window, or just a s impl e window lock. "

early all building s are raided [rom th e back , where, in the dark , out of ight mea ns out of mind. A buildin g fir t require s, th e refore, a perimeter check to identify weak spot. With uch diver s ity in St John hall, it impo s<,ib le to conjure up ge nera l so lutions "But :' aid Andy , "there's a window lock [or every kind of window that 's ever been mad e. S ome are stronger than others, but yo u ca n always find one [0 fit your need ." Wayn e reco mm e nd ed that a member of th e Ma ter Lo cksm ith s Association hould be u ed; crime preve ntion officers s upply li s t of local s upplier a nd fitters. Similarl y, doors require additional security " You can pay £60 for a good morti ce deadlock with key regi s tration , oryou ca n go to the lower end of the mark e and pay £30. If you do that. it may not las t as lon g a th e more expensive one," warned Wayne " The important thing to re memb e r is that you s hould fit a t least one Briti s h Standard mortic e deadlock to a door , and ideally two - one at s hould e r leve l and one at knee level - becau se two ecurity points are harder to deal with than one".

A Briti h Standard lo c k ha s a five " levers " in it ; non-standard mod e ls hav e as few as two or three, and are easi ly pi c ked. Ind eed a key for one 'simple' lock can often be used to open se vera l o her s imi ar lock s. It is a common problem on housing estate said Wayn e, where locks are purchased in bulk

The problem with lock s, of course, is that they re only any good if they are fixed into a s trong door. " It 's amazing the number of people who'll put a good mortice d eadlock on a thin door, believing that a good lock make s it safe, on ly to be surprised when the door 's k icked in, " grinned Wayne. " A door ha s got to be at east one and a q uarter inches thick to take a mortice dead ock. Ot herwise it ll need a rim deadlock ". When it comes to vehicles , the window s ra her than the doors are more likely to be 20 S t John World June 1991

'kicked in '. This allows the thief to unlo ck th e door. and e nter the ve hi c le for a more leisure ly peru sa l of it s co ntent s; bending throu g h a window with hi s legs waving in the air wo uld he a bit of a g ive-away.

"It's worth fitting e ,tra locb on th e if yo u 've got valuable equipment in, say, an ambulance:' sa id Wa yne. " Wh en you ge t ou t c urit y lo c ks arc thrown on a ll the main doors, while th e driver's door is double locked from the outside."

Bea r in mind th a once out. ge ttin g in again ca n be ratherdifricult.l seem o loc k myselfout of my car more o rten than I ge t into it, and am now so adep t a t breaking in v, ithout causi ng any damage that were it not forthe s teering lock I'd give up key" altogether. But wi th extra lock s, l'd be in real trouhle

Another handy Itcm, s hould your mercy c hari o t have a ll oy w hee ls, is th e wheel oc k nut.

Onl y onc pcr wheel is ne ded, while inside the ambulance a c rook lo c k which link s th e hanclbrake and gea r lever. diminishes the chances of c har iot a ll d \\ hee ls disappearing entire y.

" Sudde nly an ear-pi e rc in g s cream wlii ch a ll bu t d emagn eti se d m y Dictaphon e cam e from be n eat h th e d es k "

"The ultimate device is the Vehicle Alaml," aid W a) ne, eye g lazing with a rapturc only found in Crime Prevention Officer" Vehicle a larms. of course. are technological works 01 art; ome re pond on ly to infra - red beams, and others, by mistake, to tWO - lone car horns. " The a la mlh o uld swi tc h off and reset itself if trigge re d accide nt ally, but "hould con tinu e ,>oundin g if the a tt ac k con tinu es".

The simplest solution has remained th c same s in ce th e only accessory you needed on a vehicle was a man with a red nag to v,alk in front: "Lock attractive items in th e boot, where th ey're ou t of ight," s tressed W ayne.

Alarms forbuilding-. are a ls o u'>eful. th ough th ey are often very expens ive. Simpler Arthur Daley models are available; I oncc '>aw an infr a-red device which loo ked likc a stereo speake r in a friend ., ho use. That in it.,elr may have ent iced th e burglars into the property, but in th e case of my friend, it didn't de ter them.

The alamlturned up a fortnight later in th e back of a lin e n cupboard, murned in blankets like a squawkin g baby.

False a larm boxes on the exte ri or wal ls may de te r a ma te ur burg lars, but not profesional s. " Peop le a lw ays say to me th a t a larm boxe s how you've go t so me thin g worth s tea ling," says Andy. HI don't hold with th a t because an ordinary thi ef would see it and go on to the fir s t house without one. Th ere's no point in him takin g unn eeesary ri sks." Perso na ll y, I think it remains a que st on which psyc hol ogists are probably bell e r equipped to answer; keen burglars mi g ht eq ual y see it as a c ha ll e nge.

Building s and vehicles, s hould th e worst come to the worst, are a t leas t re p a irabl e and replaceab le. People , on th e other hand, are not.

Picture th e sce nario : after an eve nin g's Firs

Aid cia s you're lo ck in g up the hall at around I 0 .3 0pm The so und s of your pupil s' ca rs trail

olT into the ni g ht. you bend down to lock th e ha ll door, a nd so mehody jumps YOLI. Ir you're a man , you might ge a sore head. If you're a wo m an, you co uld be facing the wors t kind or assault. In cithe r case, you cou ld enclup dead "Personal noise a lalll lS arc not very good LIt a ttr acti ng atten ti on," conl·e.,secl Wayne "A IVlil cli? survey round that people often didn't ta ke much noti e or them But they buy YOLl tim e. If you have to wa lk home from a class at ni g ht. carry it ill YOllr hal/d, not in yoU! handbag. II' you are a tt acked " uddenly an car-piercing sc ream which all but c1el11agnetiscd Illy Di c taphone came from beneath the desk. Wayne rcvealed a huge, chunky biro. Known in the trade as a WalkEasy 1l came top in the Wllleh') closely followed by the lanml .ri p. The rormcr is available from Rymans, and the latter by mail order.

"When a would be attacker gets a blast of this ill his car, the first thing he docs isjul1lfJ back," CAp lained Wayne " lie 's thrown olTguard, and that could he the vi tal few ."eco nds that you need to scream, or ..,houl, or run awa) one of the above, howevcr. would be of an) me to Kev 111 J ame,>.

"Frankl), Ir)-ou 've go t an area where people are anti-police. anl1-tluthoflt). and generall) therefore anli-unilonll, a t John un i1'01111 could be a real target. a red rag to a hull:' admitted ndy.

In ,>uch a \Ituation, prevenl1ng crime IS difficult but not IlllPOS\lblc , and an incrcasmgl) pnpulardcfencc could he the <In,,wer' the C01l1IllUnll). " I 'd holding an open day

KEEP

NTHEWET!

Over 800 people drown each year in the UK and perhaps you could save one of thembut could you do it SAFELY? Cotswold Rescue 's Dave Savin suggests what to do if you are faced with a drowning person and how t o avoid becoming a statistic yourself.

TWO points to for those people who only read th e first paragraph of an article: don't be fooled If thiS year we have ano th er bla/in g summer, swimmers are extremely prone to hYfJothennia in English waters; "econdly, al1yolle' re'> cue d rrom the water mList be referred to a Doctor or Ho'>pital immediately. It ha-. been known for a rescued person to be sent mernly on theIr \\ ay after pal1lcking in th e water. ani) to suffer from Secondary Drov.nlll g a re\\ hour\ later.

UN ' OMMO SE E

If you go boating: keep equipment 111 good working order and alv.ay wear an approved lifejacket or buoyancy aid: wear warm clothing and non -slip footwear; never overload a boat and allow only one to stand at a time; stay with a capsiLed boat (you'll be spotted moreea il); always tell someone where you are gomg and v, hen you'll be back. If you're near water: always reportmis ing lifesaving equipment (or anyone taking or breaking it): obey notice s and never cover them up.

LOOK AFTE R NUMBE R ONE

Action Plan

I. Contact your local Crime Prevention Officer at your nearest police station. now. He/she will provide free advice on building, vehicle and personal security, in a written report if necessary.

2. Consider your budget. Measures which seem expensive now could well save money in the long term.

3. Take the crime prevention officer's advice, and start preventing.

Publications and AddIe es

• Pracflcal \\'ay\ to rueA Cnlllc - Home Office

• Help CrocA Car /"line - Metropolitan Police

both arc free from your Crime Prevenllon Officer. There arc regional variations of 11 ('lp Crack Car Crime.

• CrimeslOppers - a free hotline if you have information abou t any crime - is on 0800 555 111

• W a lkE asy - from TOfJline Int ernational, Topline Ho use, Bartlow R oad, Lint on, ambridge, CB I 61Y.

• AlalmaGrip - from AlarmaGrip ltd 533 Bex hill Ro ad, t Leonards on Sea, East Sussex, TN38 8AT

• c lecta Mark - permanent vis ua l sec urit y marking for eq uipm cnt, furniture and vehi cles - from SelcctaMark, Frcepost, Broml ey, BR I 3UZ.

•

In such an area:' s,ud And). " 11' one or two po tcntlal aggressors \\ ere there to hearthat the e<.juiplllcnt that the) were vandall'lmg lllight one da) not be there to "a\c th eir li\'es, th e)' might th1l1k agall1."

We' re never rar rrom water and, despite theefrol1S ofbodie. like the Ro) al Life Saving ociety, familiarit y has bred contempt. explo rIng a rl\ 'crban k, a child leaning over a canal. people 'haVing a go' at v.ater sports rarely think of the ha/ard.,. 0 consIder a fev, precaution.., that "hould be (hu t alas aren't) COl111l1on sense:

• Wa ter por t "houldbe learnt[rol11aqualificdc\pert othing else is "ale.

• Ri , and s ream , wllh slippery orcful11bling banks should be len alone. Seemingly dl) river beds can .,till be mudd) under a dl)' sllrface.

• Ca n a ls and locks have '> teep "ide,> and are almost impos!>ible to cill11b out or. Kcep children away from the edges.

• Quarri and graH I pit are es pecially v, ith deep cold v, a ter ancl hidden hU/ard.., Even hen empty. mud and loos e gravel can Sl1l1 prove fatal.

• '" eirs create ru"hlllg currents that "" III sweep th e strongest s\\ immer away. cver get near thcm

• Pon d s should be covered wi th mesh.

• Padd lin g Poo ls arc an absurd place to loose a life, but todd lers can drown 111 a few mches of water. Alwa) s keep an eye on th em. Iw ays empty them arter

• Garde n bu tt can drov, n <,mall children and pets. Cover and lock them

• Ba th should be kept empty and plug out or reach of sma ll chi ldr en.

• Ma lt w h i ky is ac tu ally meant to be blended wi th \\ ater - but water and alcoh I don't mi'\ o ut side a g ass. ever go near water after drinking

IF YOU GO SW I MM I NG

Rem ember th esc

RI () L.\( "" (or no t iceboards) mean it i" unsale to bathe NO () FLAG mean th a t the area i ' patrolled b Lifeguards.

[S LACKAN Vl\j:IiU FL G markareasforsurfing lti ulmise to bath e in th ese areas.

If you are sw immin g: wait at leas t an hour al"tcr meal s (youlllay vomit and c hokc, or gc t cramp); follow the advice or th e li feg uard s and don't s how off; don't dive into unkn own waters and always sw im in lin e wi th th e s hore; if yo u feel tired or cold ge( Oll( of(hc 1I'(I(cr; c1on't "' ear goggles when div ing; don't use a irbed s o r innatable toys on open water.

The personal safety of the rescuer alv, ays takes lOp priority Accept thl , and in dangerou circumstance simply end for help and await its amval. Don't, therefore, act precipita tely and alv"ay,> pause to asse s the si tuation ho'v\. man) ea uall1e'? in what condition? can by tanders help ? are there an) rescue aids? how afe will you be if) ou attempt the Most people's idea of re cuing a drowning per. on is to di\ e heroicall) into the maelstrom and pull them out. You wouldn't do this If [hey were in a fire, and water i ju t a dangerous The follo\\ ing equence of actiom should be considered fir t :

1) Lie nat on the ground and anchor your elf ecurely, ideally get a econcl per..,on to hold on to your legs. I f you can't reach the \ ictim safely, look for something to extend your reach -a pole, branch or article of clo thll1g

2) The casualt) i out of reach. Look for. omething that v, ill float and enable the casualty to \\ im back toafet) - a bal L an empty pIa. tic bottle. Altemativel). thro\\ them a rope as a lifeline

3) Find something to te t the depth oflhe v, ater II ode carefully (no more than thigh dep th ) and u e a pole or branch to reach th e vic tim - don' t let them touch you until you are near th e shore.

-I ) I f) ou are a competenr \\ immer (v, hich i to a), a regular\\ immer: don' fool your-ell) find something that \\ ill float. v, im carefull) toward the \ tim and thro\\ th e buoy anc) aid to them Encourage them to ,,\\ imLOwards youu'ing the aid but keep a afe dislallce. If you decide to enter the water. ex rise caution \\ hen approaching the \ Ictilll. The) are figh ting to alloa t and YOII are an excellen buoyancy aid. It ha been kn o\\ n for a

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Letters Page

Served up on a plate

In veiw of the obvious consternation which has recently been cau 'e d by the purchase by my ounty of the registration plate - J 999 SJA I feel it is appropriate to inform the member in the rest of the country of th e facts surrounding the purchase.

Fir tly may I say that the press release was put out by the DYL - not Sr John Ambulance , Secondly we arc fortunaLe in the West Midlands to have a fine neet of vehicles which are maintained and cared for by our volunLeers. A local supporter of ours, who knowing of thi pride , and indeed of the OVER TO VOl JOII campaign, wrote to us in April specifying thaL he wished to purchase a 'J' number plate for us LO commemorate Lhe OTYJ campaign, and if we would let him know how much iL COSL, he would reimburse us, This htl'> been done. learly, this is money which would not otherwise have been received and indeed served as a greatthri II and boost LO our members - how sad Lhat this was pid,ed up and used by people who were not in full possessio n of the fact.

We, in common with many other Countie work extremely hard to raise funds - succe !>fully - and indeed the ultimate expendiLure of the e funds is ofcollrc.;e strictly monitored. I am would have acted In cxactly the same way as mine - and Laken this opportunity withouL que:-'Lion. We are I-.ecn to receive 's pecific donaLion - preferring them as clearly 1\ offcrs an attractive opportuniLY to any potential bencfactor - and we certainly were not going to mi s thi one!

Dr AL Lloyd Co mm a nd e r We t Midlands

Dying by degrees?

Gone are the day" \I, hen all that was needed to join St John wa a de ire to bc ohervice to the public, a uniform and a ingle FirsL id certificate. ow one i.., faced with an mdUClion course (Energy). followed by Community First Aid, follo\l, cd by Casualt) Handling, followed by FiN Aid at Warl-.. followed by Caring for the icl-. Ie els one and tINO, followed b) Ambulance Aid level. one and Lwo , followed by the Ba ic Life upport exam. II this, jU\t to carry out Firt Aid in the back of an ambulance,

Explain this to prospective member and it is hardly urpri ing if they decid to give LJohn a miss and join the local Badmimon Club

Instead The number of hours involved in training , meeting night and public duties adds up to a demand on our tim e lhat more and more ofu are unable or maybe unwilling to accept.

I'm ure that someone at HQ will tell me that my ynop is i not quile correcr; but this i how it appears to me and a great number of my friends from oLher parts of the country.

We seem LO be swamped by needle ' duplication of e am and a desire LO remove from Superintendent the deci ion of whether a particular member i capab le of performing a duty.

And where are all the instrucLors to come from'? My tra ining officer recently had to circulate a letter headed 'HELP HELP HELP! 1 \lEED 1'-1-

STRUCTOR !' Last year I was unable to renew my F W becau ,e the only COurse I cou ld aLtend had filled its allocation of ten. tudent ' I can now no longer supervi e a Cadet on duty or go on duty myself without the Supervision of an F W holder - notwith tandin g my 40 year' ervice (inclUding 30 year a a Cadet Training Officer).

Unles omeonc takes heed of g ra s root discontentment I fear rhat the coming decade will see the demise of St J ohn as a ervice to the public - there ju t won't be any of ll left!

Rog e r Phillip so n C9J S hirl ey Divi ion London Di trict.

We hope to cover the E nerg y Programme in g r ea t e r detail in a forthcoming iss ue -E d.

The human factor

A few years ago a piece of American research revealed that salary came well down the list of item which influenced the selection of job opportuniLies. RecogniLion and job sa tisfaction were the rea ons why people enjoyed what they were doing and. if these were focu ed on by managemenL , there wa a corre ponding improvement in production and qualiLY of output.

Much time, money and effort has gone into various programme to stop the loss of SL John Ambulance members and improve recruitment. Perhaps it is too early to draw definite conclusions but a good look at oLher effort into the retenLion of our member would not go ami s.

People need to be recogni ed for theireffort and a pat on the back means far more to those who work 0 hard in the' front line' than any other form of reward

Rewards can be for an individual or a group and if properly organised can have the most beneficial re ults with the minimum of co L and effort. For example, a group outing or a formal dinner given in thanks and without charge are ea y to organi e.

Fortunately in St John Ambulance we are able to offer award including admis ion and promotion in the Order. Are, however, uch award given to the right people at the right time? There i clear evidence Lhat member,> with many) ear of loyal and devoted ervice are often omitted from con [deration. That i becau e they are taken for granted and their record are eldom, if ever, checked ro determine \Vhat excellent work they have done.

Every member hould be inve tigated each year 0 that an unbia ed and fair aesment can be made. Other award by St John uch a for bravery , are al 0 overlooked becau e they require either re ,ea rch or a good recommendaLion for HQ to act. We tend to be a little la in thee matter.

The lisL of incentive open ro u endle Promotion, the opportunity to attend national cour e trip to other countie to rudy their problems - all are way of giving per. onal reward and job ati faction. little attention to the human factor doe not require college kill or managerial experti e. It require an understanding of what) ou your el f e'(pect from your uperior All we need do i apply it to tho e who 1001-. to u for leader hip and ympathetic under tanding.

Men' ) n Malcolm Deput y Director General.

Letters

I pray ...

Regarding your recent corre pondence on a St John Grace. I wa re ponsible for collecting the Prayer and Order of Service for the St John Cadet and Badger and am curren ly exploring the po ibility of compiling uitable prayer marerial for adult member. I hould be very happy to hear from reader what they think. uch a collection hould con tain and, indeed, to receive material for poible inclu ion.

If Chapter Ge neral approve, the hope i to produce a mall book I t which could be u ed by members both on B rigade and Order occasion, and for their private devotion.

R ev Dr John F en w ick SS Pampi s ford Rd Purl ey urr ey June 1991 St John World 23

--Letters continued

Tecl1.n

In hi article. Advanced SkilL (SJW A/}riI1991), Martin Hooper is incorrect in his summary ofdefibri Il ation. The following i rhe COiTect procedure: ifvelllricularlachycardia is above 300 B P.M it would be tr ea ted a ventricular fibri ll a t ion and defibrillated. But i fthe ventricularlachycardia is between 100 B.P.M. and 300 B P M., one wou d give Dru ss - ie IOOmg Li nocain e l.V. wait ten minutes for any change, th n give a further 100m g Li no ca ine 1.V

If the ven tri cu lar tachy ca rdia top pontan eo u Iy, or ha s been changed to s inu s rhythm by defibrillation, one would still give one do se of Li nocaine to prevent its recurrence drian Godfrey ( Dorse t Ambulance Par a m e di c) Divi ional Officer C hri s tchurch Co mbin e d Di, is ion.

John Hammond, Secretary Medical, replie - La y m e mber of S JA are trained o p ecific and controlled protocols which do not include giving dru gs. Their protocol requir es th e m to attach th e automated external defibrillation (AE D) lead s to a patient the y hav e diagno se d as n o t breathing and pulseless. Although it is academic to the SJA la y memb e r concerned ( e the AED o p e r a te s automatically) Laerdal confirms that Mr Hooper i correct in th a th e AED will ad, i e a s hock t o th e nonbreathing, pul eless patient whose VFIVT BPM is above 180.

Poets Cornered

" OVER TO YOU JOHN "

You're in a crowd, a concert

Or maybe at the match

When around you i commotion

A person has collap ed.

Do you know just what to do?

What steps that you should take?

Or would you tand there helpless?

Thinking 'Over to you. Mate'.

Well, now there's omething you can do,

To help in uch an event

Join St John and learn First Aid It' really time well spent.

So when the same thing happens, You can take the problem on, Go on, do it, now's the time It's over to you, John.

N/M Kat h Larse n S hir e m oo r N ur s in g Div is io n No r t humbri a

PROGRESS

Do you ever wonder?

A<; you go from day to day.

Of the we leave our chIldren.

Full of hOIl or and decay, "We must not hold up progre , You will hear de\elopcrs say. While our rivers get polluted. Our wildlife fade away.

All in the name of progre s, We fertili/e and ..,pray. Food mountains. they higher. And bigger with each day, We call our<;elves the Human Race. Though I often wonder why, So many of are growing fat. While the rest are left to die.

Mary Go ld tra" President of Antrim Cadet Division

Cutting the c-cloth

Please, please, will somcone 'Up there' decideon a unif0ll11 and let us "-now. Is it grey dresse , or black ""-Irb'? Is it white shirts with badges or without? (And II badge" are to be worn, which ones?). Is it bow ties or long tics ? Is it tricorn hats or '>torm cap<) Is it black macs with "kins or anorak" or reYcr,>iblc Jac"-et,> '? h II tulliC'>Oil parade 01"\\0011, pullics ?

A nd when the UllI rorm hu 'i been deCIded call we please hU\e senSIble prices IrOI11 t John uppiIes. In order to pre\ ent Ollr DIviSIon (ami i"m sure otilers lIk e u'» spending an average [1.500 a year tr) lllg to "-eep our memhers mart. recognisable and confOr1ll111g \\ Ith the latest 'unirorn, ideas. In lll) opinIon. the more the unirorm i" allo\ved to be '1111\ · and-match the lllon.: ull - unilonn it become,,! Kim God\\in Divi ional Officer Cnm le} Dh ision The Dres'i Committee arc ai,\ ay keen to hear people 's ie" 5 on uniform. n} one out ther e ee it differ nll}'? - Ed.

OUTDOOR PURSUITS CANAL CRIDSING

CrosslVord No 6 (91) by WAPotter

16 Corpulent reclplCnts of Honour s take a point (5).

17 Supply the medication prescribed (8)

21 Ascorbic acid (7,1).

2S Half a dollar or pain (5).

28 Flower which may be lit up (5)

30 Officer, Royal Navy has painful foot lesion (4).

31 Just a sho rt distance from chin (4).

33 Enlightening provided by evator palpebra superioris? (3-6).

34 groups ?ght to expel foetus early in pregnancy (5).

3S Ri otous behavlOur and 22 Down (8).

36 Angry artists in India (6).

CLUES DOWN

1 Disease against which Jenner developed a most successful vaccine (8).

2 Idea which shows one is ageing? (7).

3 Requirement of knee dislocation (4).

5 Skin conditions from fungus and alga? (7).

6 Follow the tra ck (5).

7 A poet is converted to hypnotic drugs (7).

8 Br?ken axe and appendages of an organ (6).

9 WI1? pa: with crime investigators becomes calm (6).

15 AntltOXlC drugs prepared from blood (4).

18 H os elry in north (3).

Do you know your manuals?

Miscellany of Questions

Answers from page 25

1 Upwind of the incident 2 Seek medical aid immediately 3 An insect in the ear 4 Unexpccted

sh arp pain Swelling with central reddened punc ture point possibility of shock depending on degree of reaction. 5 Barbnot caught in the skin 6 The casualty's condition deteriorates or a new danger threatens 7 "B" 8 Uphill, when the lower limbs are not injured; downhill, when the lower limbs are injured dOWnhill, when the casualty is suffering from hypothermia; When carrying the casualty to the side of the bed; when loading casualty into an ambulance

9 The left one 10 With a short flat footed pace 11 One at a time While the others steady stretcher.

Calling all Cadets!

Why wait for the news second-hand?You can now getSt John World al a special reduced subscription rale of £7 00 a year*. Don t be shyJel's hear from you!

'Offer applies to bona f de cadet

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you buy a defibrillator

rom Marquette Electronics you get more than a the-art piece of equipment

You also get the commitme'nt of a long-established medical electronics company with an unsurpassed record of standing behind its products

Marquette IS a world leader

In the manufacture of addiagnostic cardiology equipment. critical care systems and defibrillators Our innovations have set industry standards for a quarter of a century

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So when you buy a Marquette deribrillator you not only get one of the most advanced defibrillators available , you are also purchasing more than 25 years of sta nda rd-setti ng innovation and experience in medical electronics along with a company that stands firmly behind its products. •

Invest in a Marquette defibrillator, get tne company free

When you buy a defibrillator from Marquette Electronics , you get more than a state-ofthe-art piece of equipment. You also get the commitment of a long-established medical electronics company with an unsurpassed record of standing behind its products

Marquette is a world leader in the manufacture of advanced diagnostic cardio lo gy equipment. critical care monitoring systems and defibrillators. Our innovations have set industry standards for a quarter of a century Marquette s Emergency Care Division supp lies a wide range of advanced hospital and pre-hospital defibrillators through direct sales offices to over 50 countries worldwide , including the United Kingdom Our prehospital care defibrillators have set a standard for all other manufacturers Our Responder 1500 for example , incorporates the mo st accurate simultaneous 12-lead ECG analysis system in the world.

So when you buy a Marquette defibrillator you not only get one of the most advanced defibrillators available , you are also purchaSing more than 25 years of standard-setting innovation and experience in medical electronics along with a company that sta nds firm ly behind its products

Our cover photo s how the winners of the National Indu trial Competition for 1991 pictured on th e tep at Bu x ton. Coventry Homefrre put in a 'grate' performance (o uch ) to take both the Men' and the Open com p e tition. Royal Ordnan ce, Blackb urn won th e Women' Pair.

Editor : Victor Allen St John World I Grosvenor Crescent

Ad'erti ement Manager : Sheila Merrett 14 Boxgrove Gardens Bognor Regis W Su\sex P021 4BB Tel : 0243

As we go to press, Tim Gauvain ha yet to make his dawn to du s k flight for OTY J - so let 's hope the picture above is not remotel y relevant! In fact, forget the plane and concentrate on the paramedic Discovery vehicle instead. Land Rover will be displaying the] 16" wheelbase version (there are eight option in total ) of it s new range at this year's Ambex.

For those who need to be reminded, A mbex i the major eve nt in the calendar for NHS ambulance service, and takes place ne xt month in Harrogate from the 9th to the 13th Augu 1. The ex hibition is claimed to be one of the largest in Europe for Ambulance Vehicle and equipment. It might be intere ting to note too that Mr J McLachlan, Chief Ambulance Officer of the Order of St John, Auckland, New Zealand, will be giving a paper on' Adrenalinein the Management of Asthma' during the concurrent conference.

IB3unrr§@Iry CC CO) rrIru. ®IT

J ames Cooper, a Di visio na l Officer in Omagh and soc ial worker for th e Westem Hea lth a nd Social Service s Board in Enniskillen, re ce iv ed a £250 bursary to finance a study of Po s t Traumati c Stress Di orders. The idea wa s s ugge sted to J ames by rece nt di a te rs s uch a Hill sbo rou g h, Zeebrugge and Kegworth.

Margaret Phipps, RG RM , a Divi s ional ur in g Offi ce r in We nd over, Marie Curie Nurse in the community and Staff ur e in th e Acute Medica l Uni t of Amers ham Gen e ra l Hospital rece iv ed £500 to finance a proj ect whi c h will produce a First Aid y ll abu for a bab ysi ttin g ce rtifi ca te. Margaret is hopin g to target te e na ge rs who ca re for yo un g ch ildren, e nabling them to co pe wit h an e me rgen cy Both Margaret's and J ames' awa rd s were s pon so red by the ationa l Fed e ration of 18-Plu s Group s which thi s year is ce lebrating it Fiftieth Anniversary. Its Head of Publi city, Terry Dick so n, is pi c tured ce ntre.

4 St John World Jul y 1991

Theft at the Gate

St John aItefaC l tol e n in London mu e um robb e ri e

A reward has been olTered following th then on May 24 th /245 th of severa l va lu ab e it ems from th e main mu eum atSt Jo hn Gate duri ng ope n ing hours. The thi eves gained e nt ry to th e items, mostly ilver, by using either kele to n keys or forcing th e locks on cabinets. All the items were sma ll a nd compa rat ive y easy to remove with cu tt e rs. The museum was one of six ot her London museums (inc lu ding Vestry House, Fo rt y Ha ll , Valence House, the Gefrrye Mu eum.

th e Pa ssmore Edwards Museum and Dr J o hn son's House) that were attacked by th e same gang in one week. The on ly deserirtion available uggests that th e thieves may have been in their late twenties, whi te, and that either they or their accomplices had visted the museum at least once before.

Local CID

[tems lost from the Gate included a 17th entury enamelled badge and pendant, several pieces or miniature insignia, 9 coins, 2 Maltese si Iver vinaigrettes, 2 Maltese l>ilvcr spice boxes, a small statuette of t John the Bapti'>t, a go ld and enamel necklace and a go ld filigree necklace. Most of these were marked, properly recorded and photographed - and many of them bear the eight-poillt cross of the order.

Photographs and descriptions havc been circulatcd to antique and art market trade papcrs and other intercsted parties. The local elD are dealing with the case •

PlCllIrcd left : Mm,lI/g, (W() Mal(cse .I'i/rer

Car Drivers Care

(or say they do)

4,135 motorists were tackled in the recent St John Ambulance traffic poll and the results how a clear commitment to Fir t Aid by the UK's driver. 77% of them were in favourof First Aid que tions being included in the driving test and 78% agreed that it should be compul ory to have a First Aid kit in all cars. Alas, only 23% actually had a FirstAid kit themselves. Their overall pelformance in anweringthe mulriplechoice que tion about what to do in

Do some cars need First Aid more than others?.'

one of four accident scenarios was equally uninspiring.

The worst finding concerned a situation where a girl' legs were caught in a bicycle after a coli ision with a car. 29% an wered incorrectly, 8% of them aying they would get her to si t up and wriggle free -a that could lead to paralysis in extreme case.

9% of respondents would still gleefully whip off a motorcyclist's helmet afterthey'dhad

an argument wi th a tree, and 4% declared themsel ves more than happy to stop a woman's face from bleeding by tying a bandage around her neck. It's enough to make you thi nk twice about having an accident.

One of the more surprising findings of the poll was that preci ely 55% of tho e interviewed had been involved in Road Accident before.

The St John Ambulance Nur ing Bur aries were presented on 28th May at London HQ b . the Su peri ntendent in Chief Phyllida Stewart-Robert. The bur arie have been made every year since 1980 and are intended a a meansoffinancingStJohn member whowi h to broaden their own experience, while benefiting the work of St John in the community.

THE SPIRIT OF FELLOWSlflP

An agele S heila Puckle puts the Fellowship AGM on record

FOllr hundred members of the St J ohn Fellowship and their gue t · had a great day at Bristol on 21 May. The GM was held at the Victoria Rooms - an ideal location which included a Cafe- B ar where early arrival were able to have lunch. For me, this !TIeant that I was abl to m ee t many more member th an u ual, a Tea Period never seem: long enough

The Meeting followed in a Hall.pecial applause greered Mrs MacMurray, hainnan of Braid Branch. Co. Antrim. our first-ever representative from the orthem Ir eland Branches, and Lt Colonel E sex Lewis, one- tim e ommisslOner Bristol and now a much-loved member of Bri. tol branch. He i 97

Mrs Maureen ullivan RG RM RHV County We lfare Officer in Co unt y Durh am, received a £500 bur ary from Smith and ephew (Ian Scott, Marke tin g Manager is pictured) to finance a study of th e role of St J o hn in are in the Communi ty'. Maureen hopes to develop a tr aining trategy to prepare members in th e communication and e mo ti o na l s upport sk ill s necessa ry for we lfare work. She c urre ntl y works as a J-I ea llh Visilor and joined St Jo hn a a Ca d et at th e age o f te n

Lady Moyra Browne, ex - uperintcndent-in- hier. mcets K Bithcll who, together wit h Ms M Cu lverwell, was ponsored by Lady Moyra's trus t to visit thl year's Medical Conference. Mr Bith ell is nurse for th e mentally handicapped in Staffordshire and expre sec! concern a t th e current drive o put long-teml patients in th e comm unit y. " W e worked hard o n two residents for 6 year so that they cou ld take a job in th e community. Within I8 month th ey came back to LI S physically aggressive and mentally damaged" he said.

Major General P R Chaim1an of St John Fellow hip. welcomed all thosc present, and than(..ed the t J ohn Counci l and other supporters in Avon who had generously ponsored t hc evcnt. He al 0 thanked Mrs Shirley Manning ofSt John Supplies who ran a popular tall Single- handed a ll day, and the Brigade members in Avon who provided transport and F.A. Cover, not easy on a working day. Gulf War

[n proposi ng the dopt ion of the nnual Report (see May I ue. Sfll' pg 8). the Cha inm an referred to th e ou ts tand in g re ponse b) members to the ca ll for vo lunt eers during the Gulf War, which wou ld have lasting benefits in Co ullti es. H e much enjoying hi ' role as Chaim1an, e peeially th e opportuni ti es to visit Branches.

When seconding th e proposal I was ab le to repol1 th at a design for a Ladies' carf in th e colours of the Fellowship Ti was available for commen t after th e meeting. omc sugge ted amendmen ts have since been accep ed.

After the Annual Report had bcen pa , sed and th e entral ommittee

Major General Leuchars. FelloH shlp Chairman. welcomed (he AGM delegares to Bristol.

dul) elected for 1991/2. the Chainman invited our Pre ident, Lad) Wetbul). to peak.

Lad} Westbul) explained the problem in tran poning rhe many blank.et received ince the last GM ro outh Africa. but aid he nov. hoped to find an an wer through the good office of the Chainman. Chesterfie ld Branch, Mr Bowmer. who had contact out there. She then introduced Dr Sheila Ca idy, Medical Director ofSt Luke's Ho pice at Plymouth.

Dr Cas idy ga e a moving talk on the Hospice Movement and her experiences in it. It i de igned to meet the ph) ica!. spiritual. emotional and family need of the tenminall) ill v. ith the aim of providing a full and ati sf) ing I ife to the end. he revealed the satisfacrion of all \\ ho work in it and suggested th at Fellow hip member might find a joy in helping at their local Hospice. Her ta lk \Va very \ am11) received.

ext came Tea. Mrs icholson of EAmouth Branch old 20 opie of her book. 'Fil'e Coins 01/ (he Tuh/e' and I wa interviewed b the Bris(ol El'('ning POS( who a ked my age now your Editor would never do that!

It \ as great to meet many members from the We t Countl) and other new Branches who I had not met before. Everyone agre d that the day worth th e joumey. and th e sun hone for u • July 1991 t John World 5

Th e mu se um has rece ntl y ac quired a bea utiful o il pai ntin g of Cas ualty Supe rinte nd ent TA McG ill , pa in ted by ora Lu cy Mowbray Cund e ll (1889- 1948) in 194 2.

Thi i an imp o rt a nt additi o n a nd few paintin gs of s uch qua lity

ex ist o fStJ ohn Ambul ance mem be r T hea rti st s tu d ied a t Black hea th

Art S c hoo l a nd W es tmin s e r T ec hni ca l In s ti t ut e unde r Sid, e rt and pa rt tim e at Sl ade 19 J J- 19 14. She ex h ibi ted her wo rk a t th e Roya l

Acad e my, NEAC and Pa ri S alo n

But whil st we know a bo ut th e a rt is t we have un fo rtu na te ly no knowl edge o f Mr T A McGill beyo nd wha t is n th e pi c ture. His uniform bad ges te ll us th a t he wa a me mb e r of St J o hn Am b u la nce and an Air R a id Prec au t io n Work e r. Fro m th e le tte r CS o n h is ha t we know th at he w as Cas ualty Supe rinte nd e nt. Th e bac kgro un d is ob sc ured , but the wo rd B U CKS i c learl y ma rk ed , 0 we k now where he wo rked

M cGill was o ne of th e ma ny St J o hn Ambul a nce me mb e r w ho work ed ind efa ti g ab ly as Air Ra id Pr eca uti o n pe rso nn e l d urin g th e heav y bombin g of Briti sh Citi es. It wo uld be ni ce to know more thou gh - do es a nyon e re me mb e r h im? Se nd SJW a le tt e r, or co nt ac t Amand a Devon s hire at th e mu e um on 07 1-253 6644.

Wanted: Twopenny Dam!

es t imates th a t it needs 1,647,360 t wo pence coins to st re tch the dis tance - at a cos t of £32,947.20 (whic h you co ul d p robab ly work ou t) and a weigi1 t of20 tonnes (which you probably cou ldn' t

" o ut ). The great coin trai l is schedu led to take place a t tock lund quare on August 12th. As ir that wasn't enough, ran leigh has also asked us to pass on a cha llenge. On t he 10th Augu'>t the Division plans to assemble the largest number of J ohns ever secn In OIlC place (pre<;lImably excluding American sani taryware factories). For .,ol1le rea.,on

Outer Mongolia Bound

t John has been helping out four members of a cycle expedition that aims to pedal700km across the Genghis Khan Wall in Outer Mongolia. The expedition i · being mounted primarily in aid of the Friend of the Earth Rainforest Campaign, but also to undertake an anthropological survey for Leeds Univer ity. The team hope toet off this month if the) can rai e sufficient fund - Karrimor International and Vango of Scot-

to help should contact Adrian Kinloch on 071-258 3456.

St John World in villainy and deception We're keen to reach nev. readers, but were surpri ed b) a recent '>tol) from the Alder,>hot ews. During the refurbishment

SafelVay Rocks On

Illblilancc ciation last year ha.., won a Silver Award in thl: British Medical s"ociation's annual Film and Video review. een here at the pre.,entalion ceremony are (Ito r) Dr DaVid Wnght orB.p. (who put up

Su piciou hou eholders tinall) called rhe police, but not before the gang had made a £3 00 profit. Well, that's one way of increasing the circulation!

Safe\\a) , 'Make a Million in May' had it overea angle too. The Gibraltar branch of the Safev..a} 's chain organied collections 111 it stores - and even managed to v. rest a donation from DOR Major General Walsh \\ ho vi itedlhei landIl1Late-Ma).(The event wa:, deemed urficienrl) new worthy to feature in rhe Gibralrar Chronicle!). St John Cadets and Badgers in Gibral tar raised funds by offering cu romer a pac"-and-carry out ervice.

NurSing Opportunities

• Brigade m e mb

S h e ila Pu c kl e w ri tes -I a m d e l ig hte d to a nn o un ce th e reg i tra ti o n of th e te nth F e llow s hip Ch a pte

ix peop le hav e all benefited b y organ tran s plan ts facilitated b y th e S t John Ambulanc e Airwing, The y were attending the Air Wing Supper at the end of April. Thi s is an annual event ho ted by St John for the controller s, pilots, repre s entati ve from the C ivil Aviation Authorit y and the UK Tran s plant Se rvice s

SIS MOTORS LTD REFURBISHED AMBULANCES

Jennifer and ll1anda Brol,.\.n are nur"ng Cadets \\ ith Quad Oi, o n The) recentl) found £2000 s in u bra n paper cJl\elope - the - dropped haul of a bungled PO\t ofllce 5 robber). The) re- r: f. turned the mone) 2 and recei\ cdaL50 re \ ard.

The Hu ll Wilb e rfor ce and Badger!-- joi ned forces ror a' lingalong-a -John' e"ent in the Qua) hopping Precillcl. Peter Park.er i!> '>een \\ rapping ur Carla onnan from Hull rgyle.

S hurdin g t o n Bad ge r " are to be congratulated on their lin upcr Badger'> (r to I) Laura ndrew,>. Christina Brown and tlmuci

j ulie Wiggln\ and Sasha Bajada from M e r t ham C adet ,joined 25 o ther walk.ers on a sronsored wa l k. around Royal Earlswood Hospit a l. Jul ie wal k. ed!) ll1i les, raised t25 and received th children's cup for under- 14s; a:,ha walk.l'd 5 mi les. raised £20 and 1,.\.011 thc ovcr14$ cup. Blu e'. th Division\ mascot. rai!--ed £45 and got no eup at all. whieh hardly :,eeml, fair! The money for pecial tables and for disabled patients.

eaton-B ee r Quad Oi,iion' s Cadcl\their enrolment and certi !icate presentation on Februar) 17th.

Gain

Everybody is welcome!

The St John Ambulance Brigade Annual Conference takes place this year at the Guildhall, Portsmouth between September 13th and 15th... why not come along?

The Brigade Conference is your chance to find out about your organisation: where it's going right, where it ' s going wrong ... even where it's going! Having problems with the Energy Programme? Unhappy about Advanced Skills? Got mi gi vings a bou t Care in the Corrununity? Then why notcome and listen to pre entations by the people responsible for them? Perhaps you'll understand the reason for them better... perhaps you won ' t. At least you ' ll be able to put your que tions informally to individuals and make your voice heard.

Or lllaybe you are having trouble recruiting volunteers? trouble thinking of fund raising ideas? trouble implementing one of HQ s lllore bizarre pieces oflegisla tion? Well, maybe your not alone! COine along and llleet confederates from other Counties .it could be that they have already solved your problems!

Above all, come along and enjoy yours ell. It's a great City, and great company.

Proceedings begin on the Friday, when a Civic Receptionhosted by the Mayor of Portsmouth - is plaiuled. During the course of the weekend presenta-

tions will be made by all elements of the St John Anlbulance Foundation, interspersed with Guest Speakers.

Booking forms are available from County Offices now and must be retunled by the 20th July.

The Conference Fee is £40 00 per person for all Conference facilities including: Friday - Civic reception, dinner, en tertainment

Saturday- Moming coffee, lunch, tea, dinner / dance

Sunday - MonLing coffee, IWlch

A special day rate of £30.00 is available for Saturday only.

Conference fees do NOT inelude acconunodation and this should be arranged by delegates for themselves . Two hotels which have agreed to special rates for St Jolm persoIUlel are the Innlodge, POrtSlllouth (tel:0705 65051 0) and the Arcade Hotel (tel: 0705 821992). Please state that y ou are a St John delegate if you make a booking at either of these hotels.

This conference offers members of the Brigade an opportunity to meet with a number of 'newconlers' at HQ, all of whom will be addressing the delegates. We asked two of theln to pen a few words in advance about themselves and their aspirations, so you'll know what to expect!

DR A.J.BLOWERS - Director General.

Mycredentials for the post ofdirector general could be described as broadly based. Allied to a career in the Pharmaceutical Industry, the majority of which wa pent in the area of clinical trials re earch, I pent much time on extracurricular activities. These included service a a Health Authority Chairman, a County and Borough Councillor, a Magistrate and a Police Authority Chairman. I was initially recruited ro the Brigade as a Divi ional Vice President to head up a fund raL ing and new building · project which concluded with a new headquarter building for the Addlestonedivision in Suney. The building isstill standingeven though my concreting and bricklaying kill were involved.

Having erved in the Brigade for 14 years, the last three of which were as County Commander in Suney, I will feel very much at home at the forthcoming Brigade Conference. I have al 0 spent the last five years as an Assistant Director General with the A ' ociation which I believe gives me an ideal background to meet the exciting challenges of the next decade where a firm relationship between Brigade and Association is vital firstly foroursurvival and secondly foroursucces. The fact that lun Moody, the new Commissioner in Chief and I have agreed to share an office is a positive tep forward in this new alliance.

In all Association Training Courses we must seek to find recruits for the Brigade, and at the same time aim to increase our commercial viability, rhus producing added financial support to Brigade operations.

Standard of training in all St John activities must be improved and maintained at new levels in order to meet the demands of a society that has come toexpecr perfection in all services both statutory and voluntary. It is a well known fact that the human brain does not retain detailed information and we therefore have to practise and revise continuously. Competitions and training for these events are one way in which we can enhance efficiency and 1do hope all in St John will give serious thought to this aspect of our work. I look forward to meeting as many as possible in Portsmouth and can assure you that the Association is fully dedicated to the future of St John Ambulance.

TIM GAUVAIN - Exccutive Director

Iam rcally lool-,ing forward to my Brigade Conference. ] seize as Illany opportunities as] can to visit the counties, but I know thcre will be many peoplc attending the Conference wholll I haven't yet mel. I look forward also to the opportunity to explain Illy role at the Headquarters, what we have achieved in the first year, and what we hope to achieve in the future.

The theme "Gaining Ground" seems to me to be very appropriate for all of u We all know that the Brigade went through a dlrficult period a few years ago in tel111S or falling member hip and uncel1ainty of purpose [t will be satisfying LO reflect on the measures that huve been taken. both before my time and since I arnved. to reverse the trend and settle the uncertainty so Lhat wc all end up k.nowing exactly where we are gOIng and how we plan to get there. But "Gaining Ground" Illeans more even than that. It also has a forward look.ing implication. whIch I bellevc to be both positive and necessary. Whatcver pride wc may ta"c In past achlcvement. we have to remember that the clock contll1ucs to tic" and the world around us continues to develop and we must develop with it.

But conferences abo proved an invaluable opportunity to get togeLher, LO exchange ideas and cxperiences and to rcmind oLlr\elve" b} virtue of the fact that <.,0 many people come 11'0111 all over the country to attend them. that collectively we represent all part.., of the cOl11ll1unrty that we serve.

I hope that in the year between thi.., Brrgade Conference and the ne\t one, we shall gain further ground. particularly rn two rcspects I hope that we shall strengthen our image as a unilicd Stjohn Ambulance, provldll1g the caring service across the whole spcctrum of our actIvitIes for whIch we are justly renowned. I hope that at the Headquarter,> , \\hlch is 1l1} particular sphere of responsibility, we shall continue 10 build - both volunteers amI salaried working together - lhal ba'le of leadership, guidance and \UPport \.\ hich volunteers 111 the countle<, bOlh need and dcserveThls IS the of the Headquarter.., and we want 10 ma"e SLire lhat, fonhe <'akeof tJohn Ambulance as a \\ hole, thecouillics can be confident that we are accomplishrng it.

The Guildhall: Nothing Sounds Better

It should be of interest to anyone attending the Brigade Conference to know that the main concert hall in the Guildhall is considered to be as near to acoustic perfection as possible. This should mean that you'll hear every word (although hopefully not every coughgruntsneezescra pingofchaira ndra ttleofcrispbag)!

The hall was originally built in 1889 to a design by William Hill of Leeds. It became a Guildhall (as opposed to a town hall) in 1926 when Portsmouth received its City charter. In 1941 the Ha 11 was gutted by German incendiary bombs which left only the outer walls standing.

After the war a decision was made to retain the external structure and the interior of the building was completely redesigned. It was re-opened in 1958 by Her Majesty The Queen and HRH Prince Philip.

Notable features include the Sta r Chamber, which houses the largest glass mural in the world; a collection of Civic Plate dating from the 16th Century; the Tower Room with its huge stained glass window; and, of course, the perfect concert hall

is packed with leisure opportunities and it's well worth extending your

Besides

Overlord Tapestry, Southsea Ca tIe etc). Those of a more pacific bent might care to walk amongst the sharks at Sea World, seek out the Cumberland HOllse Natural Science Museum, or visit Charles Dickens' birthplace.

AgllidemapojPortsmouth TheGuildhalii marked with a 'C'.

A leaflet showirzgplaces to park ill the City is included in the prepack which will be sent to delegates. For more lnformation, cOlllaclThe To II rist/Iljormatio 11 Centre, The Hard, Portsmouth, Hampshire POl 3QJ (Tei:0705 826722).

An escorted \ Isit around the Mary Rose Tru t i one of a number of special events planned for the Sunday afternoon. Many people will , till recall the spectacular raising oflhe Mary Rose in 1982. Preserved in the silts of the Solem for 437 year. Henry VILl's favourite \I,>arship was a time capule of Tudor life. complete with everyday posse ion ' clothing. food. toob and weapon of her complement of 700 men. Installed in a pecial dl) dock work.ship in Portsmouth·s hi toric dockyard. the great oak hull is con tantl) sprayed with chilled water to conserve her timber ' Visitors can the reinstatement of much or the dec"ing that had to be removed before the recove!) and can alsoenjo) a special' Acou tiguide' radio commentar).

In the Mary Rose Exhibition a 12 minute audio-vi ual on the di covelY, rai ing and conservation of the hip highlight the enormous undertaking involved in this, the world's mo ambitiou underwater project. The exhibition or the Mary Ro e trea ures prO\ ides a themed display of some 20.000 recovered including longbows. cannon gami ng board clothing. comb ,pe'" terware. a shaving bowl - even the contents of the barber urgeon' s chest.

Portsmouth

stay.

the threefamous boats (HMS Victo The Mary Rose HMS Warrior) there is a host oj martiaL attractions (the submarine museum, the RoyaL Navy museum, the Day Mu eum wah Its

•

•

• Executive Rooms (including Jacuz z i baths ) and s p ecial rooms for

Single Occupancy: £20 per night

D ouble Occupancy: £25 per night

Executive

I

, , You don't need to pay The two officer., who were at the table near you have already done ';0. They said that they had heard you talking and reali ed you were working at t John and have paid the bi II for you."

My wife had recently joined me at the end of the 'ichool hoi idays and we had driven out to EI Qubeibeh. a place revered b) the ru,;uders as the site of the ';LOr) (Lu!--c 2"+, 13: scholare;; ,"",ould no longer accept it as the true site).

A German ordcrof nun" ran a hospice there and their' unday Tea,, were a speciality.

Wc had noticed the twolordanian rmy OfTicers in World War Two style British bauledres,>, but hud had no conversation with them. To be at the receiving end of "uch unobtrusi,e ho,-;pltality brought home tou'>the privilege ofwor!--ing for'Musta. hfa Ayoun' - the Eye Hospital. That V\. as twenty five years ago.

Wor!-- at the ho pital WLl'> hard. Huge clinics wIth too few doctors meant that each of u wou ld see as Illany a a h undred pmienh. The clinics started at 7.00am and would often go on non -s top to three or four in the afternoon. The rule simple: all patient'; wi thin the gates by 12.00 noon would be seen that day.

It wa not unusual for the day's operating list to inc lude a dOJ:cn catarac t (fo r the cog noscenti, we d id a simple intracap ular lens ex trac tion wit h, of cours , no len imp lan t as is co m mo n today). The b linding effec ts of long s tanding trachoma migh t add ano th er dozen opera tions to correc t th e scarring tha t caus the lashe to crape the Co mea(re ulti ngindimnessor lo of vi ion).

It wa th ird wor ld oph tha lm o logy, wi th reso urces inade qu a te to t h dema nd b ut wi th th e up - to- d a te tec hn o logy of th e SixTh e, evere ep id e mi cs of puru le nt co nJun cti vi ti s th a t had occ urred a d ecade o r so ear lie r had bee n la rge ly co nt ro ll ed by improve d wa te r s uppl ics a nd ge ne ra l hyg i ne in th e vill ages a nd re fu gee ca m ps. Th o e indi v idu a l w ho co ntrac ted it were now

K.L.Batten, the Deputy Hospitaller, looks back at 25 years of change at the St John Ophthalmic Hospital.

treated with antibiotic or ointment.

Jordan's borders were open to all the to the East and, before the rapid development of the oil rich countries' medical services (omething which followed the control of their oil price ), patients would come from as far away a, Iraq or Saudi Arabia.

I remember one elderly blind couple '"'" ho had walked for most of the way from Saudi rabia led by their young grand on.

" It was third world ophthalmology, with resources inadequate to the demand "

The turned out to have bilateral mature calara l. and we admitted them together in a double room. 0 waiting Ii t then - if beds were available the needy were admitted; ifnot, they retumed ano therda). A few days after their operation. the couple could be seen peeJingateach other through .· imp le spectacles. It \0\ a the fir. t time they had seen each other for ten years!

Ophthalmic urgery in developed countries has advanced con iderably in the last 25 year and t John ha kep t apace. Every advance though. ha re u lt ed in addi tiona l expense.

In I966 the ann ual runni ngexpen e of the Hospita l aITlO unted to£75,OOO. Twenry five year later, with the u e of op ra ting micro ' co pes and la ' er ' , th pro is ion of a e nt ral s terile upp ly department. an orth op ti c department and increa ed labora to ry provisio n, we are b udge ting for £ I,900,000.

Today th e Hospita l i, recog ni ed fo r h ig he r urgi a l tra inin g by th e Roya l Co llege of urgeo n, and the Co ll ege of O phth a lm o logi. L T h tandard th ey req u ire a re far lllo r , tri nge ntt han those in force in 1966 a nd no t eve ry ho pi ta l eye depa rt -

ment in the UK i so recognised. It i for this reason that we have to provide the laboratory services, orthoptic department, an exten ive medical library and (equally expensive) time for clinical tuition on a scale that was not considered esential 25 years ago.

More intricate procedure take longer and the number of uch ca e. on the operating Ii t are fewer a are ult. A typical Ii t i now more likely to be acouple of cataract operation with intraocular len implantation. a retinal detachment and couple of operation for quint.

The large number of case operated on for complication of trachoma have been uperceded by la er treatment of diabetic (diabetes is a major cau e of blindne ). In the time of the Bri ti h Mandate in Pale tine, StJohn wa re pon iblefor orne 13 clinic throughout the count!). t the end of the Mandate and with the 10 of the original building on Bethlehem Road, it had been a truggle to maintain th e ho pital a a functioning uni t.

Hope were rai ed by the opening of the neV\. Hospital in 1960 that ervice in the field ,>,.auld be re umed. but it wa 2S year before me fir t 'Outreach' programme became a practicalit]. Today a further expan ion. particularly in the Gaza area, i p lanned. Patient from th e Gaza trip can now be served by S t Jo hn folio , ing the border c hanges ca u ed b) the 1967 war.

T he Ho pita l - a envi ioned b) it founder - remain open to all, but it i not immune to the en ironmen t in which it erve In practice itha alway found it elf erving the di advantaged: and the ' e are large ly t he Pa le tinian pop ul a tion. In a co n fro nt a ti o na l iruar ion tho e \ ho try to he lparea l way liab le to bemi , u nder tood. For th e medica l ervice on th e batt lefie ld th e re i neit he r fr iend o r foe. o nl y wo un ded men. it remai n with tJ oh n T he re is no di tin c tio n by race, cia or reed: o n ly per o n in need of eye care. In thi re pect no th ing ha c hanged 0 e r 25 ear • July 1991 Stjo h n World 17

D ue to the increased training in ex

nded skills amongst ambulance and nursing s taff, w e ha ve now int roduced a range ofbooks to c o ver s uch topics as infusion , intubation , defibrillati o n , adva

Cnlonel Jerel11) George \\ elghll11an reggettci I() \111 I!S I K(

Esmee Wootton Sal"cltl

Illlward John FI"ln

PCtCl Mar'dlall

Kellh Ward kr) I Lalhalll

John Thol11a, (-,atc, I \SI Wdliam Jamc, I-:,,-e).

Ilamld Dougl ,ls Bodle) 'Il I KI( , Ilargarct Bnn"el

Gcnllrl') Jamc, Falr-ilLlr,t \111 ehB BSl

Thonla, William IVlarll)\\ Rohert DI\on I\ttwoo(\ hOI William Ilughe\ MOl) London (,he,hlre

As Ser v ing Broth e r or S is t e r

The Revercnd Da\ III Oll\l.:r Wall Terencc O'Donoghue

MlIrJel LOl11a\ I\an Ra)l11ond I-I,IC" \(,111 PelCI Gcorge l-iall, -Dldn,on \1 \ hedend-. C) III George Pi1i1hlld Patlll'l,1 ,\Ilile \\ III,hICI lIcilla JO\ce \\ -\Idellllan- Charle, I !elbert Mahel H Robert hedeill" I lI1e,t Blltton hem JeannCllC I'arle) Iiole ('-,arne'l 1'1l1111'O) Rhon,1 Irenc "'1,trIc Redlcrn I<l,' Ronald Willi am CUrll, Jean Johl1 St,lllle\ Ld\lard, 1)\1 I< I< Hdal\ COlllll\ '01<' KSl , Kl '1 1<, I l!em\ ani (jarratt rrascr K,I)

Alllhnll) D.\\ 1<1 John "'lel Thelma \l1n "11l ,l!shul) RC ,l!lna ld Sldnc) \1cphalll Man I-!Jlilhe th Price ,\Ian I krhcrI 'v1ork) Clarc \1a) f::.ustace Dal Id FOIl III Pnce In, 'vlaud Bec,wn Ed \1 ard Anthon) Ivtelia vera \!Ia) C).,gerh) SR" Roberl Henr) Sha\o\ \1al'lc Ethel Don, Copping COIII1 Cllflord

John Bnan Purl IS Hcather \lar) TUllhdl ,J{' 11\ John \\'ahon

Kath e nne PatnLl ,1 Robinson SR' George Henr) Cl\e

Vlolel IIe len Senne 0111

Stan Ie) Forre't iVlary Jordan

Millon Ham[lson ProVidence nnoneld(C \!Illallci Jame, IrVine Long.'lall

Gwendolil1l: knn) CJU)

William Leonard Ilan) S[licr, Manon Sharroc"

Alan Welghlman f::.lfreda iVlar) Sa,\by

John Clawlord cvdle Wood \1\ Edna Ma) Maddi,on Kenncth William Montacull!

Violet Barhara Brown

Donald GodWin

Kathleen Mr, MucDonald - Bradley (((i' Graham Jo hn Paync

Prolcs,or MIchac l Gerver\ MOlllague Bcard

I cmy Edgar Pa,ton - Bedingfcld

As Esq u ir e

I)c h y, I)e rh y,h Ire ollhlll11hlla E"l'x Ilulllhcr\lde Londoll Chlord,hlre iVl cr,c) ,ide onhull1hna f\1cr\c) 'leiC

bre Nth 'I or/", Bcd, Surre) \\ JI"llIre Che"hlrc (hford,llIrc \\ 011 '\th 'lor'" 1-"0 '\11l1l I-"n '\011' I.llmhm Derh) ,hire

E"c

[:\\c\ London

Essl'\ London I lid & \\ m(S London Hcns 'vtersc) ,Ide 1I1IIllhersi tle 'onh ,lI1h KCIlI ,,",orthumhn:1 Kcnl l\. el1l \Jnrthllmhna I..lnLa ,11Irl' "loth Ldn l a,llIrl' ""Oll S London olls I .o n(\on otl\ MCI\c)slde otl\ Mersl') Side Oil'> orthant, O,forlbhlre onhumhnu Somer,":1 th York, S&W Yor'" Il fd & Worcs • Canada otis (1m li E COlton)

Ambulance duty takes people beyond the public perception of an event. Janet Anderson, Area Staff Officer for Bradford, has bitter-sweet m emories of a charity race with a sobering cause.

BrOllte oUlltry. Wuthering Heights Cohhled street'>. Rambling heathercovered moors - and HOO people In fancy running down them carryir,g bales 01 "trav"

Oxenhope i a liuiet country village at the cnd of'the Worth Valley Railway It i\ maller and Ie"" well h.nown than l1l:ighbouring I laworth. [ practise a" a Ilealth VI itor in picture"LJuc town<- but my conception of them changes \\ hen. onceayear inJul). the Oxcnhope Stra\\ race me don my St John gUIse. The race aim" to ral,c money for the local Sue Ryder HospIce, it 101111er rvJanor House \.\. hlch l'llevoted to the care of the terminally ill and relICS totally on donation,. The majority of competitor" "tel11 from the orth of England, \\ Ith (\ "pnnh.llIlg irom the South and from Europe. The) can eIllel elthcr as pair" or team". but all mu"t GlIT) a bale or "tra\.\.. \\Clghlllg up to 501b" along the three mile route - and call at lIye publiC hou'>e, on the way. each stop. male and ml\cd tcalll" mu,t dnnh. a pInt of ale and \\ omen', team" a half-p ll1L all of It donated b) the brewerie" Pnle go to the wInner'> and to the mo,t original fancy Keighle) Ambulance and ur"ing DiVISion has CO\ cred thl" dut) lor mall) ) car" and has Ie a 111 cd to anticipate 11h.c1) inJuric, - che"t palll". hcat e\hamtlon. gnlles. brUises and a \anety of lower 11mb InJune"

Two year'> ago. a, usual. \I.e arri\ed in good tllllC forthe race and tooh. up the posts allocated to u" b) our uperintcndclll. I had Ju:--t COIllpleted an Ambulance Id Module at the West Yorh.shire Ambulance, ervice traming "chool and \\(\" told to crew the mbulance \.\Ith Cpl Robert Kelly. \\ho i" also a trallled driver Distressed state

The race had an hour to '>tart and. since \\ e were at the finish, we bu,ied ourseh es rechech.ing the 0 )gen and Entono\. 1 was in the bach. of the ambulance when I heard a car screech to a hal t. A man ran LIp to L1'i 111 a elistres:--ed :-.tate, "hoUling for someone to looh. at hi:-- wife. Robert and I wen t to the car and found a woman, J enny. still in her nigh wear and looking very pale and shoch.ed. he was clutchingu t ayello\.\. gingham ea towel \.\ rapped around her a1111.

Itt umed ou t t hat Jenny had spen t the Illorning he lping her sons get ready for the race LI nd had n t had t ime to ge t drcsse I. he had t ripped On her dressing gow n be lt a nd fa l len thro ug h a glass d oor I quick ly exam in ed h er and fo u nd she had two ex tensive acera t io ns o th e uppe r and o ut e r as pec t of her righ t am. They were bleedingseve re ly a nd were verydeep-e po ing Ihe per io te um of th e unde rl ying bone. After reass ur ing myse l f t he re was no g las i n t he

Bale • expreSSIOns

applied dIrect pre'>sure \\ hiht Robert chech.ed for other inJune Jenn) '" husband helped u 1110\e her to the ambulancc and retumedto hi.., famil). promiing to contact the ho pilal laLer The tea to\X el \\ a, quich.ly e\changed for an e\tra-Iarge ambulance \.\. ound dre,slI1g and \\ e treated her for "hoch. police motorcycltst o ITe red his assistance and esconeu us through the no\>.-clo::.ed roads \\ hlch were pac"ed \\ ith spectators.

Throughout the 15 minute joull1e) to the hospitalll11alntamed direct pre"sure and e le\ ation to the \\ound The haemorrhage \.\ <1." alTcstcd JU'lt on approach to the cCldent & EI11l::rgcne) department. Jenn) remained onSCIOU" and chatteclto me \o\.hil<;t I ehech.ed her al111 for adequate circula Ion. A t the hospital \.\ e stayed with her for the ,hort time it tooh. to prepare her for Theatre here her wound under\\ ell! 'explorat ion and suturi ng·.

We rctumed to the stand-b) poill! ju t the race began Before long we were bus) treating clO\\ ns \.\ ith sprained anh.les and cavemen \\ ith gra7ed h.nee:--!

To\\ ards the end of th aftel1100n a) oung man called nthon) and his friend Stephen appeared A nt hon) was in a wheelchair and explained tha t he was a reside nt at th e ue Ryder Ho:-pice and had come to a tch the S t raw Race He no \\ fe lt ery tired and wanted to go ho m c. bu ouldn't call a ta\i because the roads were t i ll clo,ed. We we re happ o ob lig and transpon d them baeL

An th on) wa \ cry cha tt and told me abou t himse l f. He was 22 year ' old and had a

mal ignant euroma of hi 'ipmal cord. He \\ as no\\ paraplegIC and had been at the hospice for four months A." \\e "ere lifting him out oflhe ambulance in the caIT) chair Roben took a call on lhe radio Could \\e a[(end an aault ca e \\ hich the police \o\.ere il1\ oh ed \.\ ilh?

F ig ht

Gal) \.\. a,> a 19 year old bo) who had been hit in the face during a fight. Roben and I e\amined him He had grazes to the h.nuch.lesof his right hand and a fracture to his left Malar bone He wa e\lremel) cooperative and 1<1) on hiS "ide on the ambulance COL a· he ga\e his details to Robert \.\. hile I ob erved \ Ital Ign<, He hadn't been h.noch.ed oul. but wa \el) dro\\ S)

This meant another trip to the hospital. A cold compress applied 10 Gal) 's cheeh. \\ hich was bruising rapid ly. and hi hand was dre sed. H is condition remained stable and he was \oon in the care of &E.

We re urned to lhe tra\.\ race as the crowds dispersed home. The uperinlendent infoll11ed the organisers that we too \\ ere read) for home - \\ hich left onl) the ambulance to clean and resto h. !

The next yeara \\ R obe rt and 1 once again cre v. ing the ambu lance. I t wa a much quiet r year but we did receive a visi t from a 'French Maid'. It was Jenny. come to han k us for the help v. e had given her la tear. eeing her reminded me of Anthony and the mOllO of the ue R yder Foundarion R osemal) for R emembrance " • J u ly 1991 Jo h n \ or ld 19

lEllJ1r1rJE§

was the zvinner of last year's National Florence Nightingale Memorial Scholarship sponsored by the Con1bined Order of St John and the British Red Cross. A Health Visitor in East Dorset, size was once a St John Cadet il1 Westonsuper-Mare ("I certainly learnt ntore First Aid then than in any subseque1lt trai1lillg"). TIle subject of her scholarship 7vas ... well, read 011 and see.

In the middle of a beautiful Dorset summer, I tidied my desk, handed over my case load, packed my rucksack and flew off to AriLOna ... I had hardly believed the news \.\-hen I learned that I had won a ational Florence Nightingale Memorial Scholarship. I had applied to rudy the health problem ariing from the settlement of nomadic people - in palticular J wallLed to compare the health problems ofthe avajo Indian s with my own experiences as a health vi itor lO the Travellers/Gyp ie of 0 rset.

I had read all that I could lay my hands on about Navajo Indians - health, alcohol abu e,diabete s, infant mortality rate Even during the night I tudicd the avajo Area Indian Health Service Profile and read the replies to my letters from th Indian Health Service (JHS) managers. Would they really be expecting me'? How would I get on in a Navajo Indian Reservation fortwo momhs ? Would my money rLln OLlt?

I an' ived in Phoenix at 4.00am on Sun-

day morning . 0 one wa ' there to meet me - obviously I was notexpected atwork until Monday. I found a hotel, jumped into the Jacu zzi,hada wimunderthenight kyand waving palm tree before rea on took over, and I went to bed.

I pent my tin week in Phoenix, meeting the IHS manager at the rea Officefinance, planning, disea e comro!. tribal self detenllination , community health dpartment My ho t wa ' her elf a Native American and drove me Ollt to the Gila River Indian Reservation. I was particularl interested in the health care here be au e every other adult Pima (Papago Indian) suff rs from type two, non - insulin dependent c1iabete - and diabete i a problem affecting Travellers/Gyp ies. I r member on the drive back passing a coyote scampering along in a dried -ollt arroyo

Th IH run eight hospitals on the avajo Re ervation: any patient that can t b treated at these are transfelTed to the Phoenix Indian Medical Centre This i a

modem, \ ell-equipped ho pital where I pent time in the ante natal, labour ward , and pecial care baby unit. The Indian Medical Centre are taffed almo tentirel) by Indian and mo t of the enior health ervice manager are Indians. The IHS it elf wa created in 1955 following treatie between the Indian and the US Government. Any enrolled member of an Indian or Ala kan Nati e Tribe can receive free medical care from rhe IHS, who e objective i to rai e the health tatu of uch tribe to the highe t po ible level (and I hould a it ucceed in thi objective) I pent the final fe\.\. day of my fir t week at the Inter Tribal Training on child protection i ue. Thi i an important part of a Health Vi itor' work. and there were work hop invol ing Indian oeial worker COLIrt cOLIn ellor ' , child protection workers and Tribal Court judge ' I made a good fri nd here, a Hopi Indian, \ ho I later vi ited at the Tribal Court on the Hopi Re ervati n. The Hopi are the mo ( tradiJuly 1991 Stjo hn Wor ld 11

tional of all the American Indians. They carve lovely KatchinaDollsandmakedelicately painted pottery, but no cameras or note taking i permitted on the re ervation.

While I wa there the men of the Snake Clan held the Snake Dance. In the days leading up to this, the elder spend time in their Kiva (underground chamber ) with the poisonous snake that, during the ceremony, they dance with in their mouth.

At the weekend I took a tiny plane up to Window Rock, Tribal Headquarters and capitol of the Navajo Nation. I hired a car and was lucky enough to find a room at Fort Defiance with other visiting health service workers. The house turned out to be part of an old TB Sanatorium which had al 0 been the HQ of the US army garrison that had rounded up the Navajo and marched them off into four year of captivity in Mexico

('The Long March', as it became known led to the death of many Navajo ).

From here] would spend many of my weekends visiting some of the amazing places on or near the reservation with my housemates. The e included the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, the Petrified Forest and numerous ancient Anasazi Pueblo ruins and canyons. I saw a mountain bear's paw prints, cougar, snake, scorpion, humming bird, prairie dog and a mangey-Iooking coyote. I am happy to ay that I did not meet a black widow spider.

The Navajo Reservation is home to 200,OOONavajo Indians. It stretches 24,000 miles into Arizona, Colorado, Utah and New Mexico. There are lake, Sacred Mountain ,and pine forest, but mostly it is harsh, beautiful, awe inspiring desert cactus, scrub, tumble weed, pinyon pine and juni per. Huge red sandstone cli ffs, weirdly eroded by the wind, fierce sun and electrical storms make any drive along the long, straight lonely roads an adventure in itself. I remember travelling before dawn on my way to a remote health station and glimpsing, in the beam of my headlight, a black wolf loping along in the trees. I also meta Navajo Policeman who told me I was driving too fast.

The Navajo Area Indian Health Service (NAIHS) is managed from Window Rock. During my stay there I visited somewhere new every day. I was often on the road at five in the morning, delighted by the sun rise over the coral buttes and the sun flowers along the edge of the roadside.

I went to all the eight service areas. I visited hospitals, health stations, urban and rural tribal health clinics and chapter houses. Alcohol abuse is a big problem amongst all Indians, and I spent four days at a conference on the subject. I was asked to address 22 St John World July 1991

Val meets the May o r

meetings; I was the guest of the mayor of Gallup, New Mexico .. .! never knew what the next day would bring.

1 regularly accompanied the Community Health Nurse (CHN)outonhercall to Navajo patient in their homes. We travelled in front wheel drive jeeps, miles off the highway, over water and and dune, up lope , through huge pot hole, and out into the de ert. If the CHN was non-Indian we would have a Navajo interpreter with uat lea t a third of the people we aw did not peak Engli h. Sometimes we would get

"They believe ill black magic, witchcraft, skill walkers and taboos"

lost amongst the desert crub before locating a patient in a shack with no water, electricity, sewage or telephone Some families lived in hogan - the traditional hexagonal mud -a nd-Iog hut of the Navajo.

The chool hospitals and trading posts provide work for some, but 55 % of the Navajo on the re ervation survive on a combination of Government upport and supplementary income from arts and craft. They are a resourceful , proud, gentle, patient, stoic people. Rather than just accepting their lot they will alway try to help themselve - as they are at the moment with the alcohol problem.

We visited people with TB, diabetes, pregnant mothers, new-born babie alcoholics, old arthritic people, for whom no well or running water must have been an enormous difficulty. It often happen that many families will share one pick-up truck and have to drive thirty miles to get water, visit the shops or the local clinic.

On a typical visit to a hogan we would park the jeep under a cottonwood tree and eat our picnic lunch - usually attracting a gang of wild-looking, mangey dogs. We would enter the hogan and go around it c10ckwi e giving fOlmal introductions of clan and kinship as custom dictates.

My being an Engli h Nurse no doubt

surprised many of them Children would often overcome their shyness and tare at my blonde hair and touch my clothes. Even the adults would ask what I wore for work, what it was like working with Gyp ie what kind of flowers and birds we had in England, and whether I could sent some eagle feather to them for ceremonial use (I enclosed so m e eagull feather s in the Christma Card J ent them and hope they were not too di appointed!).

The Navajo are very s uperstiliou They believe in black magic , witchcraft, kinwalkers and taboo s. Breaking a taboo can put you out of harmony and re s ult in s ick ne They have a re spec t for the element - mother eart h father skyand believe that people were created equal and not superior to any other living thin g.

A patient who feel s unwell will con ult a hand trembler, crystal ball gazer to see why he is out of balance and then the medicine man will be engaged to conduct a healin g ceremony to restore the patient to health . Medicinal herbs, religious chanting and day-long ceremonies may be u ed in conjunction with allopathic (Westem) medicin e.

Often the medicine man will have a hogan or healing room in the ho s pItal, or will visit the ward to treat the patient. The parallel u e of ancient and modem ystem of medicine eems to work very well. It heal s the patient, his family environment and , pirit.

There i 0 much we in this country can learll from the delivery of an appropriate , acce ible, available and acceptable health service to ethnic minority groups in our community. I was most fOltunate to have vi ited the Navajo and hope to make so me improvement in the way we deliver the ervice to our own deprived group - be they Gyp y, black, Asian, Vietname e or the homele s.

It all eem a long way from my day a a St John Cadet, but I hope that any Cadet who have per evered with this article will remember that there is no rea on why rhey , hould not be as lucky as r have been As the Navajo say in the Blessing Way Ceremony: Ma y everything be in harmon y, May we walk in beallly, May we live in peace and harmony , May we work and communicate ill harmony, From this dayforward may everything he in harmony, May there be harmollY from the East, May there be harmony from the South, May there be harmony.finm the West, May there be harmony from the North, Ho z ho Nahastlii - Our Tradition •

Letters Page

I wou ld lik e someone to explain why on Sunday April21 5t we were told to be up in London at 07.30 and th en were left standing around doing abso lute ly nOlhing for over two hours. ] thought that a duty as big as the marathon would have been bellerorganised. J was stationed on Westminster Bridge.

S imon W y att AIM Di v is ion 441

Seamu K e ll y, De put y Co mmi io n e r Lond o n Di s trict , replie - r am ex tremely disappointed that Mr Wyatt did not see fit to make enquiries throu gh his DiviSional Superintendent to Area or District Head qu arters, where a n a nswer 10 thi:, query cou ld have been very readily supplied. A simp le cou rt esy to give a London answer to a London matter!

The London Marathon is the largest even t of its kind in the world. It fo ll ows therefore that Ihis is the large t St John Duty of its kind in the world, involving 79 ambulances and mobile units, 7 advisory defibrillator eams, and nearly 1000 personnel covering 36 First A id po ts over the 26 mile rou te. The planning is akin to th e painting of th e Forth Bridge Even before th e completion of one year we are preparing for the next. Over cleven years the effon" made by SI John have been substantia ll y praised by th e organisers, runners. '>t3tulory services and ge neral public alike.

The a rr iva l t imes for members on this duty are determined by: Whereabouts on th e roule they arewtioned

2. The closure limes for roads and subsequent difficulties for traffic near the route.

,. The need for operational, 'iector and statIOn commander to brief their per'>onnel and fully deploy their re ourees in adequate time to allow for any changl:s that might have to be made because of wea th er conditions, delayed vehicles. access difficulties to any posts , etc elc

4. The need to have FiN Aid cover for members of the public and maralhon stalT who are on th e route long before th e runner arrive. I am pleased that Mr Wyall volunreered for this dUlY and r very much regret that he sa\\ this carl) period as 'standing around doing ab olutely nothin g' There was plent) to do and plenty being done. He was clearly ani) aware of one pan of a very complex event. Our ubsequent, very succcssfultrcatmentofover4.000 asualtie (nearly 7.000 in 1990)how<; that. whiis l we are cons tantly looling for \\ ays to update and improve our plan'>. we do take ery comiderable pains, and considerable lim e. to orgalllSe the Marathon and all other major London duties.

UNHEALTHY COMPETITION?

Once aga in th e a nnu a l o mpetiti o ns have ta e n pl ace. res ulrin g in finalist co mp e tin g a t ali on a l Level in jul y. Competition have bee n he ld within th e StJ o hn Ambul ance Bri ga defor man y years a nd no doubt th ere are man y me mbe rs wh o wo uld w i h th e m to co ntinu e. I have re'e rv a ti o n a bo ut th e c rit e ri a u cd to e t th e skill s nee ded fo r co mp e titi o n, inv o lvin g C aring fo r th e ic k Th e de finiti o n o f Firs t Aid is fa irly con c e and th e bo und ar ie' are e lea rl y de fin ed Thin gs a re no t 0 c iea rcul wh e n it com e' to a definition of Caring fo r the Si c k. Ca rin g fo r peopl e in need ca ll for me mber s o be trained to offe r ca re o n a n individu a l bas i '. Me mb e rs nee d to acquire th e kill s of o bse rvati o n, co mmunication e mp a th y - whil e havin g om e knowl ed ge a bout th e bas ic require me nt s necessary to us ta in life. In eompe titi o ns, th e tes tsse tt oas e s th ese kill, a re u ua ll y broke n down into a se ri e of tas ks w hi c h have to be compl e ted a t s pee d to accomplish th e hi g hes t numberof mark s. Th e con straint. o f tim e do not th e skill s required in C arin g for th e Sick to be adequat e ly and fairl y tes ed St John s ex te ndin g it a rnl to e nco mpa ss Ca re in th e Communit y', and it will be necess a ry to train a nd as c s mc mb e rs wh o wi h tooffe rtheir se rvi ces. But if wea re to co ntinu eco mp e riti o ns in thi area , let us be s ure we kn o w what it is we are ac tuall y asse. s in g. Robina Massey Deputy County Nursing Officer Bucks.

In March I visited relatives who live in Brisbane City, Queensland, and, being a member of POllers Bar Division , J decided to look up the local St John Ambulance Australia Division. had to ca ll in to the City Hall to obtain the address and once had thi ] discovered that the Headquarters was hou ed in a building with a very small facade This was deceiving as the interior of the building wa very large indeed.

Once inside I was greeted warmly by the receptioni t and 111troduced to the commanding officer (a former member from a divi ion in the orth of England). I was given a tour of the building, including the Training Department, Stores and Admil11 tration office and was impre ed by rhe very well organised et up.

I wa!\ informed that th e Grand Prix wa due to take place that weekend and wa invited to go along with the Divi ion who covering the race Unfortunately I wa un able to accept their kind offer due to anOlher commitment.

On my departure wa given lea nets and a copy of the 1991 t John Ambulance Au tralia Annual Efficiency Training Manual which is a ery II1tere ting publica£Ioneach member ha to complete the training and ment contained 111 th at manual to complete their annua l effieien ) - which] thought wa a very good y tem for en uring that all member' training i con Istent. Having read thi year' manual J no\\ lno\ exactly what to do if am bitten by a poisonou nale. or a box jell fi h! Bradl ey w eet Borehamwood Hert

That

sinking feeling again!

While I do not wish to prolong the saga of the Citroen BX (Lellers May J99/), it occurred to me that a the ur ing Sister at my place of work own an H reg Citroen BX J should perhap carry out a imple experiment.

With her assi tance and that of Reu ci Anne thefollowing repeatable worst case' mea.,>urements were made. With the controls et for normal road condition, the engine wa taned and after rhe su pen ion had risen the maximum height wa mea ured and found to be 21 Omm. The engine wa then witched off and the u pen ion de cent time and minimum height mea ured. Thi wa found to be 10 econds to reach a minimum of 10Smm. which was more than enough to cause Re u ci Anne problem. nder abnormal condition (low u pension) the measurement fell to 7Smm. We thought this ma beofinterestinca e miliar with thi vehicle mo ed the internal conrrol to the low po ition. The measurement \\-ere made underneath the vehicle approximately 300mm in from the rear off ide pa enger door. believe the Citroen u penion 10 be uperb and I am in no way que. tioning the de ign which ha been a long- tanding ucce \\ a attempting to highlightlhe po ible need for caution when altending RT A· s, particularly with the \.\ ariety of modem car \\ hat we ha\e today.

Out of sight, out of peace of mind

Mydaughterha a low blood ug a r problem and ha s on two occasion been on the verge of pa in g out. For peace of mind she wear an SOS tali s man neckla ce. We hav e been [Old that if she wears it on parades etc. it mu t be put under her unifornl 0 that it cannot be seen. We can't see the point in wearing an SOS Tali man if it can't be een. W e are very up et and rather di sg us ted at thi ruling and wondered if, through the medium of SJW, other people hav e views on thi Mrs C B Dye N/ M Ryhill and Havercroft Division W. Yorks.

Satisfied CustOIner

I am writing to expre , my thanks and congratulations to the Ambulance service on behalf of my wife, who wa taken ill at Lord yesterday. just after lunch. It turned out to be food poisoning, but initially s he could not move and so had to be carried from the Grand land by two officer. he was then cared for in the large unit parked neanhe Pavilion for over two hours by other officers, including one of your Duty Doctors, before I drove her home. In all thi both he and I were treated with great kindness and care, which reflects extremely well on all the volunteers concerned, culminating in their arranging forme to bring my car into the ground tocollect my wife from your unit. Throughout, no one had the lightest idea that they might be treating omeone who was watching them with a more profe ional eye can thu unhe itatingly say it wa a task. well done!

Jame Gunning Joint Secretary Joint Committee Kent

SWINGEING INTO ACTION

I whole-heanedly agree with Gary comme nt s abou t th e Cadet Action pa c k ( Letters, SfW May /991). have been running a Cadet Divi ion for 34 year and have seen even more changes - I was a Grand Prior Cadet m yse lf. at only are we finding th e Action Pack. a problcm, we are not ge ttin g new recruit in the 12, 13, 14 age group. Once they have reached this age th ey o nl y join John if they wi<;h to specialIse They are a lr eady members of o th er organisations and doing a ll he other things

John is now offe rin g.

We are not having uch a problem with the subjects for the Grand Prior Bad ge, and in fact have go ne back to the systcm which e 'A hen I wa a Cadet. My main problem lack of help. With my officer and my e lf running a cour e cach th ere i no one to take the Action Pack. on an o ngo in g basis a nd we have to run this as a se t-course twice a year. which is not what th e y tem int ends.

Marion maile Divisional Supt Folke tone N/C adet

Them and Us

A quiet revolution ha s been takin g plac e in our soc iety. The unthinkable has happened. All th e large mental ho s pitals are being dra s ti ca lly reduced in ize or s hut comp ete ly. And where are They, t he inmates, going? Why into the co mmunity with US.

A point to make here Let have no more of Them and 'Us'. We wou ldn distinguish in h a way between ourselves and so meone with a phy ical ha ndi cap.

We have now reached a tage where lon g-s ay patients, whom many thought would never be discharged. are now being moved into the community, often into s pecial or protected h ousi ng. Since the vast majority of the se folk will be un e mploy e d , th ey will have tim e on th eir hands and be looking for places to go. Thi s mean s it i likely that St John members will e ncoun ter th ese former patients on their daily dutie s. I know only too well that one per on beh av in g oddly ca n bring a dressing sta tion o a s tands till... and in defence of our members beli eve thi s is a natural response from peop e not u ed to uc h be havio ur.

Another aspect whi c h co uld be overlooked is th a t th e implementation of the We lfare sec ti ons as th e Energy programme progre s es might mean we hav e to help re habilitat e or look after th ese folk. They wi ll have supp n from visiting nurses s upport worker s and soc ial workers but th e re s imply won't be e nou g h of th em o spen d the time needed.

Believe me or not it can be a very le ng thy pr oce. s teac hin g someone to boil an egg and m ake toast. Skills which we tak e for granted have to be re- Iearned or tau g ht after 10 , 20, 30 ,40 or eve n 50 yea rs in hos pit a l.

There is a chapter on mental illne ss in our 'Ca ring for th e Sick' ma nu al. It is a n exce ll e nt res um e, but I s uspect may be enlarged upon in the nex t ed ition

Do I hear rumbling s say in g, ' Thi s s not what Stjohn is for '? I ca n und e rs tand yo ur fee lin gs. You a re being asked tocon s idera problem which we hav e not had to face befo re. Th e fact that you a re in th e Stjohn Ambulance Brigade tell s me you ca re about peo pl e. Some hav e physical problems, so me mental p rob e ms are we go in g to pick and choose who we help ?

Ken Brack Area

MOBILE PLEA

Pl ease can anyone help me? Unknown to th e res t of th e Di v ision I'm ooki ng for a Mobile Unit. The one we have at present is a 'J' registration (no, not th e one that's just co me ou t! ). he is over 20 year 0 ld ,canon lygoup t040mph and is on her ast whee ls. We are a very ac ti ve division and withou t her. it's hard to say If yo u know of newer makes or even co ntac ts, please phone Richmond SUiTey Headquarters (0819488852) and peak. to our transpOl10fficer.

Clare Nightingale N/M Richmond Oivi ion

Do you know your manuals?

1 Wh en treating hiccups this is the second stage of treatment. l f this fails and th e condition persi ts for more th an a few hours what s hould you do?

2 In ' winding' what should you do after loosening constrictive clo thing?

DUrIng the fiN week. in Ma) Mr and Mrs George Darlington who are officer<; 'A Ith the Count Pool at Morecambe and bet on! that With Pre\ton, were on a coach touring holiday In romer. DUling theirsta) they contacted mc and if the) could call In on ourmeeting night. Thi\ they did. on the nIght of our Annual InspectIon, and so had a chance to meet 'A ith some of our rea and o LIIl t) Staff as well.

On the Thursday aftemoon the) 'Aanted to visit the shrIne at Walsingham \\ ith two of theIr frIends from thclr pan). Mr P Ward. our Di isional Officer, and mysclflook our car to give thelll a tour of orth orfolk, including the shrines at Wabingham 'A hich th ey enjoyed very much. I think. meeting with from around the country is a vel) good way to uphold the g od name of St J ohn.

G. Bullimor e Di" up! Cromer Norfolk.

tetters to the editor are welcome. l lnless direrted oth· ernise. we resene the right to edit letters for reasons of III' tllne Olnillush the \ iews expressed here ar'e personal and do not I"ellert the ol"fidal of the Ordel" of St .John III' its fllundatillns. The address to write til is: The Editllr. St .Jllhn World. I (JI'IISHIlUr Cresl'cllt. telndlln. SWIX 7EF

3 When 'Aould the FiN idercarry oUlthlS procedure when dealing ith an in Ident involving Low Voltage urrent ?

Bruce Coltman Area Commissioner orthumbria

5 This piece of equipment is used by some asthma sufferers. What i<; it called ?

9 When performing the abdominal thru ton an infant wherehould the child be placed?

4 Wh en dealing with an incident involving Hi gh Voltage elec tri ci y what is th e recommend ed sa fe ty distance between you a nd th e elec tri c cable?

6 What is th e aim in rrearmentofana thmatic person?

7 A chok.ing casuallY may tan breathing nornlally at any lime. what should you advi

11

18

20

OUTDOOR PURSUITS

No 7 (91) byWAPotter

rm mu s c al co m pe titi o n (5)

24 Cu s o m s beg un by doc t o r (5).

25 Wh en be ow thi s, o ne is in poor hea lth (3).

26 U nco mfo rt abl e p ace n a fin ge r o r roe (4,3).

27 M ore TNT prod uce seve re suffer ing (7).

29 of t hose w hose ri gh cereb r a hemisp here is dom in ant ( 14).

CLUES DOWN

I L n ing for a imen tar y ca na , air passages, and uroge n a tr ac (6 , 8)

2 Coac h for athl e es (7)

3 A p in t 1\ app ropria te (3).

" MUl., c c u<;e d to cross th e l egs (9 ).

5 Se l ect gro up (5)

6 Wh ere th e cas t may be at th e beg lO nlOg of a fever'? (5)

7 Pa rt o in no min at e bone (7)

8 H air roo t tes 1'-, used for a degenera t ive co nd i t ion of arge

Joi nt ., ( 14).

12 B irt hm arb f rom a ve in (5).

16 Cast given ap praisal havi ng had go nads removed (9)

17 Corneal opac it y ndi ca u ve o f ad vanci ng yea rs (5).

19 T iuc fo nni ng mai n bu lk of tee th (7).

2 1 H avi ng app eti te sa t ia ed (7)

23 Path ofa t elli te 10 bo ny cav it y (5).

2 4 ewspaper,>, r ad io and te evis o n having m any with un uu al i deas (5).

28 Retin a receptor ued

ANYONE CAN DO IT...

Do You Find London Hostile?

Well don'tl

contributions arc These should be typed, double -s paced, on one side of A-t paper. Please make sure el'ents are properl) dated and that you have Included the author's conlact name. address and tel e phone number Transparencies black and white prints and colour prinh

LIFESAVING BROADCAST

Battles -n Croydon

What to Do

It's here! The new FA W video that was generous ly funded by the Federation of Builders i now avai lable for use The video wa filmed partl) at London (POW) District training se ions. and partly on a Wimpey building ite u ing the company's own Fir'>t Aider and Wimpeyemployees as casual ties.

It is intended that "Kno'" ing What to Do " be ued by Countle as a FA W Course marh.eting aid to demonstrate 10 potential cu ... lomers. public meeting. exhibitions etc. why they should use the SJA training services.

Two copies of the video shou ld have been to C unties. but additional copies are available from Anne Macleod at London HQ. price £6.00 (incl £ 1 50 p&p).

And while on the topic of the S ociation V\ho sa)/ In tructors can't be tidy? The picture abo\ e ho\.\ in tructor in Co rn\\ all "ho "ear an informal 'uniform' compri ing: white t John hirt, Blue \\001 tie ,g rey trou er • name badge, in tructor badge and medal ribbons.

The 6th of Jul y marked the Brigade Finals at the Fairfie ld H a ll , Croydon and, needle , s to say, a sp lendid tim e wu had by all. Coalville ursin g Cadet Divi ion of Leicestershire walk.ed away with the Dunbar asmith Shield: while ailsea ursing Cadets of von took. posses<.,ion of the Whit e Knox cup. pecial thanks go to the George Moore Foundation who <;ponsored the event and, of course, to the Casualties nion - as usual they were 'bleeding marvelous '!

Bright ideas )

tephen Thornp so lZ alld Jam es Cooper oj South & West York hire flank George Moore. The two, Jrom Markham Main Di!'i iOIl, b ea 1 J other teams to be outright willners oJthe Dew ar Shield.

birthday. The eve nt took place at the home of co unty pr esi d e nt Ri chard Waldu ck. Lord Mac Dill e n of Fionavon donated a Volvo es tate ca r to St John to mark th e event. Dame Barbara, dres ed in characteristica ll y shocki ng pink, told th e loca l press "I had a simp ly lov e ly tim e".

The latest member of the Silktown

68 years

the of

Whitworth steam roller has been loving re tored by 'AuntIe Sue' and 'Uncle David'.

The Sovereign 's Award Scheme is designed to offer a challenge to individual members between their 16th ancl 25th bil1hdays. The project scheme is o tough that to date only two awards have been made which is some kind of challenge!

The scheme runs over a three year period and require a candidate to complete two separate projects, namely:

a) Re earch into, or study in depth, some a. pect of the v"ork of St John.

b) Organise and run an active project involving either Firt Aid; Nursing: Care in the Community, or Fundraising for a St John Ftmd.

It is vital that any ideas submitted for the scheme be 'fresh' and look to the future. Prospective candidates mllst also have completed the following by the end of their three year':

a) Have achieved 5 years total unbroken service

b) Hold either the Grand Plior's Badge or 1000 hours Certificate, or (for nOI1 Cadets) have achieved 1000 hours Duty.

c) Hold a current tatutory First Aid Cettificate

d) Hold a current Caring for the Sick Cel1ificate.

Appl ication forms for the Sovereign 's Award arc obtainable from CountylDistrict headquarters <U1d l11ustbe submitted to HQ by 31 st Decemb r each year.

The Award it clfcomprise a certificate and the winner: may wear the rarely seen badge pictured above. 0 if you've got an idea, a new approach tU1d a lot of commi tment let HQ hear from YOll.

A 1for Wimbl edon sa\' St John 111 the headlines again. not least \\ hen ball girl 'atasha Tunh.s slipped and sprained her unJ...le during the match between nllre Agassi and Richard Krajiceh.. " gassl (0 the I'esclle' o/illjllrec/ hall «irl" creamed the headline \\ell. \\ itha lillie help from I\lih.eGibbonsand London Districl. '-leal1\\hile a "atl fac[or) amoull\ ofT co\erage \\ as generated b) a tongue in cheek pre"s release e"plaining ne\\ type" of injuf) be1l1g encounlered at Wimbledon. For those \\ ith a professional inrere ' l these included:Thermo fTea Ian n cald - about 50 of these due 10 cold rainy weather. \\ hen "pectator. "pill hOI tea and coffee down their legs. Co urt CO \ er e r s' s houlder - a condition recognisable b) aSSOCiated rope-bums on Ihe palms of the hand - caued b) 0\ erworh. (and too much rain).

The Falling Umbr e lla - \\ hich fell from J considerable height 01110 a spectator's head. The) \\ ent to hm.plt.lI: fortunately onl) one case \\ as reponed.

The" imbledon l\eck /Shoulder - caused b) contlllual Idt and righttul11s of the head o\,er long periods. I John suggested t\\ 0 possible \\ ilys of [1\ ertll1g this condition. Either:a) E"ercise prior to Wimbledon each l110ming mer a two \\eeh. period. h.eeplllg the shoulder. slIll and fuming the head left and right 0 as to louch rhe chin 011 Ihe tart \\ ith 30 and build up 105 minutes dail). or

b) Gel scat!> near the ends of the COLlrtS!

llgllst 1991 St John" odd 5

Badger Set is

old and weighs over 7 tons_ Presumably

the Set, 'Auntie Jean' decided to stretch the rule !nce the latest member al 0 keeps the other Badger warm on cold days such as this one at the Macclesfi':!ld Carnival. The Arm

Patricia Bays ton Kay Kin g and Mary PullingJrom Spalding Combined Di visio n triumphed in the battle jor the Pe rrott ShieLd.

Obituary

Mr s Gt-eta Drinkwate r , MB E, C S tJ , Deputy Commi ss ion e r , London ( Prin ce of W a es)

the bigue heart re s uscitation exerci se e ver? St John in Wale s i in no doubt. 100 pupil s from the C roe sy ceilio g Comprehen s i v e School in C wmbran put their re s us s kill s to the te s t und e r the watchful eye of S t John trainer s Mor e than .too pupil s rec e iv ed Fir t

A id trainin g at the school las t year. The' Actar Manikin pictured were upplied b y Pilgrim Medical Ser v ice s

Hel e n C harl es, who joined S t John s upplie s in 1966 w

nition of 25 year of

r !" say o ur inform a nt.

Birthday Honours List

R osemary H omerfor this belated pictllre (i de/gates to the recent AGM categorjc proof thai Ihere really are other people ill the Felloll'hip , besides Sheila Puc/de'

am pleased to announce the regi tra t ion of the seventh Fe ll owship B ranc h in New Zealand. Hast ings St j o hn Fe ll owship Group i another we ll -establis hed band of retired members w ho have rece ntly decided to join the worldwide Fellowship>

St John Fellow s hip Group , Ha s tin gs, Hawke s Ba y, Ne w Zealand

C ontact: Mr s DP Morg a n F lat 6

50 I E, Ea tboume St Has ti ng Hawkes Bay, I ew Zea la nd

I recen tl y a ttended th e AGM of So lihull Branch, Wes t Midlands. T he mee t ing bega n wit h the praye r oppo ite, said by th e au thor. Mr Harold Willmott who served w ith the Boumville Works D ivision for yea rs. He wro te it as a young man and he has lived by it. He agreed to share it wi th you a ll

6 St John World Augus t 199 1

The fol lowing people have been named in the Birthday 1[onoursLi'>t 19<) I Jorwork. 'A ilh t John mbulance and a"soclated activities:

C B E Countess Mountbatten (Joint J and BRC

OB E Dr B ico ll onhem Ire land)

MB E Mrs YP Freeman ( uITo l\\.)

HE M

MrD Gray ( uffo lk.)

Mr R GrilTith (Wa les)

Mr DA Ki ll iner ( o rth ern Ire la nd)

M r L D McLac hl an ( M c rseys ide)

M r E RG Pearce (Avon)

M r KW Yarbo rough (I rumbersid )

Di trict - died 30 A pril J991. ft was a great hock to her friends and colleagues to learn of her death a lt hough she had been admitted to the Pr inces Margaret Hospi ta l Windsor, some weeks ea rl ier. The high est em in which she was he ld by all who knew here was renected in the large number of St John representatives at her funeral servicc hcld at St Mary' church. Sunb ury on Thame on the 8th May. Mr Albert Giddings District Commissioner, led a contingent from District HQ and many members and re t ired members of all five London Area ' were pre ent. Mrs Drinkwater was a fOnTIer Chief Superintendent of the Metropo litan Police and wa::, serving in the personnel department of ew Scotland Yard when she retired. During her police service she had a keen interest in police first aid competitions and was associated with a number of London teams who regularly did well in Grand Prior's Competition Finals. he joined St John Ambulance in September 1980 as Di s trict uperintenclent and oon bccame well known for her meticulou attention todetail. hard work and exacting tandards, which will be sorely missed.

A gracious lady. her interests included the Soroptimi<;ls and also chantable work WIth the Prince s lice HospIce. Esher

John Byrne , Commissioner for CJeveland , reports on a different kind of outward bound scheme.

Jt 's in the blood! On Friday 17 May thirteen intrepid Clevelanders, younger members and older cadet, went aboard the ketch "James Cook" at HartlepooL Captain James Cook wa born in what is now Cleveland and there is no doubt that his adventurou<, spirit lives on.

These thirteen young St John Ambulance "explorers " who were joined by three professional crew, were to spend two days sailing up the orth Ea t Coa t. During the voyage they were to perfonTI all duties from cooking and clean ing to "lelLing ny", "making off and taking tum at the wheel.

Chatty night

The) called in at orth hield and then tied up forthe night at Blyth on the Saturday ot much sleep was had a they pent most of the night chatting! By next morning a brisk breeze wa blowing. The ketch izzled along at a good 7 knots (S.4mph to landlubbers) and, at time. the p rtholes became underwater viewing gla e . They came into orth Shields harbour on

Jerusalem: A working year

Th e fo ll ow in g arti cle wa w ri tt e n b y Dr Keith Maslin after h e ret um ed fr o m th e Oph th a lmi c H o pi ta l in l enl a le m a nd a pp eare d in th e q uarter ly bull e tin of the Co ll eg of O p h th a lm o logi t .

When my friends heard that J was taking my wife and fourchildren to Jerusalem they warned me "The Middle Ea'>t is too

But looking back. the year l spent at the St John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jeru alem wa one of the be t years of OLIr live';, de pile the lntifada and Gulf risis (the actual war broke out three weeks after we left).

The hospital i in a afe neighbourhood in Easl Jerusalem. surrounded mainly by home

Surgical Log

quints , 75

Acute tr a uma 27 (tone 'Ir ubber bullets)

Retinal detachments 19

Trabeculotomy 18

Trabeculotomy ab cxtcmo 17

Corneal g rafts , l7

OCR 16

Lensectomy IS (congenital cataracts)

Pto s is repair 5

Socket 5

Lasers

-+ -6 pw (diab lic retinopathy/maculopathy)

of diplomats. The plea ant grounds are Ufrounded b) a ten foot wall capped WIth barbed wire and there i a guard on duty.

At home in our well-equipped hopital flat we felt quite afe. apart from the fear of a cud attack My Au tralian colleague, Bill Ward. and 1jogged the treet. and my wife walked with the children in the local "hop without II1cident. Howe\er. we were careful to avoid areas of unret.

The ho pital en e the I.S million Pale 'tinians of the We t Bank and Gaza trip and there are many interesting clinical case. 1y urgi al log give ome idea of the ariety. was paI1icularly intere ted in monitoring and treating congenital di ea e which are common because of inter-marriage.

Israel i a beautirul countt") \\ hich we enjoyed touring, Our favourite area in luded Lake Galilee. the Golan Heights. and the Dead ca. Unfortunately the We t Bank and Gaza are not safe for family visit · be ause of the ri ok of being stoned. Our car had quite a fe\\ dem o by the end of our : ay.

The ho , pital run outrea h programme ' to villages twice a wcek \"hich gave me the opportunity to see otherwise inaccesibl area

One of the most interesting trip \\ a to Rafah on the Egyptian Border. where \\'e per-

Sunday aftemoon

The crew were fully occupied and the whole weekend pa ed in a fla h. Despite feeling a bit green at times, all agreed it wa great fun. would go on a econd trip and recommend the experience to other. A second "Cook' tour" is planned for the autumn , po ibly for older member

The James Cook i o'Aned b) the Ocean Youth Club, whom we thank. T he ount e C athcart arrivin

ated c\'ery fortnight. We u ed to break the journe) back b ' \\ imming in the Mediterranean on the Gaza beach. nfortunatel) on our last trip we were followed by (he aml) and as we were operating. a baltle broke out between the oldier and local Pal tinians in the street belo\\ Gunfire, noi e. bomb and helicopter are a di turbing and unforgettable ac ompaniment to operating v e finally got awa) after th fight ettled do\\ n. but our van dri\er had been and I Palestinians injured b) rubber bull ts. One of the highlights of \\orJ...ing O\ crsea i living in an c\.patriate communit). and Jerusalem \\ as no e'\.ception. M) \\ ire and children made lose friend!> and enjoyed the) ear a much as did.

August 1991 tJ o hnW o rld 7

Trouble

"OVER TO YOU J®HN"

Mind

A rev iew of how Lancashire has evolved and ilnplemented its policy on All-Hazards Emergency Planning.

a shi ft of e mph asis by Lancas h ire JEEC whi c h accepted th a t th e V o lunt a ry A id Soc ie ti es ( VAS) wo ul d be used in fi ve sce nario s. Th e e were:

1) A pa rt of a man age me nt pl a n des ig ned to mee t a pec ific need. For exa mpl e, a politi ca l pa rty co n fe re nce or Ope ra tio n G ran by

2 ) Wh e n a publ ic dut y beco me a maj o r in c id e nt s uc h as a t Bmdford and Hill bo rou g h 3) To loa n th e Ambul ance and Hosp ita l Services equi pme nt or to ass is th em w ith ma np owe r in th e pos t-ac ute pa tie nt ca re ro le when their re ource have bee n ove r- tre tc hed

4) T o prov id e serv ice a t evac uat io n ce ntr es fo ll ow in g a disa er wh e n th e loca l e me rge ncy serv ices are ove rw he lm ed bu t reso urces m ay be ex pec ted to a rriv e

Hea dq ua rt er - a p ane crash in to the crow d s a t an air display Two hund red cas ual ti es were ha nd led by the V A and the ommandalll of th e Cen tre said, " We ha\c rea lised from th is excrcise that the vo luntaf) socie ies have a subs an t ia l role to play in tim kmd of Incident '" Rapid triage

O ne of th e esso ns learn from Fi reny \Va the need fo r rapid tnage. Dr

Baker, th e ASSis ta nt urgeon in C h ief, wa" able to provide t he answ e r.

Dur in g a visi t to the USA he had come across the TA RT ( imple Triage and Rapid T rea tmen t) programme This is an easily taugh t a nd effective sys tem of primary triage. Approved by Lancashire mbulance Service.

B AS ICS (Lancas h re) and severa l Acciden t Consultant.., the TA RT programme has now been used in exercises and adopted ,h Count) pollc).

A eco nd Majo r Incident Management Training weekend wa held o n th e las t weekend of April. The pa rticipan ts were drav. n from bo th Red Cross and St Jo hn, and was ru n by D r V IC niland. who is bo t h A-isistant

Co un ty Surgeo n in t Joh n and an H onorary urgcon to the Lancashire Ambul ance Serv ice T he re we re speake rs fro m he 3 tat ut ory ervices.

th e BA S ICS (La nea ' hir e) B lackpoo Vic toria II ospi ta l Accident Unit. th e Co unt y Emerge ncy Pl a nn in g De pa rt me nt , and an expert in T ra um a ti c tress Sy ndr ome The eq u ipmen t used by th e various en tice was de mo nst rate d a nd there wa a des k. - op major inciden t eAercise Th e response to th e co u rse wa exce ll en t. and it is now intended to prod uce a teaching pac kage forl11odular use a t D ivisional o r Cen tre level.

In the meantime Berkshire, the County hosting the event, has been 0 impressed by the response to Operation Granby that it has set up a new branch called "The Ftiends of St John".

The aim is to encourage members of the public to be kept informed about St John on a more informal basis. "By developing this branch we can involve people in Ollr activities without them having tocommit themselves to a full time mebership" says county secretary Elaine Cook. "This will give them chance to assist in a variety of events as well asreceivingFirst Aid training courtesy of St John."

NEW RADIO CHANNELS FOR ST JOHN

MORE

VERSATILE

. You may not know that following negot iations with the Licencing Authority extra channels are now available to St . John Ambulance

As a leading supplier of ICOM equipment to St John we are pleased to announce our retuning service to include these channels on your existing high-band radios

We offer this service for most makes so ca ll our Hotline now on 07 1- 252 1849 for our latest information pack

CHEAP TO RUN. ICOM 2-way radio has proved to be the most popular and cost-effective mobile system for St John Ambulance ICOM is used exclusively by London District to give excellent low cost communications and help make the most

of their budget If you would like your division to save money get in touch with us today!

Camping Carry-on

B efore th e B ad ger d ays, Surrey h e ld Junio r Camp s (8 -11 ye ars) und er c anv as - d efInit ely no n10d c ons. The County

h as continu e d th ese

w eek end camp s w ith th e Badger s . J.E.Smith rec ord s th e ir pro gress W

As in prev iou s year ove r 100 Badgers have boo ked in p

T

makin g tw o ni ght in cam p w hi c h g ives everyo ne at east o ne n ight's s leep!

Badger-

Prudential show the lead

Sinc e 1988 , th e Prude ntial Corporation has been playing a vita l prut in th e d e v e lopm e nt of two import a nt trainin g package which are et to becom e an integ ral p art of trainin g within t he Bri gad e for man y y e ar to com e

In 1988, he Pru dential generous ly agreed to second one of t heir aspiri ng middle-managers, Pete r Crook. to S t John Ambu ance for a pe ri od of two year , to researc h and produce a Youth Leader Training Sc he me. tJ ohn Am bu lance had been sadly lacking a ny organised training for leaders working with the yo unger members, unlike comparable organisa ti o ns such a th e Gu ides and Scouts.

Pe ter se t abou t his task wi th bound les enthusiasm. wi th theresult that th e St Jo hn Ambulance You th Leader Training cheme is now ooked upon with envy by o ther youth organisations. The package is in an openleaming format, enabling people to tudy at theirown pace, wherever and whenever convenient.

The portfolio method i.., u<,ed for recording training progre and experience. and this enab les trainee to build on their existing expertise.

As of eptember 1990. completion of the course ha been compulsory for a l l leaders new ly appointed to be in charge of Cadet Division.

Peter Crook at the laullch ofthe Youth Leader Training Scheme information or the leaflet "Explanatory ' ote for Exi ting Leader " please contact R icha rd Sear on, Cadet & Training Dept, HQ, who will send you a COP).

Th e F utur e

Follow ing in the same line of. upport fortraining initiati\ es, the Prudential has recently committed to fundlllg the development of an Adult Officer Training package.

A wa lk to th e top of Box h ill (wi th ce c ream a ll aro und ), co mpe t iti on, ca mpcraf traini ng. FanC) Dress and a badge maki ng mac h ine we re ufficie nt o kee p everyo ne bu sy a nd on the Su nday the parcnts aITived to be gree ted by a pOlled port eve nt. T he f in al p roceed i ngs inc lu ded a priLe giv in g and a break camp ce re mo ny (the B riga d e Secretary, Stu art L at ha m , wa amo ng t S u rrey Staff member w ho visi ted the camp). W e in Surrey wo uld ve ry mu c h like to hea r from a ny o th er Di vision th a t run. Badger under canvas.

Th e te nts and two marqu ees were put up thi year o n Thur day n ig ht , wh ic h is j ust as we ll s ince th e rains came on Frid ay ni g h t. Mu c h d ry in g o ut too k place o n th e S a turday and a loca l S t J o hn HQ ha d to be use d ror d ry in g kit. We ll thi j u tm i glzl be th e a n we r !Th e e n ew lea ll et are ava il ab le at n o c h a r ge from e it h er t h e A ociat io n of t he PR d e p

Sovereign bY maxon" maxon IIlobile radio

Maxon now proudly announce the launch of their Sovereign Series of synthesised hand-portable and mobile radios.

Featuring:

• RUGGED STRENGTH IN DESIGN

• PROGRAMMABLE SYNTHESISED FREQUENCY CONTROL

• 16 INDIVIDUAL CHANNELS COMPLETE WITH CTCSS TONE LOCK SQUELCH

• POWERFUL TRANSMITTER OUTPUT UP TO 25 WATTS - MOBILES 5 WATTS - HANDPORTABLES

• EXCELLENT ACCESSORY RANGE

• RENOWNED TECHNICAL SUPPORT AND BACK UP FOR SERVICING

• RELIABILITY BACKED BY GUARANT EE

• CONFORMS TO ALL BRIGADE DESIGN R E QU

Wit h effect from January 1992, all existing leaders will have to take on some fonn of addi tional traini ng relevant to youth work and the runmng of thei r Cade t d vision. T here I'> no fixed training programme a we wan ted it to be as nexible as possible for each individua l you t h leader, for them o decide what extra training they require, for example it could be acoLlr'>c on li"tening '>kIlh or running residential cour<,es. A ll counties have been em detail of Phase 3, but if you have not recei\ed any

Loitering Within Tent

The two \ ery hot day of the ewark and oltll1gham hire Sho\., in May 1990 te ted the ingenui ty of the ewark D ivisions in finding pace for those who had su cum bed to the hea t a nd who needed bed rest to recover The First id Pos t had o ri gina ll yco lri ted of a Treatment Room. two ingle bed and a pre s room. E trapace had been found b) converting the Trea tment Room to a v. md. but not enough to prevent ome casua ltie having to rest on Thi year it a decided to lay laim to the Pres Room. I n the pace of th ree days, an ent rance was knocked through into it and it \\ a conve rt ed In o a nine -bed ward.

T he bed, bl a nk e t lockers e tc. we re p rovided th ro ug h the office of a Nul' in g Mem ber from a loca hospi tal which wa c losing some war d(it's a n ill wi nd !). The S how Com mi ttee agreed to mee t D1e co t of the bed lin e n and ge ne ra l refu rbis hm e nt.

T he Po t now compri es:2 Treat men t R ooms, a re t room, a torage area, an Offlce and R adio Room and i in continuou U'iC throughout the year.

T he h i tory of t he prese nt bu il di ng goes back to 1975 when it \\a erec ed by Mr Joh n Roe (Pres ide nt or th Cade t D ivi ion aI1d 1975

Pre ' ide nt of th e S how) a nd h is fami ly. Prior to this the Brigade u ed te mp orary acco m oda t io n - na m e ly a ten t.

Th e ea rl ie t reco rd ed Firs t Aid cover a t e w tlr k hO\v tum s o ut to be in 19 12, w he n it was th e fi r t d uty can-i ed o ut by th e ne v I) regis tered ewa rk Amb u la ncc Di vis io n ( th e fir t ca ualt y v, as a la d y w ith a s pl int er of g lass in he r eye -d ul y re moved by a Cp l Tro ll o p !).

A new pa per re por t at th e time repo rt ed tha t a tru cture' would be provi ded fo rth e B riga de a t th e nex t how. In fac t it wa in 19 14 th at we find , in th e Com mi ttee M inut es of Ap ril 6 th Supe rintenden t George

The long-term chedule for the production of this involve mitial research and planning of the ba ic ourline syllabus by Autumn 1991. [0 be circula ted to Countie for con ideration and feedback. The re ultant draft materia l will be piloted in the Spring of 1992, leading on to the launch of he final product in the Aurumn of 1992.

A of Spring 1993, the completion of the Adult Officer Training package will be an obligatory pre-requi ite for newly appointed leaders. and it is proposed that Autumn 1993 will ee the launch of in- ef\;ice training for exi ring leader.

Newark Ambulance D ivision has revamped it Fir st Aid facilitie at the Nottingham hire Showground. Thoma Hollingworth , D ivi ional Secretary, reports on a Fir t Aid P o t with a hi tory.

O/1l0re pres s... R eed proposing "that cam as for a tent to' '( 10' be purcha ed from udford'sof heffield.at aco t of£317 6d-theco t oflheframe\\ork no t to e\. eed £5.00".

A pe ial feature of hi ' tent wa it four- \\ a) hinge fo r the roof wh ich enabled the co m ple te -rr ucture to be ra i ed in a ma tt er of minu te Faci l t ie ' were ba ic ( rwo fur ley tretche r placed o n tr es tl s served as e\.amination couc he and bt:d th e tore box \\ a u ed a a d re Ill O table and the re \\ re a fe" addi t io nal fo di ng chai r ) yet the tent did y:Oman service up unt il I 96-L In fa t it can till be -ee n a t the occa ionallocal c hari table rund raising effort to thi - day. l ronicall) enough an d de -pi te a record a tt endance , the number of casuali t ie at this year's hO\\ proved to be I11U h ::.maller than last year. ugus t 1991 Jo h n \ Vorld 11

County and Divisional News

's John Directory along with ir James colt and Brian Orange A rich cake indeed Mrs Fruin , supervisor at Safeways in H er ha m , donated th is cake to a guessthe - weight competition where it raised £ 155.25 towards the Welfare Ambu ance Appeal.

On 14th June G uildf'o rd Ca d e s along with Guildford Red ross Youth held a joint mass casualty exer ise. The scenario involved 14 'cas ualties' aftertwo rival gangs c lashed on St Martha 's Il il l Guildford.

Michael Johns and Paul Cole from Re iga te Di v s ion achieved first place in the pairs competition at the Distillers M G Competitions held in Buxton thIS year. Mi c hael Johns also had the highest individualll1arh..

"The thing remember most is walking up Hclvellyn (949 meIres) via Siriding Edge. Thi., on our Lake Di,u' ict practice in June 1989 We walked (or climbed) in a snow storm!". This wa Wend y hcllcy '<, most memorable expe rienc e in preparing for her Duke 01" Edinburgh'., Gold Award Mary is a adet Leader in Fe lix s t ov' e 0 doubt we 'll be feaLUring more award wInners in the month's to come!

County and Divisional News

Pictured (1

OJ McLelland. LJ Kibble. Bemard Weatherill and Dr D Baker.

St John's Executive Director puts on record his and David Hughes' atten1pt to Ivin the 'Dawn to Dusk' c01npetitio1l in a Piper "with a big heart". TI,e plane in question tends to glide gently ever onwards '{vTten it is throttled back, Ivhic11 1night seen1 a desirable asset to groundhugging readers. Thn Gauvain, we can nOlV reveal, is more acctlston1ed to Phant01n jets - he actually prefers an aircraft that drops like a brick.

" 5,4,3,2,1 ... Go for it"

It was exactly 4.30am at Denham Airfield in Buckingham hire. David Hughe and I had checked out G-OTYJ before Dawn, loaded our lifejackets and all the chans ancl other equipment we needecl, ancl were sitting on the end of the runway with the engine tic"-ing over waiting to begin our epic challenge. Thc timing was always going to be tight, so a prompt stan was essential.

I lammed the throttle open and with a a ti fying roar from the engine, G-OTYJ took to the air. Almost immediately, \\c were talking to Heathrow Airport and were given clearnace to dcross the Control/one heading directly for our fir t ::,top at R F Odiham. By thi time. the sun was ju<.,t ri ing over my left shoulder and the muted colour, of the countryside south west of London looked really beautiful as we tracked towards No ] out of 46 landings

We had heard that there would be a lone observer waving from the road which runs round the airfield at Ocliham. imagine our urpri e, therefore, when we spotted a figure in a badger suit waving frantically from the tannac on the ailiield itself! It wa<., our own Barbara Rayner, one of just a handful of people other than oursev Ie who made it from one end of the day to the other -s he was also at the reception at Nonholt in the evening.

We met our first taste of bad we ather to come as we approached the south coast having to climb above low cloud before dropping down to the I Ie of Wight. At Bembridge, a lone (and nodoubt bemused) policewoman watched your Executive Director hurl the aircraft at the runway in a strong wind and lurch off in the direction of the Channel Islancls.

We had decided in advance that because the wind wa rather stronger than we had expected, we would make it work for us by flying as low as possible (or as allowed!) into wincl and a high a practicable with the wind behind us. We therefore set off across the Channel at 500 feet for one of the most exhi larating legs of the trip. The weather initially was beautiful, there wa nootherair traffic around either visible or audible over the radio and we felt suspended somewhere outside reality! Ilalfway across the Channel, we encountered a British type 42 Destroyer and flashed across its bows taking photographs, hoping that

its crew would not rc g ard us as an incoming Exocet!

However, it was back to scrious flyin g when we approached Jersey Both Jersey and Guel11sey were blankete d with low cloud and we were forced into full in<;trument flying procedures in order to achiev e our landings. At Jcrsey we stopped ju st long enough to shak e th e hand or Hi s Excellency the Lieutenant Govel11or, Ai r Marshal Sir John Sulton. and be filmed by Channel TV, before heading back to Boul11emoLlth via Guernsey.

After Bournemouth. th e re 'Aas ju..,t I [e nstridg e (Som e r'i e t) before drifting int o Exeter shol11y before 8am Th e re after three and a halfhours In the aIr. we had the most wonderful welcome by a contingent of St John Ambulance latlie" with a banner welcoming u'> 10 the Wc..,t Country While the aircraft wa.., refu e lled. David and I enjoyed a del iciou<., breakf'u<.,t orbacon rolls and coffee prO\ Ided b) the uirpon and I gave two radIO Inter\ Ie",..,. Then it '" a<., off again to brave the weather", hich \\e could '>ee was guarding Cornwall. The high ground to thc we..,t ofE\cterwa blanketed by cloud and we had no orl ion hut 10 cl imb into it and hope to find a gap the other ..,ide We were luc"y - ..,pirallin g dO'An throu gh the gap that we found. we picked up th e A30 and followcd It all thc 'Ml) to Bodmin where a t John hrcakfa'>l pany waved enthusiastically a.., we did a controlled crash on th e ..,ogg) gra..,..,. Twenty minutes later. a cheery me..,sage from a St John Air Wing member in the tower at Cardi If "purred u" on our wa) And then we achieved the best PR coup 01 the day. when arrangement.., which John Mills had made during the preceding weeb enabled us to achicve a live link - up from the cockpit to the <"LUdio" of ) R Thi ) resulted in the flight featuring in the bulletins of at least 25 independent radio stations.

If there were St John people on th e airlield at Bristol , we have to apologise to them. Again we were forced into full In'>trument Flying Procedures by a heavy rainstorm sweeping Bri:tol at the time, and we lurched in for a quiet touchand-go before fleeing into the clearer weather to the east. A touch-and-go at Lyneham, where a St John Ambulance vehicle wa parked right in the middle of the airfield, and another at Brize Norton. leel us to Stavenon in G loucestershire, where

the Lord Prior. others, was", aiting for our arri\al. llere for the fir t time (but not for th e I<bt. J fear) we had to give our humble apologies for not being able to top for a photocalL became by that time we were running nearly twenty minute late - and at that rate we would not have been due to arrive back at onholt until after midnight!

Immediate)) after taverton, we tackled the first of three raml air trip, for the benefit of Ilereford and Worcestershire. Part of our own professional challenge the tremendou , variation in types of airfield which we visited - Manchester International Airport at one moment and a faml trip the next. Defford was actually the bet of the three that we usecl- 500 metre oftlat grass and no trees at the end!

At our next port of call - Wellesboul11e Mountford in Warwickshire - we were saved from disaster only by the quick thinking of John Mills at the nerve centre at RAF Northolt. It seems that Binningham Airport had declared that no fuel would be available until 11.15 am. We could not afford to wait that long, 0 John hastily arranged for Welle bourne to refuel us. and

we ,>urpri sed the Wam ic"-hire St John contingent by topping for20minute or 0 when they had expected us ju'>t to fla h through . By thi time. the", eather \\ as cau ing no problem. although \\e were till working again t a freh westerly wind Ha\ ing failed to refuel us Birnlingham Airport ga\c u ab olute priority through their 70ne and on to the runway , but we had of course to abandon the lunch which ngela Ma on was \\ aiting to hand U ·. However. we left it in good hands - I am told that she and Dr Lloyd ate it bet\\een them!

Halfpenny Green (Stafford hire), Shawbury (Shropshire) and Woodford (Che , hire) pa s ed in quid. succession and an hour after leaving Wellesbourne Mountford, we wereon the ground again in Manchester. parked on Stand 42 and feeling very puny against the airliners which towered all around us! Briti . h Airway looked after the refuelling. \-\ hile the irport Duty Managerescorted Dion Etheridge

and hi s little band of upporters (plu'i an Trm. Dartd ambulance of cour e ) on to the a pron for a alld II111SCOI photocall. We abo got cheer; waves from illS/de he the St John Ambulance team in the Termi- COckpll. nal. '" ho had erected a di pia} to attract the II ' bl \lOl/ chcs er: trave lI1g pu lC. -1 lI'e/COIIIC Forthe '>econd and lasttime. we donned ji-olllthe our lifejacket for theea cro ing to Dll f...eof orthem rreland \ ia the Isle of 'vian. But GIOItCes Cf first there were touch and gO landing at <lnd Johll Li\ erpooL B lad pool and B7lrrO\\ At Bar- Hills. ro\\ , I was told b) an excited ir Traffic Controller that she", as surrounded by t John Ambulance people in the to", er. As we climbed away. we noticed a man \\ ith a microphone standing on the grass out ide the to\\er. This \\a a BBC Radio Cumbria reponer '" ho had ob\ iousl) thought we \vere going to stop. But gi\ e him full mark.., for iniati\ e. He persuaded the Air Traffic Controllerto allo", him to inten ie\." me on the Tower frequency I am nor sure \\ hether the national air traffic sen ice would haw approved of that. Thus began one of the lovelie , t ector of our flight. In gloriou weather. we droned across the Irish ea. made a quic"- "tab at the Ronalds\\ ay Airport runway and an1991 t John World 15

other at the weet little airport of Newtomud , which nestle at the head of a long lough. From Barrow to Newca tIe via the I Ie of Man and NOIthem Ireland took us the better part of two hour, oeach of us in tum had time to pu h back the eat, take off our headphone and enjoy some of the marvellous food and drink which had been provided for u at our refuelling top. I al odi covered that the mobile phone which Kate Macher had pressed into my hand before departure actually worked from the cockpit. We phoned our wives, and then I cau ed John Mill' voice to rise at least an octave by phoning him at Northolt. Within a matter of minutes he had fixed up two radio interview from the cockpit and I almo t mis ed the plendour of the Scotti h lowlands scenery as I tried to get aero s the appeal message from the air.

:We had a wonderful reception at Newcastle, arranged by Meryl Latham and by Jim Shield, the Briti sh Airway Managerthere who had done 0 much to help with refuelling arrangements all around the country. We were very touched to receive a tankard each from two Badgers and two cans of Newca tIe Brown each from two Cadetto be consumed, of course, after our final landing. By this time we had caught up to within ten minutes of our schedule, thanks to the tail wind on the long sea crossing from orthem Ireland. However, we faced the most demanding leg of the trip criscrossing the northem and Midland counties of England with eleven landings to make in two and a half hours. There wa also renewed igos of shower activity and indeed we ran into one particularly heavy shower over West Yorkshire, ju t as I was talking to Thames TV from the cockpit. Thanks mainly to Radar Controllers at RAF stations, we navigated our way uccessfully through the Vale of York, thrilled the crowd at Coal Aston by making two attempts to land at thi very difficult airstrip, lost our way temporarily over the featureles landscape of West em Lincolnshire and finally made it to Cambridge on time at 6.45 pm.

Fourteen and a half hours in to the tri p, we were both feeling elated at having successfully achieved all the previous landings, and at having made up our lost time. Bill Burton and his team must have been astonished to see two action men leapi ng out of the cockpit and rushing about charged up with adrenalin.

But at that moment I made a deci ion which I don't in the least regret but which nearly cost us the 'Dawn to Du sk' qualiflcation. The St John team at Mildenhall in Suffolk had specially requested us to stop long enough to be photographed receiving a presentation cheque. I accepted this on

the basis that it would involve pulling off the runway for just two or three minutes. Unfortunately, and through no fault of our people. the USAF Air Traffic Authorities had different idea and we ended up taxiing half way round Suffolk on this enOllllOUS airbase. However. we were really del ighted to meet the team on the ground and to congratulate them on raising £770 in sponor hip for the flight.

From then on, it wa a de perate race against the clock. We flew into Hatfield. a legendary home of aviation, and waggled our wing , at an enonnous crowd who had tumed out to see us through. The evening gloom wa gathering a we scun-ied south ea t towards Stapleford, where a quick thinking controller offered U adown wind landing and held off all other traffic while we achieved it. We could do no more than gratefully acknowledge over the radio the fantastic tumoutat Rochester and at Redhill before throwing ourselves on the mercy of the Gatwick Zone Controllers to see us through the Gatwick zone without delay.

"Front

thell Oil, it was a desperate race against the clock."

This they did and we flew right across the middle of Gatwick airport at 1.000flto set ourselves up for the most testing landing of the day, on a small fanTI airstrip near Horsham. We had one chance and one chance only to find itand land on it - and we had to get it right.

We saw it al about a mile and a half and set ourselves up for the landing. noting to our di may that there was a combine harve ter parked halfway along the runway. Throttle back, flaps coming down in stages. peed bleeding off to 70 knots, we cleared the farmer's house by a few inches and. praying that the combine harvester would not move, we bounced off the strip, just cleared the trees at the other end and legged it off for White Waltham and the penUltimate landing.

The Heathrow Zone Controller must have sen ed the tension, because we got outstanding service as we flew through the London Control Zone, picked up the M4 and followed it until we could see White Waltham. Again, a quick thinking Controller cleared us to land on an out of wind runway and withjust thirteen minutes to go before the "Dawn to Dusk" deadline expired, our faithful little aeroplane clawed its way back into the sky while we feverishly searched for the M40.

The ribbon of car headlights on the M40 guided u. east to Northolt and with five minutes to go we were listening to an ultra calm RAF Controller clearing us to land. We tried very hard to make our racing

pulses settle down for a respectable final landing in front of HRH the Duke of Gloucester but quite honestly, 1 feel he would have forgiven us as long as we threw it on the groLind omehow before the deadline expired. In the event. RAF Northolt logged our landing at2129 -jLlS! one mil/life 10 spare.

We parked in front of the VIP tennin'll on the South Side at ortholt, conscious despite the gathering gloom that a large Reception Committee was waiting for us to emerge. Even so, we were real I yin pired by the cheers which greeted us. really exhilarated to have achieved what we et out to do and ,>0 charged up that we could undoubtedly have walked on water!

The Duke or Gloucester greeted U'>, Robin Middleton sprayed us with champagne. we all got quite emotional and the day was done

We ha\e many, man) people to thank, becau..,e the !light Itself. and the part that David and I played in it v.ere ju'>t the leading edge of a great phalanx of' help. encouragement, "'ponor,>hip, '>L1pport and hard work by man) other,> besides our"elve..,. We were particularl) grateful to our pon,>or.., - BemaI'd organ, the Cabalr Group, the Ilav. I-.er iddeley Group. hell K, Clement Clarke International. theAA. PiZia Hut. and a v.hole host of others all around the country, not forgelung our \e!) good friends afewt.l) PL who are bad,ing the main appeal. But it was a real delight to us also to see '>0 man) t John Ambulance people all around the count!) welcoming L1'> at refuelling stops or ju'>t waving as we made OLir touch-and -go landing..,. Our objecti\e v.<.\.., to attract maximum attention and to raise fund.., - but I believe we also managed to achieve a simultaneous national focus on the OYER TO YO JOH appeaL and the !light wa.., well worth it for that alone.

Finally, I want to pay a personal tribute to the PR and Appeals Depanment" at the Headqual1ers, who work.ed very. very hard to mak.e the tlight a ..,L1cces..,; to David Hughes. who..,e hel p, skill and were completely invaluable and without whom the !light could not possibly have succeeded; and to the aeroplane itself - dear lillI e G-OTYJ.lttooka terrible beating that day but without a munnur. The engine ran at allllmt full throttle for over 14 hours and none oCthe systems so much as blinked in protest. It was a remarkable tribute to a liule aeroplane with a big heart, which has become my friend for life. I hope that in the remaining months of the appeal, all members of St John Ambulance will also take G-OTY J to their hearts.

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SiS MOTORS LTD REFURBISHED AMBULANCES

Nurse

1. The patient will need to be publica/l)' shaved before theatre.

2. Genns can be disinfected by the wind a they dislike being pushed around.

3. Food ho uld not be picked up by hand. b u t with tongues.

4. A p atient mus t be give n a well ba lanced stable diet.

5. Food hould be covered in the hop becau e of the di ea ed type who buy it.

6. Underground water come from well R ain falling on the ear1h sink: through it u n ti l it reache an impreviou layer or scrotum made of clay or rock thro ugh whi ch it cannot pass.

7 D o not keep o ne eye on th e clock when feeding a patient, place them both on the patient and keep them there.

8. If the patient i worried about hi wife and family, the Social Worker will be able to dispo e of them for hi m.

9. The patient was nursed on an inferior s pru ng mattress.

10. B y keepi ng toi le ts and 'back p lace' we ll disinfected, the fly is no longer interested, because flies di like disinfectant.

11. D angerous drug m u t be kept locked up with the ward sister.

12. Flies are ab undant w herever rubbi h, filt h and ho pita l food is fo und.

13. If b l ue bottl es co me thro ugh the larder win dow, tro uble is aro und.

14. Flies may be h ot down in flig ht by the aid of DDT bombs.

15. If overcrowding co n tinues, wa ter vapour inc reases and peop le wi ll shoutfor air.

18 S t John World August 1991

This when heard denote air hunger.

16. A private maiden i an old fa hioned type of clo et.

17. Anli epticsdonotkillgenn ,theyju t send them away.

18. A carrier i a per on who slip a di ea e to omeone withoutthatper onknowing it.

19. Dust bin should be washed out, because they lay their egg in filth which are like maggot

20 To prevent infection the window and radiators hould be wa hed with the patients.

21. Wash out the doctor' bowel and ee that there i oap, nail brush and clean hand towel to u e.

22. The fly collect dust on his fur - 0 contaminating the air.

23. The patient hould be fed at a teady rate and they must be colourful and appetising.

24. The physician ordered fluid to be given by a drip, the houseman was t he o bvio u person to do this.

25. To treat a deep cut in the palm of the hand, the patient ho ul d c lench hi fi ts and ee a doctor.

26 The patient'sfour head were bathed in sweat.

27. T he soc ial worker i an expert in findin g o ut oth er peop le 's busines

28. Th e tube ho ul d be ru n th ro ug h by the nurse to ex pe l t he air.

29 T h e Deputy Matro n i the person who wi ll hold the fort w hile Matro n i doing time.

46 Trea t ment for bronchitis - ge t the chi ld to in ha le a steam kett lc.

47 Rub the back in a circular motion w ith soup.

48. The mouth is a holler in the face.

49. Make sure the bott le or blood doe not run away before you change it.

SO. Try to keep nits away from other patients by covering them with a draw sheet.

Th e fo llowing co ll ection of unfortunate answers to nursing exams has most definitely not been passed by the Medi cal Standing Committe e. R ead ers of a delicate disposition are advised to bla1n e Thomas Hope, ex Area Commissioner, East Durham w ho v olunteered th e1n for publication!

30 The patient was nushed therefore enuring that water v.a. given freely.

3 1. The patient wa a ked to re tri t hl'i cigarette to 50 after each meal.

3 2. A oft sap i u ' ed to bath thi patient.

33. e t - wa h the patients groin and genial area before the legs.

3 4. Aftera motion was pas ed in th i ters meeting, the Matron thought it be t to end the proceeding.

35. The patient is in grave danger if the nur. e is not terile.

36. The be t trealment for shocl<. i to rape the patient in blankets, making ure h IS not overheated.

37. Alway keep the door pen for omeone higher than your elL

38 .Alway mile and ay good momingto vi ' itor -ithelp to regain confidence in the nur ing staff.

3 9. Sit the patient on a cold bedpan and take her mind from it.

40 . If you're in dou bt abou t a doctor - call him sir.

41. I t is found that the buttocks do better when only powder used.

42. Some drugs have a more Illsting effect than others.

43. Artificia l re piration i known a the 'Kis of dea th'.

44. When wa hing th e pat ient in bed her chest m ust be ba hed underneat h the blanket.

45. O ld people may be able to cook themelve - if not, the Red ero wi ll do it.

5 1. The f'irst impressions the patient receives of the ward and starr should be so good that it ticks to the back of his head

52 In the treatmentofri go racold drink can be placed on the patient's rorehead.

53. Florence ightingale was a lady - then she became a nurse.

54 Bad teeth can cause many uncomfol1able positions.

55. An air ring is us d to protect the patient's sacred area.

56 After covering the faeces in the bedpan with di infectant - leave for 2 hours and dispose of the patient.

57. Junior nUL es were warned to give nothing sugared, the patient beingdiabolic.

58. The patient \ legs were halved by a divided bed.

67 When a nur e has pas ed her final examination - he is certified.

68. r would try to ele\'Gte anxiety.

69 The best room for eye trouble i one that i well alight.

7 0 A bleeding no e may require circumcis ion.

7 1. The testes hould be put into the urine book and the ward si ter informed

72. Insert the rectal tube through the anu for 3-4 hour

73. In ban-iernur ing, the patient mu thave his own cup, plate. knife andf()lks.

59. Doctor ordered that Mrs mith be stimulated by eve!) a\ ailable mean.

60. The patient had a heaJ1 which was larger than nomlal and raced awa when nurse approached to take hi" pulse

6 1. The nursc should observe whether the vomit came from the stomach or the che t.

62 High heels should be worn as low as possibl e.

63 I would give I7lwsiw: exercises to a paralysed limb

64 (Head lice) The child will be removed and burnt.

65 A dirty mouth may crea/.. on opening.

66. Use a toothbrush to remove palti ulars.

7 4 When admitting a new patient take the relativ into the bathroom to change into nightV\ear.

75 t first the diet hould be given fluids. but when the patient i trong enough to face it, hospital diet can be given.

76 Hair hould be bashed at lea t twice daily.

77.Inabadlightpeoplema screwuptheir eyes and the damage done may never be undone.

78. The patient liabl to bed sore ' could be re"tless, \ el) ill, or with a high tt'fIlptafiol1.

79. On recov ry, the patient b came \'iolet and then calmed down.

80. To prevent cro -infection feed each

child on disposable mug s, plates and spoons.

81. The nurse should move her leg s every time she goes past the patient.

82. An air ring will take relief off his bottom.

8 3. When feeding a blind and helples s patient, do it slowly and give him a good bite.

8 4. The intravenous infusion hould drip at 33 litre s per minute.

85. The patient was nursed on drugs.

8 6. Mr Gray wa encouraged to expect putum

87 Only two visitor. to a bed

88. The patient would be allowed to wash down below (the vulgar area) her elf.

89. The nurse 's job is to train patients to do things they would not normally do.

90. The greater momentum i like an apron that noats into the abdomen.

91. Rose hip are the fir t ign of bed ore.

9 2 Hot water bottle hould be filled Jying down .

93 All urine and faeces should be charted carefully in bed or potty.

94. Gentian violets are applied to the inflamed mouth.

95. The art of pas ing UJine i called micturation.

96 Scream and make up a divided bed.

97 Children with long hair hould be plaited.

98. When cleaning a venninou head, do it at night when the light are out.

99. Sit the male patient in an upward po ition.

100. To remove a foreign body from the ear the nurse in pects the ear and if it i po ible to remove it, doe o.

Letters

Eric J--.-.. """II!IiiII

"A gian t among men" - 0 many per onal tribute have been paid to Eric Jame who e death wa reported in the Jun e i ue of Johll World. may I pa a few of them on? Again and again, he was a de ar friend. Wi e, ftrm but tolerant. very kind and thoughtful, always available. cheeful, a great example, brave, a true Knight of St John in hi li fe, in ideal ,in ser vice. These comment havecomefrom all ort of people countrywide and we hall miss him ad ly. In trouble he wa a wi e and taunch advi er, a born leader, a plendid chairman: a charmingGue tofHonourasinhis last week at the County "OVER TO YOU JOHN " Dinner where he wa a alway, upported by hi wife (to who e inspiring care we owe a great debt of gratitude).

The splendid Guard of Honour at hi funeral would have mad e him very proud. So would the police turnout, where so many had volunteered for thi and all the ex tra traffic duties that lot had to be drawn - what a personal tribute cons id eri ng he left the force some ix year ago. Perhaps above all he was a man of firm principle s but with endle patience and unders tanding. Like Mr Valiant-forTruth, " And a ll the trumpet sounded on the other side".

Rozamund Shearman County PRO North Yorkshire

Intetnatio

e

Doncaster Cadet Division in Autralia. I am now in the process of buildin g a co lle ct io n of St John Ambulance penfriends. It is my quest to be abl e to correspond with divisions arou nd the world on a divisional basis To learn about St John in different countries and exchange St John material badges, photo e c. It will also a id Cadets to gain their Internationa Friend hip' badge.

Jodie Gray

Box HilllDoncaster PO Box 482 Doncaster Victoria Australia 3108

22 StJohn World August 1991

First Aid for the First Aider

I had travelled to Berkshire fora cour c and got caught in an prilhower of snow, then lat e r rain. Feeling on the cold side on arrival bad. at Waterloo Station I decided to have some hot food to repla e any lost kilojoule. Thefood melt wonderful. Butlcouldn'teat it. 'rmust bc gOIng down with a co ld I decided, for I'm hardly ever off my food. as the Divi ion I belong to know.

The following day r str ugg led throu gh work; by the time I arrived home the hiver s were upon me once more. Mallhew. a friend of mine came over and grew co ncerned. My co-ordina ti on wa!:> up the creel-.. and m y head felt [hat it wa in a game ofba 'ketba ll - the head being the ball.

Th e doctor couldn't come out until IOpm. Wh a do I do'? Matth ew, not knowing any Fir t Aid, began to panic - so out came C aringfor/he Sick. I cou ld hardly tum rhe page due to the ('God. don't let me have a convul ion!'). There wa n't a thennometer and now was not th e tim e to tea c h M a tth ew how to read one even ifl had. Thc light wa hUIting my eyes. So pul se a nd resp it had to be. I kept cou ntin g during th e full minute and then took a rough RRM 135/28. 1 was 0 hot and s hivery that out came the 'F roz e n Peas' which for a while did wonde r

Thedoctor aid heco uldn t comeoutas it was only ahigh temperature

(I think we both thou g ht it was only a degree or tw o up). He arrived the followi ng mornin g and took my tem perature. I04 Farhenhei I. By now I was feeling tiff in the limb s. Fortunately I could move my head sli g htly 0 menin g iti s was rul ed ou t for th e time being. r to stay indoors for a week and kept under close s urv ei llanc e, J infonned my parents, but they were un ur e as to how illl actually was because I had only been on the phone th e night before and ounded fine "good old pare nts"

Then he di pen sed pr esc ription :- mg, ml BDS, TDS, QDS, two hourly That gave me ano ther headac he.

At one time I wa in s uc h agony due to no painkillers (l hat e Lak in g them ) th at I was actually in tear s and wondering if a nyb ody cared. God doe s, and the Ord er of St John doe - for without the teaching of ce rtain courses J would hav e bee n unabl e to ca lm both of us down, tr ea t my se f and give information in depth to the doctor H e actually co mm e nted on thi s by say ing "The problem with you s that you dia g no se cor rect ly and r only have to confirm and trea t".

Name and Address s upplied (London Di s trict ).

PS At th e time of writing there's a he ad weighing 2 ton s go in g free!

Hardly The Retiring Sort

TheSouth W s tLondo n Stjohn

Fe ll owship h as re ce ntl y celebrated it s third AGM. This to man y, may eem oF littl econe4u e nce. but what abo ut thi s for ac tiv e oldi s!

POI1Smouth Par i, J er e).

B at h. York , F Ik. estone, The Fore. t o f D ean, Canterbury are some of the pla ces we ha ve been to We meetmonlhly which usually include lun ch: the Chri tmas Lunch i a must; and we have already made enquirie into a trip to co tl and next year. r write we are looking forward t o a day trip to Sherboullle and that is only the socia l side of o ur activitieslo cal cha riti es h ave beneFited by our efforts. Our oldes t member i 93 a nd very active in the Fellow hip!

Some l1lembers. Bri gade a nd Association, hav e qualms about retiring, even some who are over th e age of official retir emen t ; omew ho arei ll ; 'ome who think it wrong to hand the rei ns to you n ger, and in ome ca es, more capab e people. th an th e m se lv es. R e m e mb er lhe g raveyard is full of'indispen abl e' peopl e. So all you older m em bers, both hi g h a nd low rankin g who think th e Bri gade or A soc iation will co ll ap e if you ret ire-

g iv e up now and tart e njo ying a life of friend s hip , fellow hip and companion hip You owe it to yourse lve and above all to 5t J o hn

PL White F ICAP AM H Streatham London

Letters

With regard t the recent from Headquarttrsending the u')e of th e Holger-Nicisen method of Anifical Ventilation.

Myself and many other members of St John canno t sec 'rhyme nor reason' why this method has to fall by the wayside and become obsolete.

Many of our members In ollinghalllshire are trained First-Aiders who work down th e coal mines (there are till some remaining in NOllS!), and are called to an accideIll where a miner is trapped face downwards, with possible back and facial injuries, and mouth to mouth ventilation not alway'i possible. Aho there are many other where people can be trapped face-downwards and be

Surely it is always be tt er to have an alternative method of vent il ation rather than just thc olle.

It ha.., been known when applying the Holger- ielsen method on the patient lor them to vomit. it is then immediately out of the way. Thi causes less movement for the patient. and the First Aidercan carry on with an) further treatment without hm 1I1g to move the patient unneee " arily.

It I'> not only Illy belief. but of other St John members, that the InstrLlclion ror no Holger- ielsen venti Imion is a 'itep back and not a step for\o\ard for mal/killd, K Li hman Area taff Officer No rth Notts.

EdiLor No t e - The Medical Landing CommiLlee's rc!>ponse to lellers such as Mr Lishman's IS contained in a Circular primed below. The wperiorit) of E.'\pired Air Rcsu<.;ciwtion was clearly demon trated in an arl1cie camcd In the pnllssue of J W (I'll gladly send cople!> to anyone v. ho scnd.., me an E). From my (entirel) independent) point of view. the Holger- ielsen debate to send members into all of fanciful consideratiom about imaginary scenarios where Holger- ielsen Illight be the onl) conceivable method of resu citation - but has anyone out there actually been in an ll1cident where the method had to be applied and proved sucee"''iful?

The Medical ta ndin g Co mmitt ee - ''The plain fact orthe maller i that the manual methods of artificial re piration do not work. cientific c\ idence has repealedl) been pr duced \0\ hich supports Lhi Thi i accepted b) the two othcr Voluntary id ocieties and the Health and Safety Exccutive (H E). who no longer recommend its use.

There is no alternative to expired air re u citation. In those circum'>tances where a casualt) i\ trapped or ha facial the priority

A FEW MORE I SAFETY POINTS

Further to your article Slife ill fhe' Kllowledge'. It was mainl concerned with building security. yet it reminded me orthe problem orthe elderly. iving a lone and perhaps liable to be taken ill at night. Dunng the day when their doors are unbolted a neighbour with a ke) can ge t in if need be, but come night time all is bolted up. It would be aferto fit a Yale locI-.. to the bedroom door. This would mean th at a neighbour two key ' Cou ld gain if ncce ::.ar),. but also provide va lu able time iCintruders arc heard elsewhere in thc house, to phone for help. Today. extra plug-in points for the telephone are readily installed (idea ll y waist high, not on the sl-..inin g board). Be willing to lo se a TV rather than gai n an assault.

C JP eccombe MR LRCP Shepperton

concern should be to secure a clear airway. ln most ea es the victim will be ab le to breathe on their own. In th e case of entrapment urgent attention hould be paid to the release of the victim.

Tn those ca es of entrapment where it is not possible to move the head sufficiently to attempt expired air resu citation, it will al a not be possible to perform Holger ielsen. In those cases where corrosive or toxic poi ons prevent mouth-tomouth. ie in an industrial cyanide plant, alternative methods of venti lation uch as the use of ma k and ventilators will have been provided in accordance with HSEregulations."

REFERE CES

I) Elam Jo, Brown EX. Elder JO (1954)

Anifical Respiration by mouth-[Q-ma. k method ew England Journal of Medicine. 250. 749-754

2) Gordon S. Frye CW Gmleson L. Sado\er MS. Beattie EJ (1955)

10uth [Q Mouth versus YIanual Anifical Respiration for Children and Adults. Journal of the American Medical Association I()7. 310-318

3) afarP(195 )

Ventilator) efficacy of mouth to mouth artifiCial re piration

Journal of the Amencan Medical A sociation. 167.33 -341

4) Safar P. Escarraga LA. Elam. JO (1958)

A compan on of mouth to mouth and mouth [Q air\.\.ay methods of anificlal re pi ration \.\.11h hest-pres ure arm 11ft method ew England Journal of Medictne. 15 .671-677

5) afar P (1959)

FaIlure of manual respiration Journal of appltcd Ph) ,iolog). 14. 4- 8

6) '\olte H (196 )

A ne\\ evaluation of emergenc) methods for artifiCial \ entIlation Acta naesthesia Scand. uppl.. 19. 111-115

7) Poulsen H. "all-Jen en J. taffeldt I. Lange :-'1 (19-9)

Pulmonal) \enlliatlon and respmltor) ga exchange during manual anifi ial and e.\pired-air respiration of apnoeic normal adults compamon of the Holger eilsen method and the mouth to mouth method. Acta anaeslh Scandinu\ 3, 1:29-153.

Smart Thinkin

I hm'e been a memberof t John forele\ en year nov, and during that time it has never ceased to amaze me how little significance other member place on their uniform. A a member-in -charge I expect high standard of dres at all ti me whether at a divi ional meeting or on dut). In fact I inspect m)' Divi ion monthl to I-..eep everything in order. Therefore it reall) annoy me to ee other member on dut), at \'ery large public e\'ent and places incruffy unifonn minu hat and badge (ho\\ can the public tell who \ e are?) and man) other thing urel, no\\ more 0 than ever. we should all be consciou: of being in the public eye and of the image \\ put OUI. ot onl) doe a mart unifornl and appearance encourage the public to join a 'smart. well presented orga ni ati on'. it help give our unfortunate ea ual ti e, more confide nc e in our abi liti e So come on e \ erybody. let's pull our so I-..s up and s how th e world \\ hat we can do. Don't b part orlha t min rit) that lets the majori I) down. ftel' all, \\ e are all part of one big \\ orld\\ ide family with the same goals in mind.

(Na m e " ithheld for fea r of offending indh idual ) ugust 1991 t John World 23

FRAME IS THE SPUR

Some tim e ago Tpurchased one of your training triangular bandages atajumblesale. This year I decided to frame it. On Sunday 30th June I was at the John Lewis Gala Day at Wellington Park near Reading and spok.e to one of your officers. He ' uggested that I send a picture of it to Sf 10/111 World ince you might find it of intere t. George Milbank Huntingdon Cambs

The issue of unifonns

Further to Kim Godwin's letter (June 91) I fully understand Kim Godwin' problem. We have been told it' black kirts for in pection and kirts and trou er for dutie. 0 more medaL to be worn unle s we go to a dinner and dance. Then Di trict inform u that 0 I uniform and medals mu t be worn for St Paul Service In the meantime Area Staff arrive in uit for our in pection - why not in 0:2 unifonn like the rest of us. On that day we had a mixture of b'icorn hat and tOlm caps. So p ea e Area and Di trict can you let u know which is you are both contradicting one another. Area tate that 0 1 UnIform I not in ervice any more and Di trict state it i till to be worn. Ann M ill D NO Orpin g ton Co mbin e d Di vis io n

Further to Kim Godwin's letter. the mix-and-match does pre ent a problem and I gather that becau e of all the changes and co tome di visions are no longer buying jackets for the men or grey dre ses for the ladie Thi then pre ent another problem in that any award su.c1: as service medals onhe OrderofSt John will never be worn b) the recIpIent or even the medal ribbons.

Perhaps thi could be overcome by yet another to regs to allow hese ribbons and medals to be worn on the Wooly Pullle (Kim's word for them). If this were to be approved I to sugge t that they are positioned directly under the houlder reInfor.cIng patch for the ribbons, then the medal could be pinned to the reInforCIng. An alternative would be to wear miniatures on the pullover, but when ribbons-only were used there would not be room for more than one cross (for a bar ) on the service ribbon.

Mystery in Matlock!

We ,lrr ived first. 0 one else was Ihere. or anywhere 10 be seen. Had we come to the right place? Yes. We were early. so we went fora walk. The setting was beautiful. and our camera fingers itched We were not 10 know we could not return to town. It was time. We climbed a steep gradient and on the door Wel come. welcom I1ltles all round You're in Room 3. All of you

The 1'00111 was small. but comfortable. But bunk beds? t my age ? ] oot the bottom one. Find the showers - bliss. Find the facilitic':. Even :ore bliss. Join the others we'd heard arriving Embarrassment for d moment.lhen more talk.. We'd been gIven ,>omething lodo What wa it? joke? o. a More aITivals They d been gIven something lOO. Maybe with what we had. and with \>\ hat they had? Light began to dawn. It had 'itarlcd.

Dinner was" onderful. Then down. dov>n. to the bnetlng room nd Seamus. He of the yellow jumper and enigmatic <;mile. Tall and impo ing. yet with more than a hint of ManlY Python.

That first evening! taste or things yet to unfold Journey Into the mind. Could we do it') Did we want to'? a)-be. Breakfast was wonderful. Down to the briefing room. And eamu). We Ii tened 111 wonder and dlsbelier. We couldn ' t do that. could we'? We did. And more be ides. We began to band together We were a team We could tackle anything And did camus vy<h there - watChIng.

wa always there H e led us into the realm of phanlasy He opened up our mind" and made us enler his Vvorld We went aW<l) to carr) OUI h" bidding, and silently he re-appeared. miling. QuestIOning. Sealllu'i. He had a team. \-ery quiet team They dId hl\ bIddIng too They had a rapport WIth hIm A rapport \>\ ith each other. \ c \\ere beginning to getlhat. too.

We had to get out. It was late and dark.. But we \\,ent out an) wa) The elimb wa a I in 9 gradient. I would never mak.e It. The L\sthm3 would see to lhat. But I Vvanted to go 0 [ walk.ed LIp back.\' It work.ed. I would never have tried it - until no We rela;."ed. and then went back.

Then it was Sunday. ow we had There was Lin from Ludlow. Derek from oltinghamshire. olin from Kent. Martin math · ematlcal wizard. Ursula. who was listed m, male. he wasn ' t. he wore a badge to prove it. Too pretty anyway. There was Da\'e. washII1g up endless cups beside a dishwasher we hadn't noticed. There \>\ as P tcr and hi wife, and Paul who sounded Welsh but wasn't. And 0 many others. WillY intelligent. questioning. Working together.

It wa the la t day. was Sunday. We so wished it wasn't. Seamus there. Seamus was always th ere. Opening up th e riches of our minds. W,e did thin gs we would never have believed possible. We discov red bllS of brain we didn't know we had.

Our head s were se t to explode with ideas. But finally, and so regretfully. we had to leave.

Where were we? Why Matlock. of course. Management I We loved it. Every minute. Can't wait to get back. You haven't been yet? Why not ? Go. You'll never forget it. Mana geme nt 2 next year. Wh ere's th e booking form?

Rose m ary Pee l OS Go .-J es

Do

Whilst

9 Epileptics are in

Crossword No 8 (91) by WA Potter

some may become sma ll er from the sight of blood (6).

10 Tend the sick a nd injured (5)

II Enligh tening event produced by lid retractor? (3-6).

12 Fifty a Lit for a troublemaker (4).

13 Strong and skillfu (4).

14 M ake ready for fur th er service concerning a conv ulsive attack (5).

17 Hair tyle from part of leg and fractured leg (7).

18 Cu t out from religious group (7).

20 One in mental di turbance producing food (7).

22 Vegetable matter used as a source of energy (7).

23 Part of ear containing cochlea and labyrinth (5).

25 or slender phy s ique and lose weight (4).

26 J oint wi th cruc iate ligament. (4)

29 African chief has skin blemis h (9).

31 Root for th e che t and abdomen (5).

32 Oedema re ulting from out-patient being in dry environment (6).

33 udden los of con ciou ne s due to cerebral haemolThage or thrombo i (8).

CLUES DOWN

1 Cut an anatomical duct (5).

2 Ends pregnancy ( II).

3 Secured a change of diet (4).

4 MucuJar twitching indicating a fear (7).

6 Father in her liver (5).

7 Charged atomic particle i bionic heart (3).

8 A <,trok.e disorder is following an excessive growth of eptclerml (9).

9 Conditions imposing g reat demand on one's endurance (6).

Calling all Cadets!

Wh y wait for the new eco nd -han d ? You can now get S t J ohn World at a p ec i al red u ce d ub cripti on ra teof£7 .00 ayear * . D on't be hy - let' hear from you!

'Offer applies to bona fide cadet members under the age of 25 only.

Do you know your manuals?

Asphyxia (2) Answers from page 25

I By th e incomplete combution of any fuel 2 Scorch d hair in the nostril 3 H ypothermia 4 Wh en you are within your own depth 5 trangling 6 Prevention of ai r reaching the air pa age by an external obstruction 7 Compre s ion of the chest 8 Paraly is 9 The fit prevents adeq ua te breathing 10 Carbon Mon oxide i more read il y absor bed by th e blood than Oxygen U Onl y w hen it obstructs the breathing, or the casualty is vomi tin g, o r has se ri o us head injurie

Solution to last month's Crossword 7 (91)

Ae r o : 1 Mitralsteno is 9 Coa ltar 10 In ects 11 Urn 12 00 e 13Tri eel 4 Mor el51 chaemia 18M ydria 20 arat 22Rondo 2 4 More 25 Par 26 ail-bed 27 Torment 29 Lefthandedne Dow n : 1 Mucous membrane 2 Trainer3Apt 4 artoriou, 5 Elite 6 On e t 7 I chi um 8 Osteoarthriti 12 Naevi 1 6 Ca trat ed L7 Arcu 19 Dentine 2 1 R ep le te 23 Orbit24 Medi a 28 R od.

Supplie the muscles of ex pre s ion (6,5). [n Africa. gue t has malarial attack (4). Advice doctor

(5).

27 Hard, black ood composed mainly of a skeletal ti ue (5).

28 Cease to carry out a con ervative dental treatment (4).

30 Blood group beginning abortion (3).

MIAB PIONEER AMBULANCE

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Thi month' cover picture show William Calvert, John Dickson and Le lieBel1 in front of the UI terTower in Thiepval, France. The tower is a replica of Helen' Tower at Clandeboye, Co, Downe where member of the 36th (Ul ter) Divi ion trained before embarking for France and th e Battle of the Somme. Three Bri gade member accompanied them to com memorate the 75th ann iver ary of a battle in which the allie 10 t 600,000 men in a " pace of 20 week to gain ten mile of land.

Editor : Victor Allen

THE GERM OF A GOOD IDEA

TH E R E I S S OM ET HI NG G O O D to be aid for germs.

Earlier this Spring Reckitt and Colman Products - which has been wo rking with Stjohn now for several year - in tigated ajoint promotion

o n its bottles ofDettolliquid. The upshot was a cheque for £ 13,500 which is to be used to help train B rigade member in Advanced First Aid.

T he cheque was pre ented on 8t h August to I an Moody, commisio ne r -in-c h ief, by Evangalia Hender on and Phil Wickham, marketing manager and product manager respectively of Reckitt and Colman.

Resurrection Shuffle

Page 42 of the Sunday Express might not seem a very auspicious slot, but at the end of July the paper ran a feature on cot death and concluded it with a paragraph advertising the St John Ambulance poster on infant resuscitation.

The response caught everyone on the hop, if only because the Sunday Express chose to quote the telephone number for St John Supplies. Nonetheless something like a thousand calls were received and 119 letters wended their way to Grosvenor Crescent. All of these have been replied to, although one request for an 'Infant Resurrection Leaflet' has proved to be beyond St John's current capabilities.

Meanwhile the success of Cathy Stretton's broadcast on TV -AM last June, which was directly responsible for saving the life of a baby in Hull, has led the TV station to repeat the exercise.

On this occasion John Newman, the Assistant Training Manager at National Headquarters, was scheduled to perform the demonstrations which should have been broadcast in mid-August.

4 Stjohn World Sep tem ber 1991

TH E LORD VESTEY D Lwas installed a Lord Priorof the Order of StJohn by HRH the Duke of Gloucester, Grand Prior of the Order, on the 10th July in the Grand Priory Church Clerkenwell. "Having been associated with Sl John for near ly 20 years it is a great privi lege for me to have been cho en for thi office" he aid. "I hope that as Lord Prior I can continue the wonderful work of my predecessor Lord Grey of aunton and en ure the mooth running of the Order's activities".

Boules Rules OK

L ONDON' S EVEN I NG P A P E R ,theEveningStondard,ha adopted St John Ambulance as its nominated charity. This should re ull in increased exposure for St John and al 0 help with fund raising for the OVER TO YOU JOHN campaign. Nearly £2,500 was raised at Ballersea Park on the 3rd August when 144 teams (consisting of three peop le, each paying £5) competed in the Evening Standard Boules competition. London Division fielded its own team in what, to outsiders, appear to be little more than a game of outsized marbles. They didn't win, but our informant insists their performance was "reasonable considering none of them had played before".

Dr Betty Nicholl eH ortinR Le ,l/ie Be/l 111 the act of (f wrellih o commemorate the Ballle of the Somme

O N 1 ST J ULY 1 9 1 6 the 36th ( Ister) DIvision began the Battle of the om me WIth a brilliant dash, capturing all its objectives includIng the 'impregnable' Schwabcn Redoubt at Thiepval. The Division, all of them volunteer , paid a heavy price: In the first two days it lost 5.553 men. "Evc!) home in Ulster" writes DIstrict ecretary PatrIck Corkey "was thrown into moumlllg".

To mark the 75th anniversary of the battle, which histonans now belIeve bro\..e the bac\.. of the German AmlY, three Ister veterans travelled to a commemoratIon service at rhe Redouht last month. lack Dicbon (97) of the 16th Battalion, Royal Insh Ri ne s (PIOneers): Will iam Calvert (96) orthe II th Battalion, Royal Irish Rines (the outh Antril11 Volunteer ): and Leslie Bell (95) of the 10th Inni killing (The Ocr!),,) are three of the 20 survivor of Ihe Somme still lIving in Northern and oUlhern Ireland The) were accompanied by three t John Ambulance BrIgade member.

After the servIce the trio were met by HRJ r the Duke of Kent and wreaths were laId by nine-year-old Badger KatIe Bowler on behalf of all the children of orthem Ireland , and b) Vi Bo""ler (Superintendent. Dufferin Cadet 01\ ISlon) and Lorraine Browne (Downe Area ur ino Officer).

''Thou ands of poppies were in bloom in the field near Thiepval wood, adjacent to the Ulster Tower" Patrick Cor\..e) concludes. "It wa a great privilege for John Member to be given the las\.. of e Torring these veteran ".

Association Training Course

N A TIO NA L HQ is to run a second Tralller' Course for urses. The Course aim i<; to prepare nurses to give lessons and presentation. Successful andldates will be awarded a I John Ambulancc s 0 iation Trainer's ertilicate, which IS H E approved.

This is an intcnslvecoursc and would uit occupational health nur e It offers a good opportunity for olher John nurses to develop their leaching s\"ills and l11a) be ofpurllcular interest to those \.\ ho attended the Brigade Instructional Techniques Wee\..end earlier Ihis year.

The course is scheduled for 16th -2 0 h September al National HQ (I Grosvenor Crescent, London WI) The COSI of £250 rer student Includes t uition fecs, a manual, worJ... pacJ...age and lunche on the Tuesday, Wednesda) and Thursday. This price docs not include accoll1oclation although can be arranged at reasonable rates.

Anyone in terested should contact John eWl11an, the assi"tanl training manager, on 071 -_35 523 I

VER 0 0 T _ UMBER ONE'

BRI TA I N S number one John ha finally been 'nailed' by Bristol Ea tern Area. The highlight of the Area' 'Going, Going John' auction wa a book written and igned by Mr onna Major which al 0 bore the ignature of her hu band. Mr Major' biography of opera singer Joan Sutherland, wa auctioned by gue t of honour, Mr Jack A pin wall MP. The book rai ed £1 00 in an event that rai ed £1,000 in total.

Sophie Lewis is the fir t of the two Edwina Mountbatten scholar s to be chosen to spend a year working at the Ophthalmic Ho pital in Jerusalem. Sophie underwent RGl'i training at Addenbrooke's Hospital, Cambridge and studied Post Basic Ophthalmology at Oxford Eye Ho pita!. She is presently a Staff Nurse at Addenbrooke's. Shejoined Saltwood Cadet Dhision in 1978, won the Grand Prior Award in 1982 and wa appointed Nur ing Officer to Folke tone Dhision in 1989. Her father is Brian Lewis, the Surgeon in Chief. Sophie leaves for Jeru alem in the third week of September.

Jo hn Wo rld 5

Foam is where the • IS

GUERNSEY'S Ambulance & Re cue Service ha de Igned and completed final te ts on a new prototype floating tretcher.

After everal month 's research the staff engaged in the Service' marine re cue teams have designed flotation devices which will keep a strapped-in adult floating head-and - hould e r above the water in a standard ba ket-type tretcher.

ormal flotation bars attach to the out ide of uch tretcher ,but the Guernsey staffhave de igned a y tem of foam-filled bag at one end and ballast at the other ( in which the bag are in ide the structure).

In this way they lend con iderable upport to the spine of the patient, as well as rendering them Ie s liable to damage when the tretcher is hauled inboard. It is also less cumbersome to swimmer upporting th e stretcher.

Final tests were completed in a local school swimming pool , and after minor modifications the approved design will be tested at sea before the Service's inshore lifeboat crew and marine ambulance crews are trained in it use.

The new design will then be installed on the ambulance launch "Flying Christine". It will be particularly u eful on cliff or beach rescue and in treating ca ualties of marine sporting events such a Guem ey International Powerboat Week.

Competition Results

Fire Brigades National First Aid Competition (21st June 1991)Challenge Trophies were awarded by Dr H Frankel, Senior Consultant of Spinal Injury Unit , Stoke Mandeville Hospital, to the following teams.

Men ' s Pairs : Staffordshire Fire Brigade (2nd Strathclyde Fire Brigade,3rd Norfolk Fire Brigade); Women's Pairs : We tGlamorgan Fire Brigade; Open Pairs: South Glamorgan Fire Brigade (2nd , Strathclyde Fire Brigade; 3rd, Nottinghamshire Fire Brigade); Champion Reserve: FFQuickfall, Humberside Fire Brigade. Theevent was held at the Fire Service College , Moreton-in -Marsh, Glos Ministry of Defence National First Aid Competition (l8th June 1991) - Challenge Trophies were awarded by Mr John PiuBrooke, Head of Civilian Management MOD (Industrial Relations) to the following teams.

Men's Pairs: RAP St Athan 'A' (2nd, MOD Devonport Police); Women's Pairs: HMS Centurion (2nd, AWE Burghfield); Open Pairs: AWE Burghfield (2nd, MOD Harrogate A ); Champion Reserve: Mr R Nay, A WE Burghfield.

Distillers MG Ltd First Aid Competition (l3th June 1991)Challenge Trophies were awarded to the following teams

Championship Trophy: Reigale (2nd, Ancoats ' B ') Champion Reserve, R.Hewish, Coleshill A'

Obituaries

HUNDREDS OF FRIENDS and co ll eagues were pre ent in the Parish Church St Mary Magdalene, Newark on July 15th for the funeral ervice of John Barker JP, Vice-pre ident of the Newark Ambulance Division, who died uddenly at home on July 9th. John Barker was appointed Vice-president in )973 and rendered yeoman ervice to the Division. As an accountant hi advice and experience proved to be invaluable and -a i 0 often the case - much of his work in the background wa not known and went un ung.

The Vicar of Newark , the Rev Roger Hill, in his addre poke of Mr Barker' work for the Brigade and hi s ervice a an auditor for many voluntary and charitable group in the town.

Mr Barker 's place will be difficult to fill. He wa one of the lange t erving Vic -president in the Divi ion' hi tory. Two Divi ional Superintendent, a Divi ional Officer a Sergeant , Ambulance Member and a Nottingham City Area Staff Officer formed an Honour Guard (T ho. H Hollingworth ).

THE FUNERAL ervice of the late Superintendent Frank Crouch rook place on Monday Jul y 22nd. Officer, CO, Member of the ewark Ambulance Division, a uniformed Inpector and Con table of the ottingham ' hire on tabulary, formed an Honour Guard out ide the Church.

Superintendent Crouch, who died on the day after hi s 87th birthday , wa buried in hi uniform and his unifonn cap laid on the coffin. A large congregation paid rheir res pects to a man who played a great part in the life of St John in ewark

Frank Crouch joined the Brigade in 1928 as a Pri ate, was promoted to Corporal in 1936. became the first uperintendenr of the Ambulance adet Divi ' ion in 1946, took command of the Ambulance Divi ion in 1957 and retired in 1976. He wa admitted to the Order as a Serving Brother in 1967 and in 1973 wa promoted to Officer Brother. He erved in the ARP during the war

Over half of Frank Crouch' life wa spent in the service of the Brigade, dUJing which time he trained hundred of people, includingScout ,Guide and member of the public, in Fir rAid Heal 0 trained the local Police Fir tAid Team for many year and hi kill in faking casualties was in great demand, panicularly in Count) Competitions. (T hos. H Hollingworth ).

THE TIMES recently carried the obituary of Lt-Gen Sir Robert Drew, KCB, CBE, director general of the army medical services 1965-69 who died aged 87 on J ul y 27, 1991.

William Robert Macfarlane Drew wa ' Au tralian by birth and had a di tinguished military and medical career. A Director General of the army medical ervices he i credited with teering through the harp adjustment needed to maintain the level of medical care in the army when the 'ready-made pool' of doctor doing national ervice dried up. In particular he e tabli hed the Royal Army Medical College as a way of improving re earch into peciali ed treatment appropriate to the armed force. He aw service in France and Burma during WW2, after which he wa seconded to the Iraqi government as Professor of Medicine in the Univer ity of Baghdad. He became honorary physi ician to King Fai al II He made notable contributions to medical literature, including the first comprehensive account of virus pneumonia, while a major historical work, Commissioned OffIcers of the Medical Services a/the British Army, J660 to 1960 , is now known a Drew's Roll He was governor of Moorfields, Great Onnond St and th e St John Ophthalmic Hospital in Jeru alem.

"OVER TO YOU

NEW RADIO CHANNELS FOR ST

JOHN

MORE VERSATILE. You may nC?t know that following negotiations With the Licencing Authority extra channels are now available to St John Ambulance.

As a leading supplier of ICOM equipment to St. John we are pleased announce our retuning service to thes.e channels on your eXisting high-band radios.

We offer this service for most makes so call our Hotline now on 071-252 1849 for our latest information pack.

CHEAP TO RUN. ICOM 2-way radio has proved to be the most popular and cost-effective mobile system for St. John Ambulanc:e ICOM is used exclusively by London District to give excellent low cost communications and help make the most

budget If you would like your dl.vlslon to save money get in touch With us today!

After 5 years of 'p lanning, hard work and scrounging' members of the North Tyne Area, Northumbria finally solved their Ambulance problems this May. So impressed was the Editor of St John World by this accomplishment that he buried their report under a pile of paper. Here it is, with belated apologies

Lower pictures shows ( I to r ) Area Commissioner Bruce Colfman (wilh cunningly concealed dessert); The Mayor and Mayoress of Norlh Tyneside, Councillor and Mrs Anderson ; The \'elyRe\'Nicholas COliltOIl, and Sir Ralph Carr-Ellison, Lord Lieutenant ofTyne & Wear

Volunteers Wanted

THE ANNUAL Conferenceand AGM of the VoLunteer Centre UK is to be held on 17th October at the NEC, Birmingham. This year's theme is 'Effecti ve Volunteer Management: the key to s ucce ss'. A series of workshops around thi s topic (,ImpLication for managers of Volunteers'; 'Personnel issues in managing volunteers'; 'Volunteer involvement in today's contract culture' etc.) will be supported by an exhibition of the Centre 's work. Details from Sheila Edwin, The Volunteer Centre UK, 29 Lower King Road, Berkhamsted, Herts HP4 2AB.

8 St John World September 1991

IN 1986 when the Area Commissioner Bruce Coltman took up office , the North Tync Area Brigade had seve ral major problems, th e most eriou were: two vehicles that were passed their best; and a lack of any permanent garaging facility.

The policy at the time was to buy surp lu s NHS ambu lan ces which , despite the wonderful references given by the vendors, turned out to be expen ive nightmares. The fact that th ese tired-and-emotional conveyances had nowhere to rest in peace also meant that Bruce and his taffhad to pend many hours, cap-in-hand, persuading various haulage contractor to allow t John to use th eir garage racilities.

The firstglimmerofhopecame in th e form of Colonel Tan McKenzie , 6th Battalion Royal Regiment of Fu iliers (TA). He wanted his men to learn Fir t Aid. Tn a bartering session (over several measures of anaesthetic) it was agreed th at St John would li ee the TA garages in return for Fir t Aid training

This proved to be an excellent arrangementllntil so me warm-hearted youths climbed the security fence and vandalised everything in sight. 'Find a new home', tJohn wa told by the now urity -co nscious TA ebut don't rush'.

The second g limm erofhope - which became a ray ofSllnshine -ca me when Dr Len Constable, the Commander of St John orthumbria, heard Bruce and fellow commissioner bemoaning their lot. He asked for Capital Expenditure Programme for each area. Bruce, being the sort of man who looks at a gift horse in every orifice, went for broke -a new ambulance for each area on a four year cycle, lind a garage block to keep th em in.

The respon e can be imagined. At the end of a lively meeting it wa at lea t agreed that County Policy would in future be to purchase llel1 vehicle and that the HS veteran' would be pha ed out.

The replacement ambulances arrived in July 1990. In a subsequent meeting the offerof another ambu lan ce was turned down in favourofthe money to build a set of garages.

Much deliberation followed Plans were produced and planning permi ion obtained Before the final approval, an additional delay 'ee mingly caused when Bruce went olTon honeymoon to orth Amenca with the plan and with someone called Heather perhap\ he wasn't sure which one he'd married Autumn came and went, blltlhe builders (as IS tradlllonal) decided to arrive with the winter. "We had several problem.., with the site" recalls Bruce , "but once they were overcome everyone set to at a crad.ing pace ."

On May 16th the garages were opened by Sir Ralph Carr-Elli 'o n, Lord Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear and Jomt PreSIdent of the t John Council in orthumbria. Elation at the completed task was surpassed only by the frenzy WIth which the as:.emblcd t Johner devoured the fantastic des ert' served up by the caterers - namely the hiremoorCadet Divi ion. Bruce meanwhile, had disappeared "He' outside WIth the architect looking at the next stage," Heather was heard to explain more blooming bricks!"

IRallying Cry

THE 8th NATIONAL AMBULANCE RALLY takes place on the 14th and 15th of September at Drayton Manor Park, so uth of Tamworth. The rally i organised by the Briti h Ambulance Preservation Society in conjunction with the We s t Midlands Ambulance Service and an appropriate mix of old and new vehicles will be on di sp lay - including the new We s t Midland s ambulance helicopter, 'AIR-5'. Entry i £2.00 for adult and further information can be obtained from Ro ger Leonard on 0293 776636.

A REMINDER OF FELLOWSHIP

Sheila Puckle writes - In September, when the holiday are over and training begins again in earnest, I write to remind Divi ion whatanasseta Fellowship Branch can be. TfaBranch meets at your Headquarters it can provide a source of mock casualties, time-keepers, stewards, caterers, fund-rai ers and often, qualified Instructors in First Aid or Nursing.

If you have no Branch at present, why not start one? There i nothing to stop active Brigade members joining the FelloWship. Many are running Branches in tandem with their Divisions. Indeed, I know one couple who cope with Badgers, Cadets and a Fellowship Branch, so bringing together the entire Stjohn Family. If you'd like further details, write to me c/o the Editor, St John World.

GAS LIFTS THE COMMUNITY SPIRIT.

British Gas is putting the get-up-and-go into people all around the country The plan is to give them more of a chance to show off their career skills now and in the future. So far, it's a roaring success

One area we re supporting is small businesses That means greater opportunity for those who are struggling The Prince's Youth Business Trust for instance, along with our backing, helps young people get new businesses off the ground It's an investment that'll benefit everyone in years to come.

Other community projects we 'r e funding are also going places , like housing and anti-drugs campaigns We even try to give fetes and tombolas a helping hand. Whatever it takes , British Gas wants to see Britain in front. From now on , it's onwards and upwards. British Gas Supporting people in the community.

Last September Major GeneraJ Walsh DOR visited Stjohn Uganda on the occasion of its Diamond Jubilee. Pictures of the event have taken a year to reach SJW but we're printing them anyway, in the hope that it will encourage them to use a first class stamp next The top picture shows the Hon 0 Kigozi (CENTRE) representmg Prime Minister Dr Samson IGsekka. With him (I to r) are Mr K Ojoro, Ag. Inspector General of Police; Mr JWM Kiryabwire FRCS, the Chairman/Commander; Gen Michael Walsh and Prof. Francis Omaswa. The bottom picture shows the One Cross St John Ambulance troupe performing in traditional costume in the Nakivubo stadium.

of co rrect an wer which were a fo llow s:

1) 'a' - Quee n Vi c toria granted the Royal Charter to the Ord e r in 1888

2) 'b' - the pi ece of Fir tAid eq uipm ent populari ed by Frederick Von E marc h wa th e triangular bandage.

3) 'a' - Rochdal e was the fir Cadet Divi sio n formed.

4 ) b - over 1,200,000 ce rtificate in Fir t Aid and Hom e Nursing were iss ue d between J 939 and 1945.

5 ) b ' - the letter VAD stan d for Voluntary Aid D e tac hment.

The winner, who s hould even now be wearing th e ir t-s hirt s, were Barbara Gibson, John M Wright and Valerie Holton.

A prize wa s also awarded to Mr Hollin gwo rth who pointed out in hi s an s wer to que tion 3 thatRoc hdalewa not ,s trictly s peakin g, the first Cadet Divi s ion fo rmed. Gates head SaJthill N ur ing Cadet Divi s ion of No VI Di s tri c t " take s prid e of place on th e Roll of the Brigade ", being re gis ter e d on 25th May 19 22.

Queen s bury Ambulance Cadet Divi s ion was th e first Boy CadetDivi ion formed. How eve ron 18thNove mber 1922 RochdaJe became the fir s t Divi s ion to establi h simu ltan eo us ly both an Ambulance and Nurs ing Cadet Divi s ion.

Even earlier than thi s, attempts had been made to establi h Juvenile Re se rve s' for young men aged between 14 and 17namel y at Sutton - in - A s hfi e ld in Septe mber 1903 and at Digb y Colliery in 1904. These las ted for a few years but lap ed, partl Y because they were not accompanied by a national initiativ e

"The first chord of the first hymn was played and along came the first of the nine flag parties, all mart and very impressive, bringi'lg a lump to one throat" - So write. Kate Lishman, ASO, North Notts. The occa ion, last May, wa aCadet Enrolment which had been eight month in preparation. The nag parties were superintended by ASM Roy Harrison Enrolling officer was C.Com Mis FM Smyth Award included a Grand Prior to Li a Brown; Service Shields for Claire Collier and usan Spooner; proficiency awards for Blidworth ursing Cadets, and ( pic ) a Super Badger for Helen Lishman

, we do treat Ollr

News

" Yes

011'11 somerimes". Sue Lipscombe of Weybridge is lTeated for an in ect bite by Anita Diplock at a 48th lntemational Cub Camp.

Colin Page, Area Sergeant Major Western Area watches as

On Call

County and Divisional News

Framlingham Cadet Divi ion, Suffolk ha been bu y thi year. 12 year-old Katrina Clarke (fOp left) wa among t J 50 'Children of Achievement' at the Guildhall in February Katrina ha hown "unfli nching courage" in repeated visits to ho pital for heart and pinal problem ; Helen Piper and Sarah Woods (left) are een tackling a motorist in the recent S t John poll; while the 'dozy lot' below are actually recuperating after a night hike, inflicted on them by the local Scout Group.

Safeway' Ilke ton and Belper tore in Derbyshire combined to organise a Mayday celebration at the Belper car park. Bertie (top left) led the maypole dancing and ::; one of the rna t popular is , ride wa a trip over 6 rough ground in an 'all-

§ terrain' vehicle. The 8 tores also pon ored a -

'trolley da h' rarne.

Winner Angela Barker (left) was pregnant and enli ted the help of her brother, who helped to collect £325 worth of shopping. Unfortunately he forgot he wa a vegetarian - but the ever-ob li ging stores allowed her to swap the meat afterwards.

Over 200 badgers from Hamp s hire descended on the YMCA port ground in Weeke on 20th Jul y for a picnic and mini-marathon London Marathon runners Graham Pendry and Shirley Wright (lOp, r & I) kicked off the run.

HTV's political editor, John Meredith joined Badgers [rom Bath to help launch Avon Ea etern Area s OTYJ Appeal (rap righT); Victoria Saint (right), a cadet at the newly fOlmed Royal School nur ing cadet division in Bath , en ures that divisional president Julie Davenpol1 and on George are conver ant with infan re u, citation during a vi it to Mothercare; AIC Stephen Rugman and Badger Alexander Miles (below) received the Roger Starkey A ward and Be t Badger award respectively at an evening arranged by Thornbury Divi ion. C.Com Stuart Hadler andA.Com Myra Meredilh lookon.

News from orth York Lord Prior's Awards were pre sented by Sir Mar c us Worseley (l op) to Heather Arm lrong (/), Helen Fo ster (second n g ht) a nd Claire Heal (r). Meanwhile, (ahOl e) 250 personnel from all ovcr York hire providedcoverfortheGreat Yorkhire how and treated 412 case The new Bertie i

The Glouce tershire reception committee do their stuff a Tim Gauvain touche down last June. (I TO r) AIM Victor Hughes, Lord Grey of auman, Major ick Warry , AIM lnna Wilk.inson , Jenny Blake, Lord Vestey , ASO Joan Harvey, Dep. C.Com Rev Peter Sudbury

Fancy Footwork. The photo how the Public First Aid cour e holders of the FOOl works Factory at ilver tone. The company recently pre 'ented a cheque for £500 to the B1etchley

Goodbye F lossie, hello Bella Ogwyr divi ion were in de pair over the demise of its ambulance, Flo ie. Now it ha two. The late t, Bella, was a generous g ift from British teel which had a' 13,500 miler' pare after the clos ure of the Velindre work. It' an ill wind

Call County and Divisional News

Which Divi s ion , regi stered in July 194 I, wa s the first to man a Firs t Aid pos t at a Motorway Service s (Gordano)? Yes! It wa s S hir e hampton , and it has ju s t celebrated its jubilee. Andrew Bibbing s , acting officer in charge is een receiving the Vellum

, ell initiated a grand fun-day at Stewart Park, Middle brough Ia t June. 74 team tackled an Over you go John ArmyA saultCour eandrai edo err .000in the proce ' Marching band acrobat · and a further 20 ralls brought in a further £ 00

Amesbury Divi ion launched it!:> ambulance replacement fund in 19 9 to replac two 19 year old Range Rovers. After t\ o-and-a-half years of stringent a\ ing, donation and fund Thi man is a

A view from the outside

It is two year ince St. John's Energy Prograrrune was announced; two years in which it might have been expected that opposition ba ed only upon natural human resistance to change might have faded away.

Not a bit of it. Judging by the teady stream of letters and articles submitted to Sr. John World, opposition to the prograrrune remains as strong as ever. Quoting the fmal word of one of tho e articles s how s how strongly emotions run. 'If the leader of thi great organi ation continue to actively pursue The Energy Programme .I shall have noaltemative but to resign from St. John Ambulance.' And that from a long tanding member, whose commitment and ervice to the organi ation are beyond question.

Another member whose doubts about the Energy Prograrrune are strong is Rex Purchase, C.S.O. Training, Dor et who says 'There is little. if any evidence here in Dorset, that the Energy Prograrrune has been successful in improving the membership of the brigade.' He goes on to list a number of serious difficulties, including the requirement for people who have already qualified to other standards to requalify for St. John before they can be accepted as trainer

'Additionally,' he says, 'the St. John Association desperately need an instructor/tutor in Dorset, but St. John require him to take a further five day cour e away from his work and home, even though he has just completed a ten week cour e qualifying as an instructor/tutor to H.S.E. standards with the County Ambulance Service. Why on Earth do not St. John recognise thi ? All this means that I cannot recruit members from the Ambulance service, without them having to take further St. John courses. This is ridiculous and an insult to their intelligence. Please, please, do what the government has done with the poll tax, urgently modify the rules within 48 hours to accommodate these very necessary people.'

The Energy Prograrrune's opponents tend to be scathing - but wri ting them off as innate conservatives, who would have approached any change with the same fervent disregard, simply isn't good enough. The points they raise are made time and time again and from across the co untry - there's a s tron g consensus of opinion here and it won't go away just by insisting that everything is all right excepting the opinions of 14 Stjohn World September 1991

In recent months St John World has received a steady stream of correspondence criticising the Energy Programme. In this, the Brigade Conference issue, it seems timely to take stock. To avoid any suggestions of censorship, we asked Gary Cooper, a freelance journalist with no connection to the Brigade to reach his own conclusions. The result is intended solely as a discussion document.

a few 'die-hards' who are out of touch with the modem world.

On the other hand, time have changed and there can be no denying that something drastic needed doing in the late 1980s when the member hip of St. John had been faIling for some year and was showing every sign of spiraUing downward even fa ter. It was, the Energy Programme' advocate argue, a matter of the organisation itself needing rapid FirstAid to prevent it membership declining di a trously. Likewi e, changes in legi lation and medicine itself have undoubtedly forced the organisation hand in the matter of what member need to knOw.

But wa the Energy Programme the

"There's a strong consensus of opinion here and it won't go away just by insisting that everything is all right"

right change? Many argue that it wasn t. In fairness, it has to be said that the complaints about the Energy Programme sometimes contradict one another.

On the one hand, for example, some say that a mere even hours training before the uniform can be donned in public is dangerously too littl e. What, they argue, will happen if a member with such little training is involved in an incident in which a member of the public loses his orher life?

And what if this is picked-up by the media, ever hungry for scandal-stories?

On the other hand, others contend that

the Prograrrune itselfi o complicated that in tead of providing a mean of painle s recruitment into the organisation, it i an ob tacle. Which is true? Are they aying that the Energy Programme is too easy or too difficult?

Then again, there is the vexed i ue of training and, more crucially, re-training. Member who have honed their skill at considerable per, anal co t (both literally and metaphorically) claim they are now being forced to re-train at a time when there i a eriou hortage of qualified trainer and examiner Surely. they argue, they already know more than is actually required of them by lho e who are in i ting they need re - training.

I poke with Jim Bond, National Training Officer and Stuart Latham, Brigade Secretary, to raise some of the many quetion highlighted by member' letter and articles.

Fir tl y, has the Energy Prograrrune been a success? Is St. John now gaining new members as a result of its introduction - or is it, a ome maintain, no substitute for the o ld way of recruiting member?

"We've only got anecdotal evidence either way," says Jim Bond. "But there are people who are aying that they have set up new divi ions as a result of the scheme. I visited one in Norfolk the other day and they were adamant that it wa due to the Energy Programme that they got the diviion off the ground."

Stuart Latham adds, "It works in some places and in other places they haven't got their act together. Where they re flexible and they we lcome people it works. We've got Division around the country purely et up on Energy Programme people, but it

depend a lot on people's atritude to it. Overall, we've held the member hip and that's an achievement given the number of charitie there are today and the small percentage of the general public there are who are prepared to do something for nothing. The market share of the volunteer i only 0 many per thou and, 0 to have held our member hip teadyi anachievement. "

It seem ahame that evidence of thi kind isonly anecdotal however. The ' ure t answer to critici m of a prograrrune designed to aid recruitment i to be able to how 'bottom on seat '. but neither Jim Bond, nor Stuart Latham were able to produce hard evidence either way.

On the que lion of re-training, Bond i adamant that thi ha been the ubject of can iderable mi under tanding

"We're not a king anybody to re-train in anything. We have never a ked anyone to do that - we have said that if you come to us with the knowledge of 'X', the new requirement i that you have the knowledge of 'X+ Y', plea e make sure that 'X' i up to date and then add 'Y' to it - that" all we ask and that' alway been the ca e. For example, the First Aid Manllal i ' now coming up for its ixth edition. Now I've been in St. John Ambulance for 22 year and it's changed through three editions in that time, it a imilar ituation."

Mi understanding eem to be rifecon- r ceming the Energy Programme as a whole. On everalocca ion , the que tion Lrai ed

were imply explained a being due to someone having got the wrong end of the stick and, even given my own lack of background knowledge (and the po ibiLity that I had mi understood the point at i ue) there seemed to be ufficient room for plenty of confusion on the part ofhighl y experienced member too -a on the quetion of the recognition, or otherwi e, of tandard set by other bodies

Time and again member have com•• •••••••••••••••••

"We have a standard to Inaintain ... "

plained about the failure of St. John to recogni e the qualification et and approved by other How did Jim Bond anwer that criticism?

"If someone came to u with an H.S.E. certificate from the Red Cro or any other imilar organi ation then. a we have alway done, St. John recognises them. If you read Brigade regulation you will ee that we have recogni ed for everal year , certificate that are i ued by other voluntary aid societie a part of our memberhip. and we have never said otherwi e."

On the matter of trainer however, it different and it is here that orne of the confu ion ha no doubt, ari en. Bond explain the ituation thu , "St. John Ambulance ha it own tandards in term of

instructor. For example, I'm a qualified teacher. Under the H.S.E. regulations with my FA.W. certificate I'm entitled to intruct on a First Aid cour e, however St. John Ambulance has decided that in addition to that I've got to undergo extra training. and we've done it to en ure that our product is ofthehighe t. It's not saying that I couldn't do it, or that an ambulance man couldn't do it - it' saying that we have a tandard to maintain and we can only achieve that by carefull y monitoring all our in tructors."

One ide-effect of the Energy Prograrrune that accepted a a problem is the hortage of tutor-trainers. Stuart Latham admits there i difficulty here.

"Many year ago you could be a lay in tructor and then you did a course and you got through it and you were a lay in tructor for 100 years. Now we're aying that trainer have to be as e ed and that they have to maintain their kill and that i very difficult with a voluntary organisation. But kill are 10 t if they are not u ed and not refre hed. so we're aying you need to re-q ualify every three years for fir t aid We've et-up tutor-trainer in every county, on average about two in every county which i probably ufficient. Ye there i a hortage of trainer becau e there i uch a demand. but we're redre ing dlat."

Jim Bond. however. eemed less certain that the problem had yet been olved. eptember 1991 St John World 15

"We have a prob lem with training officer and we are doing our be t to encourage countie to appoint them and are running cour e and conference to prov ide them with the skill they need. But it i a difficult problem and I haven't got an ea y olution to it.

"The trouble i that we've got a lot of people but we need till more. U nfortunately, I don't think the counties have put thi a a high enough priority in some case - we've got fewer County Training Officer than, for example, County Staff Officer Cadets - every county has tho e. But it' much more difficul t to find people who can give up the time to be training officer, 0 I'm not blaming them. Even then, it need to be said that this was a problem long before the Energy Programme came in."

The hortage of training officer doe seem to be one area where the Energy Programme real ly has hit trouble. Even given the difficulty of recruiting sufficient people to become training officer, it might , with hindsight, have been better to have introduced a programme requiring more advanced training and more frequent testing and examination only after working out in advance whether sufficient trainer were going to be available. That is not a problem of communications, it is a problem of planning and logi tic

One of the concerns voiced by everal members which foeuse directly on a change brought about by the Energy Programme is the relative lack of training whic h a mem ber of the public now needs to have before they can don the St. John Amb ulance uniform. As an outsider, it certainly surprised me how little experience (none at all) and how little training Gu st seven or eight hours) the man or woman in the St. John uniform might have had were I to encounter them.

While one understands St. John 's need to gain new members, is this not a risk?

According to Jim Bond, it is not.

"I can remember when I did my fir t p ublic flfst aid course. I remember walking out having had 24 hours learning first aid and within two days I was dealing with my flfst dying person and it was then I realised that even after 24 hours I knew ab olutely not h ing until it had happened to me. You could say, from that, that I should have had three months' training or a year of it, but it's thro ug h experience that you learn.

"That's why we have said get in people and teach them to actually save a life. Give them eight hours after which they will be able to open an airway, stop people bleeding and put them in the recovery positionwhi c h are the only prob lems which effectivel y a re goi ng to ki ll somebody - and the n let them use their common sense and get so me help We're teaching that to the public in just four hours on the Save A Life course.

"When you see a policeman on the 16 8 t J ohn World September 1991

treet you don't a ume that he can do everything the police can. Not everyone who wear an R.A.P. uniform is a pilot. Similarly, not everyone wearing a St. John Ambulance uniform i going to be a conultant anae theti t. The public perception i that if you aw somebody collapsed in the street, the St. John Ambulance per on would be able to ee that they were breathing, they weren't seriously bleeding and that, if they were uncon ciou , they were in the recovery po ition. Once the e three ba ic life- aving factors were attended to you would want to ee that the person wa taking command and ending for help because they can't do any more. "

A both Stuart Latham and Jim Bond were at great pains to point out, the main problem with the old y tern of recruiting wa that, quite simply, it was no longer working - simply in term of the number of new people being inducted into the organisation.

"W h e r e it's flexi b le,

whe r e it's in te rprete d c orrectly it wo r ks"

In previous times, omeone arriving (metaphorically) on the doorstep asking to become a member might well have been expected to wait everal month before the next course was being run and then they had to face a relati vel y daunting programme of training in Fir t Aid.

In fact, what was needed a much a skilled fir t aider were people to look after radio communications, undertake community care dutie and look after vehicle ervicing; 0 why run the risk of alienating uch people by both making them wait everal months and then expecting them to learn first aid to a degree they would never need ?

In that sen e, the modular nature of the new system doe appear to make sen e. Given a basicFir tAid training for all members, the organisation can now relea se tho e who do want to undertake Fir t Aid care primarily to concentrate on that - while those who would rather make their contributions underneath the bonnet of an ambulance are left with the time and freedom to do it.

That said, and speaking purely as an outsider, I remain surprised how I ittle Fir t Aid knowledge someone wearing the uniform might actually have.

What is really surprising though , is how often I wa able to ask a que tion based entirely on points rai ed by members, only to be told (sometimes in exasperated tones) 'No - that is not the ca e.' If that is true then, whatever el e may be wrong in detai l, the biggest problem with the Energy Programme may lie less in the product than in the way it has been communicated.

As Jim Bond put it. "The problem , as with anything new, is selling it to people because it's change. The idea is to have a con olidated training programme that can be easily under tood and easily operated, but change and communication are the problems . It 's clearly not got through to people nor, to be frank, did we have all the training material ready at the time of the launch. We are working hard on that and we've already is ued two item of training material and a third will begoingout by the end of Augu t."

Stuart Latham, meanwhile, i more forthright in hi view about where at lea t orne of the communications problem have ari en. "The problem i that we didn't really upply everyone out there with a package sayi ng this i what you've got to teach and thi i how you 'vegotto do it', so there's been a bitof tumbling going along. But where it flexible, where it' interpreted correc tly it works.

"There're bound to be die-hards - you've got a selection of what, twenty lener ? There are always goi ng to be people who are going to wri teo I think a lot of the problem is one of co mmunication. 1 think it tern s right the way through. Our countie are run by a Commander and a Commi ioner and then, on the training ide, we have a County Director. I think there' been opposition with some of those - in fact I know there has - a a result their countie haven t got their act together and aid 'look here a new chance to get new blood and bring them in.'"

atural re s istance to change has , inevitably, played it part in oppoition to the Energy Programme - but, however it's been presented to member ' , it eem obviou that the Programme wa , fir t and foremo t, a marketing exercise designed to recruit more member for an organi ation that wa in orne degree of trouble

That' not to ay that it wa n 't a good marketing package - an inevitable move , given the erious decline in membership which gave birtl': to it.

But while the package look good [0 the public (and the brochure extolling it virtue i ce rtainly both anractive and an inducement) one is left with thefeeling that it has been so ld better to the public than the members who are expected to implement it.

Perhaps, had the lack of trainers and examiner been properly fore een, had the members 'o ut in the sticks' had the programme old more ympathetically to them, then the resi tance to it witnes ed by the letters and articles received at St. J ohn WorLd, might not have been 0 great and 0 biner. Perhaps Jim Bond and Stuart Latham will manage to overcome the e ob tacles but, ironically, what is needed i a elting job to the members themselve - in other words, communication. And that ironic becau e it ' one of the skills most sought after in the Energy Programme it elf.

the answer's yes (now, whafs the problem?)

WThe new Community First Aid course has been p oo rly ad opted - something which so surprised R a lph B rown, D eve lopment Manager (Ass o ciation) that he has put pen to paper in its defence To date Surrey has trained 733 peop le in CFA and R a lp h (a lso a Grade N officer, B rigade) estimates it has helped achieve a virtual 100 0/0 mem bership with FAW certificates.

hen the 'Energy' programme was launched it finally made clear to all that the requirement for full Fir t Aid members was the Statutory Fir t Aid Certificate (FAW ).

Although thi wa required previously many member did not wi h to take the cour e and orne Superintendents openly ignored the regulation As a Superintendent of a large adult Divi ion at the time, I put thi s down to a bad ale job for what turned out to be a better tandard.

In Surrey we had approximately 200 member withoutFAW, in fact orne whole Divi ion .TheEnergyprograrnmewas een as an answer to the problem a it allowed a rather more logical progre ion to the FAW qualification.

With the upport of the County Director and Commis ioner a pilot cherne wa conducted at two Divi ion, Cranleigh and Ha lemere, whereby the Divi ions cea ed to offer a Public Fir tAidcour e(pFA), but offered a Community Fir t Aid Cour e (CFA) a evening cia e.

The cour e were conducted imultaneou ly at the Divi ion about 15 mile apart. They were cho en becau e the entire Divi ion at Ha lemere needed FAW and I wa DIS at Cranleigh 0 it could be monitored. The ix week cour e attracted a total of 48 people.

The cour e yllabu wa made up from the Community First Aid (Ba ic) eight hours and the two hour upplement.

After uccce ful examination, 15 new and exi ting member attended the FAW 'fo llow on' to achieve their fu II certificate.

Ralph has volunteered 10 help any County which would like more details of Surrey's experiences witli CFA. He can be Contacted during office hOllrs o n 0483 32028 or 34452.

A cour e critique wa i ued to every candidate on the two cour e and without exception they felt that a ix week cour e wa better than having to plan for ten week Al 0 that the cour e content wa more to their needs as it dealt with the ba ic , which were not 10 t in medical jargon and in time wa ted on fancy bandage, in hort it wa down-to-earth and practical.

Some tudent did feel that becau e of

R ecruitment: where there's a will [here's a way (or, a/least, a Safeway}

their involvement in Scouts etc. they needed orne further training in the immobili ation of fractures; on sub equent course the intere ted persons have been invited back for further advice.

The main advantages were:

1) For new members and exi ting member without FAW, it i a logical progreion in training and, with the exception of Re s uscitation and Recovery Position , new training i introduced in each element.

2) Upon completion member have attained four elements of the member hip requirementie: Induction (Fir tAid ), Community First Aid (Ba ic), Community (two hour upplement ) and FAW.

3) The va t majority of the public prefer the horter course (they till paid the ame amount of money )

4) Member prefer to do two full day not four.

T h e main disadvantages were:

1) The need to operate eparate cour e for Duke of Edinburgh and pecial group

2) Reluctance to change.

It wa concluded that the succe of the pilot hould be expanded upon, hence all Divi ion were in tructed to regi ter CFA for the pring of 1990. all tarring in February in order that the FAW follow on' could be collated and completed within the 13 week required

Some 25 cour e were conducted, both at Divi ion and at Adult Education institutes in the County.

A a re ult of the ucce s and new member gained, the policy of CFA rather than PFA. together \ ith in trUcting Diviion to commence CFA within a four week period ha worked with creditable re ult Indeed, de pite re i tance from orne, the urrey A ociation recommend thi cour e of action to other Countie

It ne er cea e to amaze me that there are torie of the A ociation and Brigade being in virtual oppo ition in orne area... h not take Surrey' lead in thi matter. It could not have worked without both party' upport.

eptember J 991 t John World 17

PAIN-TAKING EVIDENCE

Tense and nervous about headaches? Brigade Policy on pain killers' favours paracetamol. Maggie Clarence, a Senior Pharmacist in Edinburgh, argues that pharmacists should have more control. Either way, it pays to know what you're doing.

Nurnerous analgesic preparations can now be bought 'over the counter' in pharmacies, supermarket, shops, garages etc.. Million of pounds each year are s pent on advertising, marketing and promoting these products directly to the general public, and they make large profits for drug companies, phannacists and shop owners.

Many over-the-counter analgesic are combination products sold under a brand name for a much higher price than the individual generic drugs. Often these combinations contain doses of drug which are too small to be effective, and some contain drugs which are considered useles or obsolete. Many of the popular 'brand-named' products are now blacklisted and cannot be prescribed on the NHS (Table 1). The current British National Fonnulary (1) states that compound analgesic preparation s are not recommended, because they rarely have any advantage over single-ingredient preparations and they complicate the treatment of overdosage.

1. Aspirin (Acetylsalicylic Acid)

Actions: Aspirin has analgesic, antiinflammatory and antipyretic properties (allaying or preventing fever); it is an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis.

Uses: Aspirin is useful for headache, dysmenorrhoea (painful men struation), myalgias (muscular rheumatism) and toothache. [n the treatment of minor febrile conditions such as flu, it reduces temperature and relieves headache and joint pains.

Dose: (Adults and children over 12 years); 300mg to 900mg every four to six hrs when required. Maximum 4g in 24 hrs.

Adverse effects: The most common adverse effects are gastro-intestinal disturbances such as nausea, dyspepsia (indigestion) and vomiting. Irritation of the gastric 18 St John World September 1991

mucosa (the stomach lining) with erosion, ulceration, haematemesi (vomiting of blood) and melaena (black faeces -a symptom of ga tric or duodenal ulcer) may occur in about 70 per cent of patients with most aspirin preparations, whether buffered, soluble or plain. Slight blood 10 is not usually of clinical ignificance. Ga tric irritation i minimi ed by taking the do e after food.

Aspirin has a leading position, next to penicillin, among drug cau ing hypersen itivity di order. Although only a small percentage of the population i allergic to aspirin, the condition iscommon in asthmatic patient and the reactions can be severe: urticaria ('nettle ra h' or hive) and other skin eruption , angioedema, rhinitis (inflammation of the mucou membrane of the nose) and evere - even fatalparoxysmal bronchospasm and dy pnoea (difficulty of breathing) have occurred.

In 1986, the Committee on Safety of Medicines (CSM) reported a po sible link between aspirin and Reye' Syndrome, a rare acute encephalopathy (brain dysfunction) with a high mortality, in young children. All paediatric aspirin product were withdrawn, and adult aspirin labels were changed to warn against admini tration of the drug to under-l2s However, parents are still unaware of this hazard (2). Aquestionnaire, carried out by Sheffield denti t ,

*Acidosis, ketosis and alkalosis. The relation of alkalinity to acidity of the blood is very delicately balanced. A diminution of alkali content or increase of acid will cause a condition termed acidosis or ketosis. It is characterized by vomiting, drowsiness, hyperpnoea (deep breathing), acetone odour of breath (of 'new mown hay ) and acetone bodies in urine. Alkalosis is an increase in the alkali reserve in the the blood.

found that a quarter of parents would give children under 12 year · old a pirin for toothache. A verbal warning from the pharmaci t, at the point of ale, about u ing a pirin for children would be u eful. Many pharmacists would like to ee alf medicine re tricted to 'pharmacy only' tatu to encourage betteranitudes lOward medicine in the general public

Mild chronic alicylate intoxicationsalicylism - usually occurs only after repeated admini tration oflurge do es. Symptom include dizzine ,tinnitu (ringing in the ear ), deafne s, weating and confusion. Symptom of acute poi oning following overdosage include hyperventilation, fever, re tIe ne s, keto i , re piratory alkalo i and metabolic acido ' i *.

Oepre ion of the central nervou y tem may lead to coma, cardiova 'cular collap e and respiratory failure

RiskSitf.lations: A ' pirin i be t avoided in patient with ga tric di order of dyspep ia. A general hi tory of allergy or a thma i a rea on for caution. It hould not be used in children under 12. Aspirin may prolong the bleeding time, and hould not be u ed immediately prior to elective urgery or dental extraction. It may enhance the activity of warfarin and hypoglycaemic (blood sugar- reducing) agents. Caution is required in patient with impaired renaJ or hepatic function. The u e of aspirin in the last 3 months of pregnancy i inappropriate.

2. Paracetamol (Acetaminophen)

Actions : Paracetamol ha analgesic and antipyretic properties, but it has no useful anti-inflammatory activity. It i imilar In efficacy to a pirin and i les irritant to the stomach.

Uses : as for aspirin, butles effective for pain accompanied by inflammation.

Dose: 500mg to Igevery four to six he

Name Form Aspirin

Anadin Tablets 325mg

Aspirin Tablets 300mg

Aspirin Soluble 300mg

Di s per ible Tablets

Aspro Clear Soluble 300mg tablets

Co-Codamol Tablet

Co-Codaprin Tablets 400mg

Codi s Soluble 500mg T ab let

Disprin Tablets 300mg

Oi prol Soluble Junior Tablet Hedex Tablets

Ino ve n Tablet

Nurofen Tablets

Panadol Tablets

Panadol Soluble Soluble Tablets

Paracetamol Tablet

Paraclear Soluble

Junior Tablet

Paracodol Soluble oluble Tablet

Solpadeine Effervescent

Veganin Tablet 250mg

Table 1

when required. Maximum 4g in 24 hr

Adverse effects : Paracetamol is a afe drug in nonnal therapeutic use, and adver e effects are rare and usuall y mild. Skin ra he and other allergic reactions occur rarely. Haemalological reactions have al 0 been rarely reported. Regular and prolonged use may cau e liver and kidney damage. The occurrence of acute hepatic necrosis, hepatic failure and death following overdosage wi th paracetamol i very well documented (3).

Bearing in mind that the maximum recommended dai Iy dose of paracetamol is 4g, the fact that evere hepatic injury can OCcur with 6gand fatalitie with 10gunderlines the drug's narrow therapeutic margin. Theprimary ign aretho eofljverfailure, but it may be as much as 24-48 hours before they are clinically manifest (eg a abdominal pain, jaundice) and up to a week before liver fail ure ensues: by that timeitis too late for effective treatment. Particularly misleading is the fact that con ciousness is not impaired until a late phase.

As paracetamol is freely available over

the counter, it is often u ed in uicide attempts. There are also occa ional report of accidental paracetamol overdo e cau ed by se lf-treatment with a variety of overthe-counter medicine containing paracetamol (4), eg 'cold remedie ' uch a Coldrex, Sudafed Co, Lem ip, Night-Nur e, and I

'hangover cure " eg Resolve, Andrew An wer. A a re ult, many phannaci ts would like to ee paracetamol-containing product re tricted to 'phannacy only' staI tu , 0 that they are always old under the upervi ion of a pharmacist.

Risk situations : Paracetamol hould be given with care to patients with impaired liver or kidney functions, and al 0 in patient taking other drugs that affect the liver, eg antipsychotics, anxiolytic , chlorpropamide, opioid analge ic

3. Ibuprofen (Isobutyl Phenyl Propionic Acid). The fIrst non- teroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) (apart from aspirin) to be made available to the general public without a pre cription was Nurofen (ib uprofen ). It was introduced in 1983, and ibuprofen i still the only NSAID available without a prescription.

Action : Ibuprofen has analge ic, antiinflammatory, and antipyretic propertie ; it is a strong inhibitor of pro taglandin ynthe i

Uses: Ibuprofen i useful for headache, September 1991 St John World 19

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CeJIIliI1L1C'djrol1ll}(Jl?,(' 19 dysmenorrhoea, myalgias, toothache and any pain accompanied by inflammation.

Dose: 800mg-I 6g daily. Higher doses are often prescribed by a doctor for rheumatic di orders.

Adverse e.lfects: Gastro-intestinal side effect are the most frequent, occurring in up to 30 per cent of patients and ranging from abdominal discomfort to , erious bleeding or activation of peptic ulcer. Very common but not severe are central nervou y tem effects with headache and dizzine Renal impairment and blood dyscrasias can occur when prolonged treatment with higher doses is undertaken. The frequency of hypersen itivity reactions is low, but their , everity can be considerable. Fever with rashes, abdominal pain, headache, nausea and vomiting, signs of liver damage and even meningi ti. have occurred (3). Like aspirin, ibuprofen can provoke broncho pasm in asthmatic patients.

Ri /..:. situations: In patients with a hitory of peptic ulcer and in those with sytemic lupus erythemato us, caution is required. SAIDs hould not be taken by people with active peptic ulceration. A. thmatics should avoid NSAID , unle . supervised by their doctor

Ibuprofen i\ better tolerated by some patients than aspirin (I).

4. Codeine. Codei ne phosphate i available for ale to the general public only in very "mall doses, combined with other analgesic compound preparations, eg cocodaprin.

Actioll: Codeine phosphate is an opioid analge ic with u es similar to those of morphine but it is much Ie s potent as an analge ic and has only mild sedative effects

u.\es: In combination with aspirin or paracetamol it is used for mild to moderate pain.

Doses: Codeine is given in doses of 15 to 60mg up to ix times a day for pain relief on a doctor's prescriprion. The do e contained in the products available for ale to the public is much les ( ' ee Table I).

Ach 'er e effects: all opioids cau e contipation (by reduction of intestinal mobil-

ity), respiratory depression, cough suppression, urinary retention and nausea. Tolerance to their effects develops and they are liable to cause dependence.

Risk situations: All opioid must be used with great care where there is a decreased respiratory reserve, and with caution in patient taking mono-amine-oxidase inhibitors, in those with a history of drug abuse and those wi th hypotension, asthma, and during pregnancy and breast-feeding.

S. Caffeine. Caffeine is a weak central nervous sy tem stimulant that is often included, in mall dose , in analge ic preparation.ltdoe not contribute to the analgeic or anti-inflammatory effect of other preparations, and may po iblyaggravate the gastric irritation caused by aspirin; it is a stimulant of hydrochloric acid ecretion (3). Moreover, in exces ive do age, or on withdrawal, caffeine may itselfinduceheadache. The caffeine withdrawal headacbe may be re pon ible for the wide pread practice of taking caffeine-containing analge ic habitually, ince the withdrawal headache could create a vicious circle of drug u e (5,6).

Manyover-the-counteranalge icpreparations are expen ive combination of the above products. Generally safe at nonnal therapeutic do e , but the ri ks from pro-

lon ged use and overdosage, particularly of paracetamol-containingproducts have been highlighted.

The case for restricting the sale of al I drugs to pharmacies under the supervision of a qualified pharmacist is strong. How can we educate the public to treat medicines with respect when they are freely available alongside cornflakes and Ariel?

Letters

PERFORMANCE

Hardware has long been a topic of conver ation on both it practicality and the co t. The maJe n:embe.r' whil t being a long-standing and well recognised uIllfonn Iten: IS than a little dated, totally impractical for the more active dune, dIfficult to keep clean and very expensive to buy.

No doubt many member have experienced their cap falllllg off at the mo t inopportune moment, rain, weat and mud adding to its untidy appearance particularly when the cap is squashed. In any case the cap doe not erve any p racticaJ

Running a Division that has a vanety of very actIve duDe I have often thought about aJternative hardwear for our adult member , The ladies do have the option of the storm caps which can give the appearance of a beleaguered Nazi tank captain, beret also do not create a 'professional' image.

Having been given a couple of black Star Trek ?a eball (part of a Shell Oils Ltd promotion) I hit upon the Idea of uSlllg them. All they needed was a uitable Stjohn badge to cover the Star Trek motif immediately above the peak of the cap. It 0 happened that the St John County houlder badge uited perfectly!

Whilst not being officiaJ St John uniform these cap trendy; afford protection against rain; preventra.in and du t gettlllg in eyes; stay on your head at all times; have adjustable s ize (one size fits all), and are very cheap to buy! Any black baseball cap would do providing it only bear St John insignia.

My Division has found these caps to be invaluable. I hastily add that the basebaJl cap is only worn on hazardous actIve duties such as Motor Bike Scrambles.

Let's move with the times and be more practical. For the co t of one official cap we can purcha e four or five basebaJJ cap: would be interested to hear any comments from other DIVIions.

Steve Cartwrig h t DIS Stafford

AIM Simon Wyatt (July letters) asked why he and hi colleagues had to kick their heels for a couple of hours on the London Marathon duty. He deserved better than the put-down he got from DIC Seamus Kelly, in which ruffled dignity wa followed by an excessively long, although doubtless accurate, account of the complexity of the occasion. The patronising manner of the reply did scant justice to Mr Wyatt's status as a volunteer. Ambulance and N ursing Member are, in a way, even more voluntary than superior officer, since 'perks are few and recognition by the Order, if it is achieved, comes all too near retirement.

Mr Kelly could surely have thanked Mr Wyatt for assisting at the duty, given a short account of its complexity, and a sured him that London District was constantly seeking ways of streamlining its procedures.

Robert Percival 'Sometime Commissioner' Kent.

Poll Position

I read with intere t the article (SJW July 91) about motorist' attitudes to Fir t Aid training. I wonder how many will eriouslycommit themselve to taking an actual cour e. Apparently 77 per cent of motori t polled by StJohn were in favour of First Aid que tion being incorporated into the driving te t. It would be interesting to know the percentage of driving in. true tor that are qualified in FirstAid, and how many lon g distance coach drivers and couriers - who carry FirstAid boxe - are trai ned to u e them.

Some 78 per cent of motori L<; agreed that a Fir t Aid kit hould be in all car I think it's the ca. e that they hal e to have kit if they are travellingacro Europe, but again wonder how many have th e knowledge to u e them.

We hall of cour e never top accident, but when they

Last education at Newcastle Upon been amemberofStJohn fora number of year in Leeds if was my intention to con tinue my service in ewcastle.

Before leaving for polytechnic I had heard much about the 'Link' cherne, and hoped that it would hold the solution to my problem of temporary transfer to another County.

When J started making enquiries into the cherne loon found that it wa far from established, and therefore it wa unable to help with lo cating a Division in Newcastle. I wasn't going to allow this to halt my wishes, 0 T contacted th e Northumbria County Office direct. They were very helpful, and were surprised to hear that I wanted to continue my ervice in their County!

They put me in contact with a Division, and 1 attended a few meeting. The divi ion did their be to make me welcome, and I covered a number of dUlie with them.

After my econd tenn I topped going. ot because didn't enjoy the Divi ion, but] wa di appointed with the way in which St John in generaJ deaL with studenr member. Why ha n't omeone taken the lead, and et up a working cheme to help u continue a mcm ber of the Brigade? 1'm ure that many young mem bers are 10SI due to very point. We hear that St John needs more young member, which is probably quite true, but isn't it al 0 true that the Brigade need to hold on to the young member. it' already got?

Michael Brown Killingbeck Leeds.

Clare Mowbray, Youth Development Officer, replies - I'm sorry to hear that you've been di appointed by the Link cheme. Links wa launched la t year and i working ucces fully in many Countie where il ha erved to keep our younger member and also to attract many new member Our figure indicate that up to three quarter of Link member are new to St John.

Be ide learning First Aid and providing cover at tudent events, Link member can al 0 u e their experience for Duke of Edinburgh award ,goondutywithlocaldivi ion and even become involved in fund raising. This summer a number of Link member have gone ro work in Romanian orphanages.

OLD WINDBAG WRITES

In the six months that I have been editing SJW I have come to admire the members of St John for the commitment and enthusia m they bring to a crucial - and often overlooked - charitable cause. However in this, the Brigade Conference issue, I beg leave (and it's hard to see how you can stop me!) to et right a couple of widely held misapprehensions before the next six months get underway.

A number of member have complained to me in the past about adverti ing - particularly galling is the remark "It' nice to ee that there are fewer advert in this edition" please wi e up! SJW is intended to break-even financially. Very few magazines (or newspapers) recoup their cost from the cover price, and SJW (which, at a pound an i ue, is very reasonably priced) is no exception. In simple term, the more advertising we get, the better the magazine will become.

We were recently told by a manufacturer who was considering placing an advert in the magazine that he had met orne members in the Midlands who proudly informed him: 'Oh, don't bother with St John World - we never ee it. You're wa ting your money'. aturally he didn't place his advert with u More to the point he probably went away thinking that St John Ambulance must be a hoddy ort of organi ation all round if its members can't even be bothered to keep in contact on a national basis.

Remember, thi i your magazine. It assume you are interested in everything that fall under the umbrella of the St John brotherhood (good word, that). It aim to help members communicate and thereby improve the efficiency of the organi ation a a whole. It's becau e of this that I and the adveni ing team put a lot of work into making SJW arguably the be t chari ty magazine in the country. All we a k that you upport it by ugge ting to other member that they ub cribe - and maybe even bring it to the attention of any potential adverti ers that you know. By doing thi you're notju t helping us, you are in the long run helping yourselves.

While attending one of the Garden Parties this year, I was delighted to see how niceour on - and took every opportunity to say to them that r thought they did St John every credit. Pral e where It I due costs nothing and perhaps encourages.

However, was ashamed of one guest, whose uniform was a complete disgrace to the He was slovenly, creased, grubby, stood very badly and looked as if he had just come off 36 hour duty somewhere. [am sure he is very worthy, and probably a tower of strengt h to hi County/Area/DlvISI?n, but why, oh why, if they wantto send him to represent us all don'tthey tidy him up I am sorry, but It IS PR - and in such company desperately obvious. I do feel it is the responslbdltyof the County to see that thiS does not happen. I do not want to hurt anyone's feelings, but itshould be.made plalO to all concerned that anyone going on such a public occasion must dress and behave in accordance With the honour gran ted to them. It hould be said very clearly, before it becomes perso nal. 22

Rosamund Shearman Co. PRO Nth Yorks

there is a wrong way and a right way to treat omeone. I hare SI John ' concern and feel that the an wer would be not to L ue a vehicle licence until a current FirstAid certificate is produced. Many people may feel this is out of the question, but other countries eem to have their priorities right. Germany operate a sy tern like the one I have ugge s ted. First Aid s hould not be classed as a hobby but a a national musl".but who care ?! WD Heath ex Brigade member, Qualified Lay Trainer Coventry

When a County lacks the per onnel to run the Links cheme we a k that they put member who enquire about them in touch with local Divi ion Many Link group have been tafted by people uch a your elf This i ideal, ince they have both a knowledge of Sr John and the particular college Ihey are attending. Perhap , if your tudie allow you the time, you could offer your help and experti e to the County in que tion - they may well appreciale it'

The other point I d like to clear up concern cen or hip. StJohn World is not 'cen ored', Contentiou letter are occasionally given to per onnel at HQ, who are then invited to comment. Thi can ometime mean that a letter might not appear for a much a two month. I know of one writer in Kent who - when hi letter wa not printed the week after he ent it (impo ible in it elf. ince the magazine ha a lead-in time of one month) - ub equently ent it to hi 10caJ paper and ha ince been telling people that we refu ed to print it. He made no attempt to contact me or anyone el e at Gro venor Crescent.

WithreferencetoCB Dye 's letter(SJW July '91) concemingthe wearing ofan OS tali man necklace on parades. Dress Regulalion tate that "no jewellelY i to be worn" on parade.

I appreciate that Mrs Dye's daughter uffer from low blood sugar, but th e re is asolution. PutthetalL manon her key ring. That way the tali s man will always be with her.

All he ha s to do i either put the key ring in her pocket, or allach it to her bag - there is nothing to ay that y u cannot take your keys on duty with you. Thi i th way I have aJways done it.

AI M J Adler Gorton Manchester

All complaint and critici m that are couched in informed and rea onable term are, 0 far a I'm concerned, legitimate and open to publi h, I do however edit libelJou and maJicious letter that' an editor' function, and one often a much in the writer' intere t a the magazine's.

EI ewhere in thi ection there i a letter (Losing that make orne damning critici m of the Energy Programme and repeat point made in thi month' article on that topic. The wTiter' , final remark bear out the point I'm trying to make. Thi is your magazine. Enjoy iLor write and tell me wh not! Vic Allen Editor St John World. eptember 1991 St John World 2J

I agree with the writer of Dying by Degrees (SJW J u ne '91).

The Energy Programme, in my opi nion, i lowly killing the Brigade.

The fOffilation of the Brigade in 1887 wa ba ically to give tho e who had pas ed an examination in 'Fir tAid to the Sick and Injured' an opportunity to put their skills to use.

They did this by joining a uniformed body which would attend large public gatherings and give help and comfort to those in need

Thi wa an exten ion of the 'Ho pitaller'tradition,commenced by the Knight of St John, who vowed to' Serve their lords and rna ter the sick'.

Today we learn that a man with over 40 years service in the Brigade cannot go on public duties without upervision, becau e through no fault of hi

Through the A ociation, thousands of members of the pub lic are trained in Fir t Aid every year. These people could be called upon to treat ca ualtie at any point - yet the experienced Brigade member is unable to do 0 without an FAW holderaccompanyinghim,posibly one with less experience than he ha himself.

One must a sume that if he find himself pre ented with a ca ualty without upervision he must , like the 'Levi and the Phari ee', pa by on the other ide.

This is not the Brigade I joined over40 year ago, and if the Energy Programme is to take the Brigade into the 21 t Century, I think the people who

formulated it hould take a good long look at it before it i too late.

My concern is for the Brigade and it future which, I feel, depend for it life blood on those who have hown an interest in serving mankind by attending Fir tAid cour e and who put their kill to practical use.

The words and thought in thi controver ialletterare mine and mine alone, and I expect they will remain 0 becau e I do not expect itto be publi hed. T h os. H H o llin gswo r t h Di visio

9

CLUES

5

•

Answers from page 25

1 Your telephone number. the exact location of the inCident, ome 1I1dicallon of the type and seriou ne of the incident. lh number of IOcluding their age, ex and injunes. any request for peciali<;t services. 2 Rate, depth, nature and odour 3

Reac ti on of pupil'> to light. the ize of the pupils and compari'on between the two The white orb of the eye for blood-shot appearance 4 Theeam 5 Irregularity of the vertebrae Warning medallions The carotid pul e and wounds 6 The sound limb 7 Ore, s wounds, provide comfortable support for any large wounds and fractures Place the ca ualty in the mot comfortab le position conisten t with the requiremen t of lreatment 8 Carefu ll y s lit them down th e back seam with a harp knife

9 Carefully feel ei th er side of the pelvis, looking for signs of fractures a nd note any indication of in contine nce 10 Usecommon sense, know your limit ations, do not attemp t too much

CrossW"ord No 9 (91) by WA Potter

(7)

9 Stimu lu s to receptors of the fir t cranial nerve (5).

10 Part of back of eye having no retina (5 4).

It Food made from blend of teas (4).

12 Warfare emp loying pathogenic micro-organi ms (4)

13 Coins for a male descendent (5).

15 Arch forming posterior part of the typical vertebrae (6).

17 Lacking any dressing (8)

20 Timer for producing net-like tissue (8).

21 Condi tion patient cannot speak about (6)

24 Deputy doctor (5)

26 complaim to lament (4)

27 Pay to remove ovaries in vetennary practice (4).

30 hicken-Pox (9).

31 Oi tant planet initially supplied Operation Overlord with fuel (5).

32 Impregnated with dye for histological examination (7 ).

33 A stiff examination (7).

CLUES DOWN

1 POinter for constituent of diet ncces ary for growth and cell repair (7)

2 Part of lov..er limb In operation (5).

3 Completion of period of pregnancy IS part of academic year (4)

5 6 7 8 enou di case from bl te of infected animal from Serbia (6) External igns characterising a disea e ( ) Lymphatic gland (5) rte ry vein, nerve. and space behind the knee (9). tralghtens a Itmb at a JOint (7)

14 Young animal in the leg (4).

16 Hive (9)

18 Real change in ound heard on au culation of the che t (4)

19 Had quivering of muscle due to fear or weaknes (8)

20 Mentally undergoe an experience again (7)

22 An unspecified per on or no panicular corp e? (7)

23 After a degree Anna get up el for a fruit (6).

2S Con tituent of ecrelion of muco a compo ed of 1 Down (5).

28 Obe e - ha ing oft tumour (5)

29 Catch sight of a pimple (4).

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Do You Find London Hostile?

g iS " P021 4BB Tel. 0243 265198 ra>. 02-B 266711

Publi"hed b.\: Q Pnnt \\ dtlon.! Tel' 0923246404

Contribu ti on While Ill' not po,slble to guarantee InclUSion. all contnbutlons to J ohn 1I'0rld are welcome. These should be t} ped. doublespaced, on one Side of A4 paper. Plea,e ma J... e sure events are properly dated and that the author con tact name address and telephone number are In luded Transparencies, blacJ... and white prinls and (glov,y) colour pnn t are all acceptable illustratIOn Photographs with addresses on the bad are more lIJ...ely to be returned. so taJ...e heed! PRES DAY last day of the momh ub cription : In d iVidual copies of t John are £1.00 each. Postal subscrip ti on IS [14.00 per annum (C 16.00 overseas). u bscnplion

Defibrillators show their worth

Chichester St John Ambulance aved two Ii e at the Glorio us Goodwoo d race mee ting in A ug ust u ing adva nced ki ll s technique deve lo ped by S t John Ambul a nce a nd th e Jockey C lu b.

The fir t ea ualty, Lo nd on boo km aker Maurice Collin, co ll ap ed whil e e tt ing up h i land and wa attended by Cpl. Tony Gilbert, AM Ph ilip Attfie ld and M He le n Gi lbe rt

The eco nd ca ual ry, Ro Luckett, wa on a coach leaving after the race had fini hed and had turned blue by the time the ambulan e cr w reac hed h im Th is time th e re u citation team compri ed Ton Gilbert, paramedic Ron Lill ey, Cpl. Chri top her Attfield a nd hi wife Claire.

Both ca ualtie were tr an ferred to S t R i ha rd's Ho pital, where the co ns ultant cardio log ist, Dr Co in Rei d , had bee n re pon ibl e for training th e St John tea m

"They we re u ing the equi pm e nt and kill for the fir ttime," he told th e locaJ pre s." I amab ol ute lyde lig ht ed by the ucce of theiraction ,"

Dr Rod ney O Donnell, who i to ucceed the Jockey Club medical co n ul tan t D r M ic hae l All e n la ter th i year, echoed Colin R eid's praise an d added: "There i no doub t that withou t the modem equipment tho e two pat ie nt wo ul d have die d".

Jerusalem Hospital

Mourns Death of a 'Mainstay'

A part i cu l ar l y sad event clo uded li fe at St J ohn Op ht halmic Hos pita l, Je ru sale m o n 1 Se pte mbe r 1991.

Th e d ea th occ urr ed of Edm ond Ab d a ll ah who, a a sistant to the Sup e rint e nd e nt , was we ll known not o nl y thro ug hou t Jerusalem but a so to hundreds of visi to rs and ex- pa tri a te laff.

Edm o nd was edu ca ted at Te rra Sanc ta Hig h Sc hoo l, Je ru a em and started wo rk at St John as a cl e rk on 25 Oc to be r, 1968. He became a ma in stay of th e hos pita l admini s tr at io n with h is efficie ncy a nd de di cati o n to St John Ab ove a ll , howeve r, w ill be mis ed his a ttr ac ti ve pe rso na lity a nd se nseof hum o ur. H is untim e y dea th a 43 yea rs occ urred as a res ul t o f a tr ag ic dro w nin g acc id e nt in the Sea of Gali lee in w h ic h h is 16 year o ld so n by a previo us ma rr iage a lso los his li fe. He leave a wi dow and two sm all c hildre n of3 a nd 5 years, in ad d ition o a married d a ug ht e r of th e prev io us m arri age who li ve in Paris

4 St John Wor ld O c o be r 1991

Cranleigh breaks world record

ombininghor

t le

£20,000 from Top Ten Donor

The T S B Foundation for England and Wale, one of the four charitable attached to the TSB Group PL recently made a donation of £20.000 to St John mbulance.

The donation is split betv.cen national headquarter and 18 Counties whose appl ications were approved by the Thedonation to national headquarters will be to purcha e equipment for use on the Tutor and Management courses run by the A ociation, and the wide variety of projects selected for ,>upport on a loeallevel includes radIO equipment , refurbishment of County and Divisional premises, Re u regional competitions and medical equipment.

On the basis of having made a donation of thi magnitUde, the Foundation will tum down any further requests for funding received from any unit of John Ambulance for at least one year

Cadet Lisa Postle , no t ye t 14 year ' o ld, of St alh am Q uadri lateral wa wi th he r fami ly n Ec Ie Beach near H a ppi burgh, orfo lk la tB ank Ho li da aftem o n when he awa man bro ught a hor in a co llap . d condition.

omeone wa attempt1l1g to a<" I<"1 the man \" hen he made herself "-nown as a First Ider and, after a qUIck. e am1l1allon. ,tarted CPR he contll1ucd to PR for ten m1l1utes untt! relieved by her father, ho took. over under Li"a ',> gUIdance She then organl'>ed other people to contInue PR for a total of 50 minutes until ad ctor arrived, followed by an ambulance . The doctor ,>ubsequently tOld the County HQ orfolk that without a lions, the man would have died long before he had reached the scene Regrettably, the man died some 48 hours later in intensive care Lisa has received a commendation from the ommissioner, Mr JA Scott JP DL.

On S aturda y 10th A u g u l the ran leigh Division set out to break the world record forthe longet continuous line of 2p coin!-. The target LO beat was 25 1/4 miles 'let by the U A. nd there were rivals c1oserto home too. The Lords Tavemers on the Isle of Man had, enllrely ((Jillcldentally (ouch), arranged an attempt to break. the BritIsh record on the <;ame da) . t 7 00am preci"el) the race began nder the watchful eye of the BB Re cord Breaker 1 team, members of the Lord., Tavemer<; and of t John laId their first COIn., Re cord Breakers ' Chel) I Ba"-er was 111 regular contact v. ith colleague Roy Castle \\ ho v. as wnh the hie of Man team. pro\> Id1l1g con tant update via a Itve Ilnk. - up De perate

B) midda) Cranleigh \."a -+ behlntl and -+ mtie" beh1l1d the 1"le of Man Desperate l11ea\Ure" were called for. hel)l Bak.er raced round to the local radIO stallon, Count) ound and bur"t 111 on one or the programme'. to make a plea for more people to help lu) C01l1S

The Fi re BrIgade rolled through the village Illakmg announcements la a loud hailer as did members of the Cranlelgh Divi.,ion - and it work.ed! Hundred\ of people Lumed up ith carrier bag , boule anti Jar" full of 2p coins that the) had been collecllng in response to t John advertising over the pre ious month., .

A t 3 00pm the hi f E;...ecutive or the Royal Mint, Tony Garrett, came to lay a brand new coin to break the Bntish record In addition he preselltetl the Badger set with a personal gift of 500 brand new 2p coins in a bag bearing hi seal.

By this time, Cranleigh had caugh t up with their Manx rivals

As temperatures soared inLo the eightie ' inSOLithem England,coim be ame literally too hot to handle and had to be doused wi th water!

As 6.00pm approac hcd, no less

than 500 villagers and St John members were franl1cally trying to join up rows of coim that wove their WU) somewhat haphazardly up and down the car park. Officiall) ti II short of the record the BBC ask.ed if the crowd would contll1ue their back.breaking work, onl) to dl coverthattheupply of coms !rad 1'1/11 O lll All £33,000 worth that Secuncor had delivered had been laid

Problem sol v ed quick.tnp bac"-to the Di\ i ional Headquarters to pICk. up unban"-ed donations solved the problem and It was not unlll 7.00pm that the scrutmeers de lared thaL t John had officiall) brok.en the world record.

"Lt a sight to behold" aid Ralph Brown, "'Cranleigh Pre Officer, "Twent seven mile five hundred and ninety five yard of coins all shImmering in the ' unlight"

Filming SL pped. coin-layer. taggered to their feet. mopped their sand tood back to admire th Ir handiwork.. Together they had raised £7 .500 for me rica eat your hean out!

• pecialthanb go to e uri or for pro Id1l1g transport for the coin, a mobile bank ror the day and for undcrtak.ing the huge ta k or counting all the c in '. Thank. _ too to the ational Wesllnin ter banI-.. in particular for the Appeal pledge lin. Addillona l thanks go 10 : Royal Corps Tranport 210 quadron, Hampton anu Ma BrC\\er ' Accountants, urrcy aunt) Council, and Tillingboumc Bus Company for their support.

Di vis o nal S up e rint e nd e nt Do n Beeve r of th e Horn sea Co m b.i n ed. Di v s ion i e; n he r e carin g for a m e mb e r o f th e H o rn sea S pec ia l Nee d C lu b at a recent O p e n NIght In h e Youth Ce ntr e, Horn ea.

ph o t o was ta k e n b y loca l ph o t ogra ph er Fre ddi e Wa l ker and wa featured in the Hold ern e Ga ze tl e.l he pi ct ur e was se n t by M r s DM E d wa rd MBE wh? s ugge s.ts it mig h t mak e a futur e po te r. That be. ond

SJ W ' s r e mi t, b u t it ' s ce r ta n ly a d e er in g u bJect to k Ick off th Is new featur e

Question

What is th e ro le of th e oph th a lmi c nu rse? H e o r s h e u ses il1de pth k n ow ledge to ensure tha t

p a t ie nts rece i ve the p hysica l care an d p syc h o l og ic a l s upport th ey require. In add it io n , the ophthalmi c nurse h o lds spec ia lis r clini ca l sk ill s w hi c h e nabl e him o r her to j unc ti o n effecti v ely a s a n urse and a t ec hnic ian to f ulfil d ia g n os ti c, th erap e uti c and re ha bilita til 'e ro l es in th e co mmu n ity and h ospi tal c are of ophth a lmi c p ati e nts .

If th e fo regoi ng, ( fi Ic hed from N ur si ng Stan da rd's rece nt s uppl e me nt o n ophth a lmi c nurs in g), see m s attr ac ti ve to yo u th e n yo u mi ght wi s h to kn ow th a t th e St

John Ophth a lm ic Hos pita l in J e ru -

sal e m is still see kin g to fi ll o ne of th e two nur s in g po t s po nso red by the Edw ina Mo untb att en Tru st ea rli e r thi s yea r (See SJ W Jul y, pgS ).

Appli c ant s sh o uld be Bri ga de me mber s a nd id ea ll y h ave a n OND , a lth o ugh th e la tte r mi g ht be

o pe n t o nego ti a ti o n. Enquiri es s hould be mad e in th e fir s t in -

sta nce to Sy lv ia H o m es, S t J o hn

Ambul a n ce, 1 G r osve no r C r esce nt Lo nd o n SWIX 7EF.

6 S John W o rld Oc to be r 199 1

O n Ja nu ary 3 rd 1992 T he Fort u ne Thea tre, Coven t Garden, L o nd o n wi ll be co ll a bora tin g wit h Th e Pi ed PiperT hea tr e Compa ny, who pecia li e in im agi na ti vec h ildre n thea tre. to prod uce a very pecial performance of " Bertie Badge r ' C hris tmas Advent ure".

Th i is mag ica l fami ly entertainme nt w it h co lo urful co tu mes and lo t o f fun s ing-a-Io ng song. It i be in g pe rfo rm e d e pec ia ll y fo rth e

St J o hn Bad ge r to ge t o ur yea r of b irthd ay ce leb ra tio ns off to a nying sta rt Be rt ie Badge r is bo red w ith Ih e win ter. He asks hi s f riend A ri totl e T o rt oise to de lay hi h ibe rna t io n a nd jo in him in an adventure. A va lu ab le nec kl ace has been sto le n from th e pa lace. Sco tl a nd Ya rd a re ba ffl ed Onl y Be rti e a nd Ari sto tl e, w ith a littl e he lp fr o m th e ir fri e nd s ca n tr ace th e nec kl ace to w he re i is hidd e n dee p in th e woo d s. But ca n th ey e ca pe th e da nge r of J

OODDDDO O Pic of Pic of the the month month DDDDOO OO

Pic of the Month b a new regular feature to highlight some of the excellent photographs we receive here at St John World which encapsulate the best spirit of the work of St John. Any photograph is eligible for conIncluding those which are "ent to illustrate a main new" Item Alternatively, if you have a photograph that you think fit., the bdl - but v.hlch Isn't I inked to a event - then you are welcome to end It lor con.,lderarion on Its own ments. The .,ender wIll receive £20.00 to donate to which ever t John fund they care. Local nev.'ipapcr photograph., are v.elcomed. but please make Hire that you obtam the edItor's pennlsslon to use them. We are notproml \ll1g to feature a photograph every month. mmd - that\' '>omethmg which depends cnllrel)- onyou!

The Lord Prior appraises the substantial contribution made to St John by Dr Herbert Ellis AFC MD, who retired as Chief Commander earlier this year.

The pre enc e among u ofDrHerbertElli a Chief Commander from early 19 9 to t John Day 1991 was memorable, fruitful and very happy With hiS expenence a St John Ambulance Commander in Gloucec;lershire , and hiS background a a medical re oearcher. as an aUlhor, a a very caring doctor. and above all, with hI intellectual interest. and Innovative tum of mind. Herbert Elli had tremendous credentials for the job.

He always told us that he wou ld be prepared to work very hard over a relatl ely hort time, and we knew that he meant what he ald. The Order tasked him not only to be an active Chief Commander, but at the same lime to produce a report on our O rganl ation and some recommendalton for it! future

Undivided attention

Herbert Elli kepI his word In both respect He travelled widely, in thi country and overseas. and everyone who met him will have derived and satisfaction from per onal charm and enquiring approach He regi tered so much in so hort a time, and he gave hi almo t undivided attention to St John Ambiance. weekdays and weekend.

He may be remembered principally for his' Stllcl.vand Recommenda{Ions of Headquartels, Sf John Amhulance' which he managed to produce In ju ,t over a year from hi appointment. Both we and he were determined that it should not be ano ther Report gathering du t on the shelf. The Grea t Officer took Immedia te tep to have it a widely di cus ed as po ible, and to get Chapter-General to approve it mo t urgent recommenda tions

T he fi r t of the e was the appointment of an Execu tive D irec tor for St J o hn A m bul ance Headquarter. - and wi thi n si mont h exactly of Dr Ell i 'repo rt being handed over, the Executive Direc tor MrTim Ga uvain, took up hi , appointment.

Ot her recommendation made by Herbert E ll is. particular ly quetio ns of training and medica l advice available to t Jo hn were al 0 fo und to be very accep table and have been put in to ac t ion. Hi reorgani ation of th e medical board will have a lasting impac t on t Joh n for many year to co me.

In fac we can say th a t, fo ll owing th e logical equence wh ic h Herbe rt Ell is him se f recommen d ed, we are likely to ee over a period of year th e more ac tive, po itive and co m prc he n ive a pp roac h wh ich he recomme nded bro ught in toexi ence a part of th e norm of t Jo hn A m bul ance for the 1990 and into th e nex t millenium.

Vagrant Finds a Home!

After s pending itc;

and

We are a ll m uc h in h deb t. We ha ll co nt in ue, of cour e, to ee him at C hap ter-Genera l and hope th a t h is t imu la ting and po itive v iew wi ll be fe lt among u for many year to come.

have heard how, in September, Kathy Perks' St John Ambulance training prevented omething na ty from happenmg 10 Pe ggy Woolley in the Grey Gable wimming pool.

Eight million people Ii ten to the Archer, and thi Autumn there' a chance to get to ee them as well. The Ambridge Pageant. to mark the programme's 40th Anniver ary. i a tage performance currently touring the country.

Remaining venue include: OcrOBER Bri tol (Theatre Royal): 21 t, Croydon (Fairfield Hal\): 22nd. Crawley (The Hawth); Wolverhampton (Grand Theatre); 27th. Oxford (Playhoue); 2 th, Gutldford (Civic Hall) OVEMBER t, Reading (The Hexagon): 2nd, Rickmansworth (Watersmeet Theatre) ; 3rd. Cam bridge (Com Exchange): 4th, Lowe [oft (Marina Theatre): 9[h. Taunton (Bre\l.hou e Theatre): 10th, Poole (Art Centre); 11th, Ryde (Ryde Theatre); 16th. Coventf) (Belgrade Theatre); Bradford, 17th (Alhambra); 24th, Ea tbourne (De\on hire Park Theatre): 25th. Dartford (Orchard Theatre) : 26th. Worthing (Pavilion).

Altogether now, "Dum-dl Dum -di Dum -di DUM. Dum-di Dum-di D M-dum "

GET LINKING

Thi A utuITln Countie < hould be recei\ing free Links di.:;pla} boards and a selection of Link leaflet and as ociated literature follo\\ing a donation from the Brigade Centenary Fund Jim Bond. the Direclor, Cadet and Training. ha again urged Counties that have not yet done so to appoint a Link AdVi ser. " This need not neces arily be a Brigade Member"' he S<l}S. "but it mu t be omeone who ha an affinit} for v, orking with young people and preferably with ome idea of the work.ing of further and higher educallon ." October 1991 t John ""orld 7

At tea with Stockport Badgers hack in 1989

'Medalsome'

Words

Members wearing medal in an incorrec manner, including tho e who di play medal that are not authorised for uniform wear, are doing more than 'IettingStJohndown' It houldal obe borne in mind that the custom, convention and rules on the wearing of medal for all our orders and decorations emanate from the Crown. In an effort to clarify any confu ion, the dre co mmitt ee ha put the following point fOJ\vard as useful guideline

Women When a woman holds a medal which ha been pre ented on a bow ribbon, ( uch a the Order of St John, the Briti h Empire Medal , the Queen' Jubilee Medal etc.) and it is the only medal held it hould be worn alway on the bow in allY IIIl1/orm.

When a woman ha another medal a well, which does not come on a bow,

After last month's steam roller called' Badger ', here' something even heavier. Seventy volunteers from 13 Counties manned a static stand in the main concour eat thi year' Royal Tournament at Earl's Court. Members from Avon, Warwick hire and Norfolk were amongst the volunteers and even the Chief President , Lady Elizabeth God ai, took a turn of duty on the stand. Re u citation mannikin , a video di play and Ji e Bunny records were amongst the publicity features on the stan d.

Representing the Fellowship

Sheila Puckle writes - Many [John member" in Countie Jlla y not realis e that each ount) now ha a Fellow hip Repre entative who able to ad ise on th e rOnl1ation or ne\\ Bran c h e,>. H e re the current Ii t, with tho e who are al a Regional Representatives in bold

then all the medals mu t be mounted on R3:;Jim & Co..nty a metal bar when in uniform.

Neck Decorations When a neck decoration is worn, it should always be suspended from a ribbon of miniature width. This facilitates easier dres ing with the collar and tie (The wide ribbon is only u ed for the inve titure, by those women wearing the decoration from a bow [see previous paragraph] and by certain officials of an order when in ceremonial dres ).

Uno fficial Medals Some medal, known rather oddly a unofficial medals', are worn on the right breast. Thi does not mean' any old medal ' which i not official! [t concerns seven life-saving medals in particular of various ditinguished societies (ie The Order of St John Royal ational Life-Boat Institution , Royal Humane Society, Society for the Protection of Life from Fire, and Lloyds ) Some of our member can be seen with other ribbons in place on the right breast. These are incorrect, out of place, contrary to Bri gade Re gu lation s and s hould not be worn so.

Wearing Medals by Proxy. There is a popular belief that it is in order to wear a deceased person s medals. There is norhing 10 support the idea. Medals, as with any other property, may pass into the posses ion of those legally entitled to receive them , but thi in no way implies that they may be worn.

General Advice. All members are reminded that precise guidance on the wearing of medals is given in the publication "Wearing of Orders, Decorations and Medals" ( PI 0995) available from St John Supplie

8 St John World October 1991

1 Cleveland Dr TC Taylor Durham OR JB Heycock MC ,TD

2 Humberside Miss J Barker, MBE North Yorks Miss N Outhet

S&W Yorks Mrs J Waters

3 Derby Mrs CBowmer

Lelcs Mrs EDexter

Lincs (Vacant)

Notts Miss SJ Bishop MBE

4 Beds Mr John Curtis Cambs Mr EG Groves Essex LTCOLRWC OBE,OL Herts Mrs E Bilk Norfolk Mrs DL Lloyd Owen Suffolk Mr A Mayes

5 London District Mr H Cording

6 Berks Mr WG Thomas Bucks Miss M Sterrett Dorset Mr C Lane Hants Mrs EBryant Isle of Wight Mr A Bushell Oxon Mr RD England

7 Avon Mrs EPerryman Cornwall Mr CPetherick , DL

Mr S Nicholson

Glos Mr GKirkham MBE Somerset Mrs JM Hodge , JP Wilts Mr SA Snook

8 Pr iory for Wales : Not applicable

9 H'ford & Worcs Mrs P Appelbee Staffs Mr K Green , MBE West Midlands Miss AL Gadd

10Cheshire Mr RA Fielding

Gtr Manchester Mr AT Walmsley

Lancs Miss L Riley Merseyside Mrs MM Platt

11 Kent Mr EBowd

Surrey Mr RJ Gristock

Sussex Mr T Jeffrey

19 Redcar Rd , Marske -by-Sea , Redcar , TS11 6BP

1 Belle Vue Drive , Sunderland , Tyne & Wea r, SR2 7SF

59 Barrow Lane , Hessle , N Humberslde , HU13 OOB

150 Falsgrave Rd , Scarborough , Y012 5BE Ash Hill Lodge , Ash Hill Rd , Hatfield , Doncaster , DN7 6JG

3 Villas Rd , Bolsover, Derbysh re S44 60E

16 Valence Rd , Braunstone Ave , Leicester

6 William Woodsend Memorial Homes , Derby Rd , Nottin gha m, NG 7 20U

71 Boddlngton Gdns , Blggleswade , SG18 OPH

17 Gilmerton Court , Long Rd , Cambridge , CB2 2HO

Great Canfield Park , Takeley , Bishops Stortford CM286SS

1 St Stephens Avenue , SI Albans , AL3 4AA

Violet Bank , Swalnsthorpe , Norwich , NR14 8PR

32 Exeter Rd , Felixstowe

81 Storks Road , Rotherhithe , London SE16 4DE

27 Berkeley Avenue , Reading , RG1 6JS

Holly Tree Cottage , 10 Rowsham Rd , Bierton , Ay lesbury , HP22 5DZ

8 Craven Court , 8-10 Knyveton Rd , Bournemouth BH1 30N

4 Coldeast Way , Sarisbury Green , Southampton , S03 6AT

35 SI Michael s Avenue , Ryde , Isle of Wight , P033 3DZ

7 Lyford Way , Abingdon , OX14 2DE

53 The Boulevard , Weston-Super-Mare , BS23 1PG Porthpean House , Porthpean , St Austell , PL26 6AX

68 Chichester Close , Exmouth , EX8 2LA

9 Glencairn Court , Lansdown Rd , Cheltenham , GL51 60N Bay House , Blue Anchor , Mlnehead , Somerset

40 Roman Rd , Salisbury , SP2 9BJ

18 Manor Rd , Hereford , HR2 6HN

17 Cedar Grove , Blurton , Stoke -on-Trent ST3 2AU

75 Wickets Tower , 2 Wyatts Close , Priory Rd , Edgbaston , Birmingham B5 7TJ Netherlands , Lawrence Rd , Hazel Grove , Cheshire , SK7 4JB

45 Cherry Tree Lane , Romiley , Stockport , Cheshire , SK6 4HB 1, Primrose Rd , Deepdale , Preston , PR1 6HT

8 Irwin Rd , Sutton , St Helens WA9 3UG

74 Godwin Rd , Canterbury , CT1 3UF Alverstoke , 13 Hillcrest Ave,

NEW RADIO CHANNELS FOR ST JOHN

You may not know that following negotiations with the licenCing Authority extra channels are now available to St John Ambulance, As a leading supplier of ICOM equipment to St. John we are pleased to announce our retuning service to include these channels on your existing high-band radios , We offer this service for most makes so call our Hotline now on 071-252 1849 for our latest information pack

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Roadshow Recipe

John Byrne, Commissioner Cleveland County, explains how not to go off 'half baked' .

Ingredients

2 well-cho en and well-briefed Ahefty prinklingofStJohnhandteam (not too plump). out, clearly addre ed.

I attractive 'County Map' how- 'Hand -on' experience ing location and type ofDivi ion. (according to ta te)

4 theme di play of large, good Lot of appetizing quiz heet. colour photograph. A mixture of uniform (Badgers, Some cri p headings and tate- Cadet and adult of both exe). ment,

A rolling video programme.

Method

Plan ahead

A election of equipment to try A black and white po t box

Six month before, elect your how, check the date and book the Road how.

Liai e with the how ecretary. Go for a prime po ition \.\ hich is free

Place a imple, dramatic adverti ement in the programme. At lea t 3 month before elect your team and book one of the' butcher' from HQ in London to come up and trim off the rough edge ( ic Suggitt pretty sharp).

Order your St John pamphlet. about 300 for each how day, and stamp on your County HQ addre and telephone number.

Prepare your photographic di play. A collection of photograph of around 12" by 10" i better and cheaper than po ter ize

Produce an attractive, po ter sized map of the County howing location but do not clutter with detail.

Makeoutan interesting First Aid quiz heet (A4 folded in half). You need about 600 per how day. Offer a prize for the firf)t three all COlTect answer' to be drawn. St John First Aid kit are good. On the back of the quiz sheet a k the que tion "Are you intere ted in knowing more about St John or doing a First Aid Course?". Plea e tick appropriate box. Boxes are:

Badger 6-10 years.

Cadet 11-17 year

Adult 17-65 year.

Doin g a Fir rAid Cour e.

Also provide a pace for name and address.

Make or acquire a good ized St John Post box for the quiz sheets

Organise an ambulance, vehicle and equipment display and let the public touch it and use it.

Have a 'hands-on' Resu ci-Anne team People queue up to have a go and it involves personal contact.

At the Show.

Set up and test the night before.

Get the team in an hour before opening time for a final brief.

Check feeding and re t alTangement Each day is 8-10 hour of hard work.

Cost For a One Day Show

Hire of Road show £90

Programme Advert £45

Prizes for Quiz £40

Overprinting of Address on Pamphlets £55

Sweatshirts for Team (all colours) £180

Photo graphs (re-usab le for other s hows) £ 145

500 Give Away Pen s with County Tel No £43

Pamphl ets £50

Total £648

Results

Cleveland was overwhelmed by the response. From two, one day hows

10 St John World October 1991

1,011 people entered the qUIz competition of whom 490 gave their name and addre e a being lIllerested in doing a FIN Aid our'ie or k.nov. Ing more about u Other, around 15, have alread) turned up at Dlvi within two week of a how

Be Prepared for lndige lion 409 people i a lot to swallov. All had to be responded to b) leiter addres e had to be to DIVISional catchment area.., age group divided into categorie ,a consolidated addre s list produced and di,>tribuled to Division, Di\ 1\lon.., and ets bflt: ft:d and gc a n.: t1 up to welc o me and 1I1volve prospective new member and Badgers

Proving the Pudding

The proof of the pudding 1<; 111 the eating. It IS no\.\ mld - ugu t. 10 September the hot, steamlIlg re ulls \.\111 be un 0 ered Will we be able to call it, "Sweet Succe'> "?

Cherry on the Top?

Nick Morrison add : Cleveland St John Ambulance has moved martly into the 19905 With a new Land Rover and tralier.

The vehicle were on public display for the fir t tlme to a record 22,000 vi tor to the annual Cleveland how in July, and together with a Fir t Aid Competition, helped [0 attract over 200 people interested in joining St John.

The trail er, which co [ £ 15,000, funded through public donations, and the £23,000 Land Rover has been paid for by industrial Fir t Aid Training for local companies and council.

Recent expansion in this field has een la [ year',> total of 378 certificates already pa sed in the firt halfofthi year.

John Welch, who ha organi ed indus trial training since his arrival in Cleveland at the end of last year, sa id "It is through the e courses that we are able to raise revenue to help our uniformed people s urvive"

And one of the main problems now is trying to keep up with the demand.

The new trailer and Land Roverareexpec ted to help maintain the momentum built up by St John in Cleveland over the past few months.

I'> what you look like after you gain your 12 profi len) certifi

cates as a ur s ing adet. Bndget Brockman of Ip wich beaming after being presented with he r Grand Pnor Award by urfolk Count) Commls '>

County and Divisional News

of

IOv. n ' "

..,treets

c losed

(harllies

With

and compe

tillon , adeh and Badger occupied ajoint stall

promotc " O ER TO Y L JOll\i" and rai-;e funds The Badgers entered the decorated pram race and came ..,ccond Bertie hogged the limelight as u,>ual. v.ith four dtfferent local papers u 1I1g hiS phOlO 10 record the event.

On the tairwa) to excellence A group of Badger from the Londonderr} rea dispia) their award at the annual Pre entation ofTrophle and \\-ard:. Even1l1g

Fundrai ing might eem like an a sault cour\e at time. in thi ca e it \1 OS an as ault cour e Leice ter hire St John Council the cour e for the St John Ambulance Famil) Fun da J and charged £ 00 per team of

of

r) Craig Dri\er. Paul Dm

Chn Walk.1I1 ha\\ and Graham luggett. The under-16' \,ere balTed from the but had the

.-_______________--, Smith from La Moye Divi sio n. the Mary Smith Cup was won by Peter Breen and Colin Divi sion. The picture on the middle left hows thi year' entry for the " Bartle of the depicted an accident on a motor circuit.

Schoolchildren from the Faughan Valley High School, Lo nd o nd er r y holding their one and three s tar certificates after they were presented by Deputy Ol1hern Ireland

Commissioner Mr TA Smallwood.

County and Divisional News

Ban'ltead Oh i ion nb\ lousl) didn t get our black. mall note so we ' re pnntl11g the,>e or their 'end ollcrm ' lanc} an)\\a)! all we necd arc the namc..,

lamll) Ithll1 the lam") of t John i" ho\\ Radford 01 upt. 1rs BE the picture on th e left. at ne\t to her 1\ husband William ( en Ing Brother) and behind (I to r) her son Keith ( otts rea\ YO ). Gal') (Paraml:dll': Imtructor) and Philip (ll1len<,lve Care Charge ur"e): all began as adet!>

Warn1 Yet more plaudll'- for afewa) come from the Ea tleigh & Chandler Ford Divi.,ion after Eastlelgh LOre manager Kei th Pegram pre<,ented a cheque for £4,195 to Di\ upt Dot Blackburn following a series of fundra iSII1g even ts.

Steve WrI gh of Her ham, Esher and Oi tr ict spea k. s to two lo cal aftcr comp le tin g a 50 mile sponsored cyc e ride in aid or the Division's new Welfare Ambulance Appeal

On Call

Eleven-year-old Staveley holds a loft a letter of commendation to her by the orth Yorkshi re Commissioner Jim [m cson Li"a. from Clifton in York kept the airway open offour year old Amy Howland after c.,he slipped on .,now under a parked van last February

Norton Cadet'> lUart Ru,>sell, Richard Manner'> and Damlen Smith (together \\ 1Ih non-St John fnend) .,een 111 Bavaria on their WLl) to their DoE avvard.

HI'-,tory If1 the mak.ing. Ah"ena Humphreys was the 25.c)(XJth pupil In Wales to qualify for the Three Cro..,,, Award Well done evcr)bod) and we mean el 'ery/Joc/\

Another 0nneau Dud Derhy at the haw,> Bndge. Ri ver Lagan Radi o I DJ Philip choficld was there to see fair play. 1500 ducks meant [1500 [500ofit tOlh eOphlhalmlc Hospital.

Ton)

(Wy

Here lies the body of Ormesby-Gore Who was pulledfrom the sea up onto the shore. Whereon two life-savers joined in debate

Concerning the best way to resuscitate:

'Should it be two injllltions or four?'

But by the time they decided, it mattered no more.

Dr Anthony J Handley MD FRep, Vice President & Medical Advisor, The Royal Life Saving Society UK asks a pertinent question ...

It has been shown quite clearly that the outlook for a victim of cardiac arrest is much improved if they receive early bystander-initiated CPR. Worldwide there are many agencies that teach resuscitation to the general public, and the statistics, particularly from Seattle , USA, fully justify the existence of these agencie

A common complaint from members of the public who receive instructions in CPR i ' that different organisation teach different technique. For example, in the UK there wa a time when the Voluntary Aid Societie (St John Ambulance; British Red Cro ) taught that e pired air resu citation hould commence with two initial inflation , whereas the Royal Life Saving Society taught four initial inflation. This difference may eem slight, but to the layman it can be the cause of considerable confusion.

It i. important that teachIng is based on sound scientific research. The American Heart Aociation ha) held regular ational Conferences on CPR ' Ince 1966 and its work i to be commended. Each of the UK ocietie attempts to keep up with the changes in the AHA recommendations and thIS I he lped by the ReSLL'icitatlOn Council (UK) which act<, as an advi ory body

Two factor, however, conspire to thwart the ideal of each organisation teaching the same: firstly, publication dates of the various teaching programme<; have differed. and secondly there have been repeated, and in my opinion often unnecessary, change in the standard recommended by the AHA. The second problem is international.

The AHA i considered by many as the guru of re ' uscitation knowledge. Certainly it has the respect of many. Becaue of it pre-eminent pOSition In the world 1 believe it must become more sensitive to the needs of the lay public who eek to learn potentially life saving techniques.

In this paper I should like to uggest three principles to be kept in mind by those who e deliberations will result in the next set of 'Guidelines':-

1. A distinction should be made between the needs of the medical and paramedi. cal professions and the lay public.

The edition of 'Standards for Cardiopu/monOl)' ReSllScif(Jliol1 and Emergency Carcliac Care' published in February 1974 contained 35 the 1980 edition was expanded to 58 pages and the latest, 1986 edi tion, con tain s 146 page .Ba edon thi logarithmic cale, we might predict

thatthe 1991 edition will contain413 pages! In as much as this represents th e increasing importance being placed on resuscitation technique, uchanexpansionofpublished knowledge and advice is to be welcomed.

The aspect that I would question is hi gh lighted by the incorporation, after the 1974 publication, of the term 'Guidelines' in the title. It is one thing for the medical and highly trained paramedical professions to debate the finer details of technique and to try and assess the significance of recent re earch, butquiteanotherto expectthe lay public to understand why something that wa taught as 'Received Wisdom' one day, is considered wrong' the next.

Doctors understand that medicine is an inexact cience and we have learnt to base our practice on the best available theory, changing advice and treatment on an almo t day-to-day basis Lay persons, however, wi h to be told what

is no evidence of improved lon g term survival or neurological outcome".

Itseems thatachange in the theory (and I repeat theory) of how chest compression works, is suffic ient justification for a change in a technique that had been shown, in practice to work

If those dictating policy are going to make changes on the strength of such researc h pu bl ications, may I draw thei r attention to the paper in 1988 by Ornato and his colleagues from Virginia which presents evidence that the optimal rate of compression to maximize blood flow is, in fact , 60 per minute? Will we have come full circle when the 1991 'Standards' are published?

Such is the birth of confusion; and confusion leads to lack of confidence, and lack of confidence leads to hesitation at the very time when immediate action is required - when aca ualtyneedsCPR. Please

different procedures for the same end result, neither of these technique s is consistently accurate, as the actual position on the sternum will depend on the relation between the size of the casualty and the size of the rescuer 's fingers . Why recommend two different, inaccurate and complicated manoeuvres to achieve a single objective? The greater the number of techniques that have to be learned, the greater are the number that can be forgotten. May I introduce you to what I like to call ' Handley' s Equation '? The amount of advice remembered is inverse ly proportional to the amount taught. In other words, the more things you try and teach someone, the less is learnt.

"May I introduce you to what I like to call 'Handley's Equation'? The amount of advice remembered is inversely proportional to the amount taught."

that the 'Standard are for the medical profe ion, and the 'Guideline' are for the public. They should be eparated within future publication. We shall not "all teach the same" if we each have to make our own election of the important teaching points from a large ma'>s of scientific fact.

2. Nochangein any procedure should be made unle it can be hown that it repre ent a significant and proven ad· vance, or the existing procedure can be shown to be dangerou

The change over the year in the recommended rate of chest compre sion during CPR itlu trate very well the way in which confu ion and concern may arise In the 1974 and 1980 AHA'S tan dard '. The rate of compres ion for two operator wa given a 60 per minute. Th was represented as the optimum rate. With a ing1e operator the recommendation wa an increase to 80 compression per minute. In the 1986 Standard ' the recommended rate for che t com pre ion ha been changed; both ingle and two per on CPR hould now be undertaken u ing a compression rate of 80-100 compression per minute.

Why the change? If one look at the Proce edings of the 1985 National Conference as reported in 'C irc u/aI i011 the change in rate i ju tified because: "high impul e, high-rate sternal com pre ion promi e to improve [blood] flows although there

- no change unles absolutely neces ary. We cannot "all teach the arne" if we are continually trying to catch up with the latest advice.

3. Techniques should be as simple as possible, consi tent with effectiveness. One change introduced into the 1986 AHA ' Standards and Guidelines that can be ju ' tified, concern the hand po ition for che t compre ion in infant Previously. a po ition on the ternum in line with the nipple wa recommended, a the heart wa thought to be relatively higher in the thorax in an infant than in an adult. Recent re earch ha hown that thi i incorrect, the infant' heart normally being centred below the lower half of the ternum a in the adult. Unfortunately the opportunity wa not taken to use thi change to i ue imple (and accurate) advice to the layman We have now ended up with two di fferent, compl icated and inaccurate piece of advice.

For an infant the current recommendation i : fir t to locate the mid-nipple line. then to place one finger below thi point, then to po ition a hand below thi

For an adult, however, the lower rib margin have fir t to be located. Then the notch where the rib join i found. A finger i placed here, another above it, and finally the other hand i po itioned on the ternum above thi econd finger. Apart from being incredibly complicated and involving two

lower half. If we are all to teach the same, this teaching must be both simple and practical. Letu nov.. be both practical and constructive. How can we ensure that

A simple alternative technique , and one that is used by the RLSS UK is to locate the upper and lower ends of the s ternum, estimate the centre point, and place the compressing hands in the centre of the is 'correct'; they rapidly 10 e confidence when difference of opinion, or frequent changes in advice appear. Relatively minorchange in the way in which re u citation i taught cause more problems than many doctors realise. I would sugge t

we do in the future all teach the ame?

Fir tly, by e tablishing in each country an accepted route by which advice on CPR can be di ipated. In the UK, the Resu citation Council consists of medical per on repre enting many discipline and organiat ion ,including those involved in citizen training. Becau e of thi , the Council i able to reach a consen us of opinion and publi h guidelines which are univer all) acceptable It publi he thi in two form : the first for medical and paramedical u e, and the econd for the lay public.

A hoped-for outcome of thi forum for di cu ion, i an eventual agreement on common publication date for the variou handbook of in truction for the public

The Re u citation Council UK ha al 0 been involved in international cooperation reaching agreement with 9 Scandinavian medical societie on recommendation for advanced life upport.

Surely thi ame 'chainofadvice' could work on an international ba i , with each country having a Re u citation Council. Indeed, a we head toward 1992 and much clo erl i11k between all the European countrie, hould it not be the aim to ha\e a ingle European re u citation ad\ i or) body? My hope v..ould be that in it deliberation it would adhere to the principles I have uggested: publish eparate medical and lay recommendation : make changes only when the e are e ential and keep technique imple. Thi would be a great tep toward u all teaching the ' ame.

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...the Cadet of the Year

The taxi driver had given me the wrong directions to the Central riminal Court. I decided to retrace my s teps to t Paul athedral and folloV\ the direction., given to me a week earlier by Mr tewart-Robert, the Superintendentin-Chief. r had a hunch that the da wa., not going to run according to plan - a., it lumed out, I couldn t have been more V\ rong . os oner had I reached t Paul than I polted rs tewal1 -Roberts heading toward" me. We made our V\a) to the Old Baile and entered through the bad. gates. fter a brief \\ ai tthe econdar) and Under heritT Group Captain John on"table appeared. M) nerve,> were beginning to Jangle. but e'\ceptionall) friendl) smile " n putllle at ea'le. We v,:ent to hiS '>tud). "igned the visitor book. and V\ere given a brief run do\\. n of the UU) ..., evenh e'\t came a \ to Ir John d ot \, room here we \\ a intriguing metam l-phosis. In 1lJ) shin ",Ieeves ir John had eemeu increuibl) human he gm e an outline of the en"e he was pre"iding over. but when \\e ne'\t him in full robe!-> he cut u vel") Illtlmldating figure. It t) pical ora dn, In V\hi h V\e were to "ee the of coun from a ieV\pointthat nl) the get to 'lee. The judge infon11ed that neither ouncil had arrived. at V\ hich he "aid that he would 'sit' at 10 OOam. 'empty court, or not'! Within moments all was bad, to nomlal and the lasted all of three minutes. It tumed out that the council re -

Jo hn Fe rn from Leices t ers h i re reca ll s

Tuesday 16 t h

Jul y 1991.

quired more time to prepare for the case. Undaunted we moved intoanothercourt to a murder trial that wa absolutely fa scinating After silting in on the case for an hour we were taken out and retumed to the room" of Group Captain Can table for coffee and a talk He gave us a very quick histor) Ie son - to be preci'le. two thou and year ' of history V\ere crammed into ten minutes fter thi" we had a tour of the building and. without. topplllg to catch our breath , we moved back into the murder trial to see how events had moved on Lunch had to be cut hort (we were due at the Guild Hall at 2.00pm ) but we till fund time to fire more que tions at ir John deot before Mrs Stewart-Roberts dashed off to collect her uniform from the car V\hile ] changed at Court.

t the Guild Hall I remembered 111) earlier hun h - no one ' eemed to kno\\ anything about m) \ isit apart from us. We eventually found the light peron. though. and the head Beagle gave u a guided tour that was very fteryet anotherda.,h (bearing a paifof bright red 'Guild Hall ' umbrella Ieant to I u" on a count of the <;udden rain) \\ e arli\ ed at our next port of call : the ansion Hou'>e. We V\ere informed that the Lord Mayor was running late 0 we went n to the k.itchen for a cup of tea. a ooner had we got there than \\ e \\ ere told the Lord Ma or was now ready. fter introductions and photograph another cup of tea appeared, and this time

we got to fini h it as the conver ation wa going on. There followed a conducted tour and. at 3 50, Mr.., SteV\art -Roberts reali ed that should have met Mr teV\artRoberts at 3.30!

Part four of the day V\as to vi it the Ro)al Toumament and, ha\ ing found Mr Stewart - Roberts and retumed the Guild Hall brollie \I,e took. the rube to Earl'> Court. The fears of the moming came flooding back V\hen we discovered that I wa not registered for a ..,ecurit) pas - but they let me In none-the - Iess. We made our way to the excellent nev. Earl Court medical centre and then to the "0 ER TO YOU JOH ., tand. After thi 1 V\a . free to wander around and exami ne the other ..,tands SomehoV\ r got 10 t and ended up back. stage When I \\ a.., e\ entuall) '>topped it ame to light that I had alread) gone by t\\ a ecurit) ched., point.] de ided that before I ended up in one of the di..,pla) tak.ing place in the rena it auld be bener for me to rerum to the afet) of the "OTY r rand Within ten minutes 1 \\a . wondering if thi had beenuch a good mO\ e - I had ..,omeho\.\ got m) "elf into the job of runnlllg a cra<;h cour"e in artificial re"'pir,H1on for an) \\ illing \ icrim \\ ho happened to be pas ing It \\ a V\ ith a ertain amount of relief that I eventuall) tooh. m) :eat for the start of the Royal Toumament. It \\as ab olurel) superb t the end of the da) it \\as a \er) \.\e"lr). but happ). Cadet of the Year that made hi" \\a) bach. to Mr and Mrs tewart-Roben"'- home.

St John personnel across the country have been to Romania this year and the following reports give a taste of the scene they encountered.

somewhat constipating effect! Dairy products in Romania are very suspect (maggot in cheese) and in short supply.

Mosquitoes are agreat prob, to a lem but it i so hot at night that cna\\en,&e d 'ffi I k I _ noek'\ R\C e in and It I I ICU t to "now lOW to

nan 0\ \n e re \0 rhe Britl s/l avoid being bitten.

• I" nS we < , I h h fi L ' k , \bo). g,rolll" , " \I il/JOlll ('( \ swicno1 tseem t att e Ir t 111 S

local "cnoo ' \e" \0 ROlnan\a IneCornn\\\ In teanl group worked to an infornlal

\ ,,1 \ nl\ done on 'Ine SlI tne·- c\in\!. v. a" o),n'· ('fo\k Pre'" time-rable. Some of them \oaned b) :k Caln?be\\ Secretary. would get up early and sue,ercI"e b t"Sf(llIciillg))a SlIffo\k CollntJ Di SlI?\" ?iC\\.Ireo are oit\, \\1ing,ar. Fraln\ingnanl pervise the washOffIcer and)U Sa\\') BlItcner. d C\aire Butcner. 1I1g. reeth brushmg etc.; (011 ro \oU e But\er an while other ' would help out at meal \ ..le\scnar d I b h \\n o Cau time an try to stop t le Ig one pmc tng the little one' food! Most of the group would be involved in organi ing out door games while others did chool-work,drav.ing. inging etc. in the clas rooms London Links

EarlythisJulymember of various London ba ed Links groups began a eries of three planned visit to Romania and the orphanage at Zvori tea Moya Flynn of London District and Paul Herbage, District Training Officer, have been pre-eminent in organising what seem to be a mammoth task and the swathes of literature and advice

Sometime people need to ger away from the kids who seem to be emotionally draining. pos e';ive,jealous. mi chievous and hyper-active. It is poe.,sible to go to) our own roome., (which are private) or vi,;i! Suceava or the local country-side. Although the kids in Zvoric.,tea Scoala Ajutatore are mentally handicapped. it passed on to students has been fascinating doesn't see m from the reports I have read to oversee.

Apparentl), when exchanging money in Romania, you have to check that you are not given two bank note wrapped round a wad of brown paper. Meanwhile, the list of 'essentials' student had to take included high factor sun lotion: washing up liquid: rubber gloves; pia tic aprons: 6-8 toilet rolls; laxative; lots of insect repellent and analgesics; bleach and concentrated washing powder. Clearly it was to be no holiday!

Moya Flynn collected impressions gained by Patricia O'Neill and Samantha Jacob, who were in the first Links group, and the following is an extractofher rep0l1. "Generally it seems that conditions are not too bad. The St John Ambulance group haveacorridorto themselves with adormitory for men and one for women. They also have a rest-room and a sort of kitchen equipped with a sma ll two-ring stove on which they prepare edib le meals throughout the day. The orphanage food is nutritious coni<;isting mainly of bread, butter beans, potatoes and soup which is very oily and watery. You can exist on it, but you won't enjoy it and I am told that it has a 18 St John World October 1991

that the handicaps are c.,evere. Our people have grown very fond of the children. have learnt a lot of Romanian, and have learnt some crafty techniques for coping with lively , naughty, lovable kid.

It seems that the Romanian . taff are being inculcated in the no-hitting, no-beating and (most of the time) no-shouting regime that the St John people have tried to practice sometimes a real feat of selfcontrol.

Great excitement was occasioned by the arrival of thiI1een Briti'>h toilets, although only the third group to visit the orphanage will benefit by them.

The lae.,t paragraph of a long letter '>ent to me by the first group is worth quoting: 'We should like to say that ifany members of subsequent group'> have been disheartened by reports of grim conditions in Romanian orphanages, they should be reae.,sured This orphanage is id ea l forourproject as conditions here are not too grim and we feel that our presence here i<; of benefit both to the chi ldren and to our,>elves'."

Surrey

Elizabeth Hammergren, nursing member

talk about hi s experiences in Romania, but instead he s urpli sed her by announcing that s he had been cho en by the c harity 'Children in Crisis' to spend a couple of week caring for Romanian orphan. The' set up had been arranged in secret by her hu sband Norman after he raId him how much she wanted to help.

in charge of Cadets at Caterham recenlly returned from a th ree week. tri p to Roman ia with the Baby Aid team She and seventy five others travelled with a convoy of four articulated trucks, a coach and four minibuse in a journey that lasted three and a halfdays. Ittook them len hours toclearthe Romanian border and a further 21 hour s to reach their base at Galati

After an overnight c.,tay the main part) went on to the Gurap orphanage where it took. them a da) to unpad their <.,upplie.., of medical and refurbic.,hment equipment (Elizabeth, reportedl). 'doesn't want to '>ee any more toilet rolb·)

The scene that greeted them was in keeping with the gnm image many will haveseenon recent tele\ ision programme Of 120 children, 40 \,\ere '>tIll in cotalthough over half of them were \vell be) ond the age for them The food pro\ Ided for the cot children ""a · u..,uall) soup: their cloth nappies were changed L"" Ice a day at 11.00am and 4 .00pm: mOSL of the children had acid bum) from unne and diarrhoea, which they frequently ate. On the la..,r day of the \, is it twelve of the children were transferred by the \\edlsh Red Cro..,,> to a local hospital.

Elizabeth \\or\...ed with the medical corps at the base cllllie and too\... charge of the medical \'varehou..,e. he ays that there were not as man) HIV POSitive children as she had expected - those that she av. were being tended by a team from Holland Overall she reported that. while much needs to be done , she had - in here\.tensive travels - actually seen worse in other Countriee.,. Northumbria

On the right of the picture is Wallsend divi ional ecretary Margaret Scott. She presented further monies to help with Gladys' expenses raised by St John, Wallsend taxi drivers and Gladys' charge, a young girl with a tracheotomy called Mandy.

Manchester

David TayJor. .W.AreaSurgeon, GtManche ter County, travelled to Romania together with three Brigade member and a Bolton nUl" e in a team led by John Lamb of the Automobile As . ociation charity. They were vi iting the RemedIal School Orphanage at Tirgu Murec.,.

"A previou vi it had reported a broken down antiquated home The children were III rag.s and formuch of the time in dark and freezing conditions" he writes.

The convoy compri<,ed four trucks, a minibus, Tranlt van and Landrover and amongst the cu'>tomary collectlon of pI umbing equipment, dome tic appliances and medical c.,upplie" wa a complete mobile X-raJ Ullit ("a wonderful gift") that was offloaded at a local hmpltal by a friendly crane driver.

ftertravelling 1500 the team set to work, usuall) from 8.30am until dar\... (although at lea t one day lasted until I0.30pm before all the tools were put away ).

"The children were relativel) ""ell clothed and well nouri"hed compared to the lu"t vi it" ays DrTa) lor "They were in high spirit and intensel) affectionate. The) would hold your hand, smile and try to please - hoping that you might take them home. Some fortunate Olles returned to their families at week.end"..

"The nur es found that the children didn't know how to wash themselves. although their teeth appeared to be in remarkably good condition - perhup due to lack of sweets and nuoride ill the water.

"Some technician in the team would appoint a child as a minder, who guarded their tool The e 'minders' were quick to learn the sequence, say, of in , tailing a fluorescent light - handing up in correct order all the e lectrical fittings and neceary tools.

Gladys Butler (centre) from Wallsend DiVISIon, OI1humbria recently went to a speech by Tyne Tees TV presenter Paul Frost (pictured {eji) at the school where she isan auxiliary nurse. Paul was ostensibly to

"Children in iSled on helping when painting the buildings, bru. he appeared from nowhere. I remember one child who had two brushes giving one up, with great reluctance , to a Ie " ' ertive companion "

At the next visit the tean1 intend to underpin crumbling foundation and in titute a n educational programme.

Coming to the aid of a twin

Grace Oxbury, Deputy Area Commissioner for West Norfolk, went to Swa z iland this spring to pass on her knowledge - and gain a little in return.

When, on one of my vi it to HQ at Norwich in June 1990 the County Commander Col. Knight aid: "What about a vi it to Swaziland T. my immediate reaction was "Where is SwazilandT. I said I'd con ider it; I did know that St John orfolk and St John Swaziland were twinned.

On my way home I called at a tr ave l agent and found out a little more about the country and decided to go. At that s tage I on Iy knew that a req ue t had been made for someone to hel p wi th an in tructor cour e. othing happened for what eemed to be weeks. After variou delay in correspondence and a hort meeting in October with a member of the St John Council for Swaziland it wa finally dec ided that I should go out in February for ix week Variou innoculation were arranged. Chri tma came, the Gulf war and everal First Aid courses past and in no time a t a ll and my uniform were on th e 14hourfli g ht to Johanne burg. I wa met by members of StJohn South Africa who took me to lun ch and then put me on the flight to Manzini. Here I was met by th e chai rman of the St John Council, who wa to be my ho st for the next two week.

The nextmoming I met the two in tru ctor, Vera Robbin s and Dixon, and was briefed on the programm e Thi s comprised

ba ic nur ing cour e: two wee\...s wi th an in tructors' cour e, and a day at wa/i University.

The equipment u ed for training i, a black board and flip c hart. Other aid are adequate, but there i a need for plinb. cervical collar and , coop and ordinary s tretchers.

The Ba ic ur in g Cour 'e was at the local ur e Training School where patient in the local ho pital were 'u!>ed' for demon trating blanket bath Jud ging b) the look on their faces I wondered if this wa a bi g oeca ion for them. The facilitie in ho pital are not a good as our. although everyone ha to pay for treatment.

I a m not ure how , ucce ful th e thought I wa on these course. Teaching people who peak Engli h as their second lan guage - and many medic al word have no eq uivalent in Si-Swazi - wa only one probl em. Wh e n a ked if th ey understand what they've been told, the tudents (bei ng polite and courteous people) always answer yes. The y train to very hi g h standard ' but the teachin g time is much lon ger than in England.

Man y of th e people train ed are fireman, police and indu try per onnel. The Fire service is the recogn ised service for acci-

HRH KlII g M SII'Qli 1110/ II'U:I/Ollc!. (Ire 110(10110/1)(111'011 of (./ohll ill Ilrar

t John is mobilised when this is o erloaded. More usually, casual ti es are put in tru c ks to be tak.en to hospital. The condition of the roads and dliving standards resu lt in many bad accidents

During th e third v..eek of my sta) a new am bulance, donated b the Ed \.'v ina Mountbatten Trust and Barclays Ban\... of waL iland, v. as commi, sioned in th rITSence of King swati Ill. I felt very proud a nd honoured t be present. al ng with the 20 trong band of member'>.

The countl) is beautiful but (as here!) unemployment i a problem. The wom n work hard and make thin gs from grass. wood and any material that v.. ill eam a fe\.'v rands The climate v..a.., lovel) - about 0 degrees Farenheit mo..,t of the time , My \ arious 'homes' whIle there were superb and I cou ld not have wished for kind er mp"lI1) (e luding th e mo quIloS).

I v. as able to v i it the Kru ger at lonal Park and saw plent)- of v"ild life before e ndin g my sta I spent t wo da) s in Johannesburg on the retum trip and \ ISlted the prio') , whi ch is magnilt ent.1l1e longfltght back was uneventful. I was home by 4pm to lovely spring nower!> and piles f Ictter!> that my brother had !>o rted in m) ab:ence. Did I enjoy th e visit? [h ave promised th em that [will go back ne ' t year, If I can arrange it, at my own expense.

CHALLENGING SI'I'UATION

For leven member" from us sex beL ween the ages of IS and 21 allending a residential course on "Disability in the ommunity" for the Challenge there was a s urprise coming The weekend started on Friday evening with an opportunity for them to welcome each other with op n arms That i , 'fall from a platfol111 and trust your new friends to catch you'. It was all part of a programme to make them into a team and learn La respect each oLh r\' strength and weaknesse . . The day ended WIth an obstacle course, the participant<; were in pairs - but one of them had to be blindfolded. A ladder and a lide feel very different when y u ca n't see what you are doing . aturda) moming was ..,pent experiencing life from a wheelchair and dIscovering hov.. to cope v.. ith departmenttores , cafes and public buildings. Their biggest ,>urpri..,e was how people rea ted to them.

The programme fort he artemoon wa "C hallenge Who T and at 12.JOpm the grour found out that the 'Who'?' was 'them'! I had arranged v.. itha local Disabl d ociety that the group \.'vould hold an afternoon tea party for their mcmbers thc ani) heir I gave them wa b oking the hall in ad\. ance.

The group\' brief con,>i,.ted of threc ..,hort paragraphs - all they had t do was organi ' a pali)- for 2S dl!->ablcd people. lI1c1uding th food, tramp rt and ent rtalllment.f(J/' I/I/der £35. ftcr the initial shock , the group began by 'braln"tornllng' the problem th questi n!> ecmed endle ..,. Hov.. do you get 2S di'iabled people (!>omc in v. h dchairs) to the hall ? What v..as to be done v. ith them v.. hen the)got there'? What about the food? And how did the 2 h urs and thirt minutes the) had to arrange e\crythll1g .... uddenl become on l) 2 hour!> '?

The group di ided into team .: a tran !>pOI1 team. re pon!->ible for co llecting and taking th eIr guest!-. home and infonning them when the)wo uld he pid.c d up: catering team toorganise th menu, s hopping and budget: and an en tertainment!> t am to plan th e program me and ge t all the eq uipment needed in ety minutes to go and thin g were ta\"' ing shape. Th group - who had ani y met each other 18 hour s before - wa , now worki ng lik e clock work.. Anyone watChing would have thought that

they had ju s t spent a month on a team building course.

The transport team had arranged a British Red Cross minibus with a tail lift to come and assit with a conventional St John ambulance minibu to pick up the guests. The catering team were off shopping and wou ld be in radio contact for an)- la t minute need The entertainment team had gone to check out the hall. The only worried per on wa me! Wa it reall) going to work? Would the food be read y in time'? Why did I have uch a daft idea in the fim place ?1 I remembered the motto 0\ er my desk.' () Risk - 0 C(Jin , and kept

By 3.00pm the gue L were arriving. The)- were greeted b)- the entertainments team and helped to their et of bingo equipment had been borrowed from the local Di\ i ional Superintendent but it was soon realised that that this v..ould not last the whole aftemoon. A piano v.. a spotted in the hall v..hat about a Karaokee ion?

Great idea no piani l.

One of the team headed off down the road \.\ here a church fete wa tah.ing place fter a rapid negotiating e ion. the organi er · put our an appeal on the P ) tern The lad)- on the book tall \. olunteered and wa b oked for 4.00pm. Anneka Rice v..ould have been proud of them!

'Mrs Wheat Singalong' duly took pia e after the bingo - no one. it can nO\\ be rnealed. could pel I Karaoke! The food arri\ ed: tea. sand\.\ iche , cake. fruit coc\...tail and cream. In no time at all the guest v..ere read) to retum home and the ta k of tid) ing the hall began.

The group carried out it duties v.. ithout an) need for delegati n or encouragement. I ha\e ne\.er had such a re\\arding e\perience , eeing '[oda) 's youth' in action.

There \\ a not one in!>tan e of argument or e lfi shne..,s. juo;l mature rea:oning and good teamwork. The) accepted the challenge and met all the objecti\.es.

It \\ould be an interesting e\erci e to compare the results gained from a group of older members faced \\ ith the same challenge!

Thanks go to all the young people \\ ho made it happ n. and I will be adding another motto abo\e 111) de k: do It '/1lI1 YOI/' I 'e {fIll 'uys dOllc - YOII'/I o{lI'oys get II'//(/t yO/l' \'(' 01lI'ays got'.

21

SATISFIED

Letters PUT A C.A.P. ON IT

I read with interest th e recent le tt ers regarding the Cadet Action pack I wa one of the Committee member who helped devi e thi programme and have found that it ha proved very ucce ful in my Divi ion.

The cheme wa et up to give Cadet a ta te of what i to come and gain kill which would enable them to get involved from their first week.

Halpin, Asher and Godwin: are you out there?

It i thank to your team of volunteer on Sunday II th Augu t at the Oval cricke ground that I avoided a eriou injury. I arrived at the te t match, tum tile 19, handed in my ticket and found my leg stuck withi n the machinery. At fir lthi eemed quite amu ing a the e 'thing' always happen to me (ie putting my foot in it!). Your officer were very quickly on the scene. It was imposible to move the tum tile without breaking my leg. The Surrey County Cricket taff eventually worked out a way to remove me, but thi would take time The weather wa quite humid, and I began to weat.

Yourofficers,e pecially omeone called Alison, looked after me - plying me with conver ation and water. The cricket staff were working a fast as possible, but started to get pins and needles in my foot and to get very hot and near fainting.

Your officers removed my jacket and tie and gave me oxygen I was holding on to my ense a much as possible because the la t thing wanted was to faint and break my leg - especially with a holiday in prospect. I felt part of the tum tile move, and your officers ' dragged' me to a c hair. They assessed the ituation again and transferred me to a stretcher and moved me to the ambu lance to recover.

Alison looked after me , as my blood pressure was quite low, and told me to re t. A doctor was ca ll ed and confirmed these instructions.

Your organisation i truly professional and I thank you fo r being ' there' and at all large events where the public are invo lved. know that most people take your organisation for granted - but it is ni ce to know that you hav e so many caring people working for you who worry a bout other people 's safety be fo re their own.

I enclose a sma ll donation to yourorgani ation not only as gratitude for the ervice which yo ur officers gave me that day, but also to ens ure that yo u will be around for the g reate r good of the public on another day Thankyou for your service.

Mike Tay lor

22 St John World October 1991

The Fir t Aid wa not intended to replace an E ential Cour e, every Cadet in my Divi ion ha sub equent ly obtained a Fir t Aid Certificate.

To imply that officer are bogged down by the cherne and that the course cannot be completed within the time i not the ca e. What are Senior Cadet doing? Giving Cadet who have gained their Grand Prior Award re pon ibilities and weekly dutie builds their confidence.

The e are the potential officer of the future and J find that they enjoy the re pon ibility and that it help to retain their intere t a they get older. ever be afraid to delegate - officer cannot do it all. also disagree with the comment that the variety of ubject available forthe Grand Prior Award are limited. There i plent y of cope within the subjects available if you use your imagination. For examplc,

I have ju t completed an eight week Handicraft Coure compri ing two weeks each of eedlecraft, Cookery, Crafts, Flower Arranging plu another project (of the Cadets' choo ing ) to be done at home - plenty of varie y there , all within one ubject.

Look for parents, friends and even older Cadet They have many and varied kill and I find that they are only too willing to help Judith Morris Div, upt. Hale owen ur s ing adet Divi ion,

Thegiant

recruitment

The upper echelons in Stjohn at arional, County and Area level hould read very carefully, dige t and analy e the letters Dying hy Degrees and The Hum an Factor in the June issue of StJohn World Both are excellent letters and regretfully very, very true

Atthe Ambulance Rally in Kilverstone Park in September 19901 was shocked by the number of private ambulances run by e -S t John Member

Both my wife and I have made great efforts in recruiting for St John members, but it is like pouring into a giant ieve, and am not talking about just the local D ivision. We direct people to Divi ions allover Norfolk, and on occasions other pans of the country too

When you look at the workload member are asked to undertake, i it any wonder that they are saying 1might just a well get paid for it '? St John is one very large emp loyment agency for the HS, the Ambulance Services, Nursing and Residential Homes. There are numerous examples of problems in the Organi sa tion that one co uld quote , but thi s would only put one in breach of Rules and Regula tions, and only cause acute embarrassment.

Congratulations to both letter writers, but I fear your letters will fall on deaf ears.

Charle Harrold Sprowston Norwich

The Editor comments - It would be a pretty s trange voluntary organisation that had Rul es and Regu atio ns' which prevented members from speaking pl ai nl y. No one at HQ had heard of them - mind you if they ' re all deaf they wouldn't have, would th ey?

After earching through orne old junk amongst my bric-a - brac 1 found ome of my adet uniform (a lbeit omewharmOlh-eaten now).

Between 1976-1980 I wa a Cadet in C- 16J Cadet Divi sion Paddin gton, ituated in Rd Kilburn , London In 1980 [ moved to orthampton with my recently widowed mother

Plea e if anyone reading thi wa in the aforemenl1oned Cadet Divi sion between 1976 and 19 0 I would dearly love to hear from them again -e pecially John Halpin Philip Asher and 0., not to menlion the then % Dave Godwll1.

I am sti ll in the Brigade and perhap wc can all meet and talk about old Many thanks, 1M L. Hoare Kin g thorpe ort hampton

Letter or call direct d to St John World Will be re-dlrected - Ed ,

Here, Here!

I would like to support three letters in the June IS ue.

I) DyltlR hy The argument about the FA W has been gOing on for years at conferences and in DiviSions. It IS time that omeone to root diSenchantment.

2) The Human Faclor Yes, Mervyn Malcolm, I'm sure many people With long and loyal service have been and will be overlooked for awards and taken for granted.

3) Culling the C/oth. Having been on reserve for a while nOW find 0 many different type of uniform being worn on the same duty that 1 wonder why we bother! Lcts have ome standardisation again, with each member on duty wearing the same unifol111 so that we are ea ily recognised.

Oh please keep the grey dress for ladies, it look 0 smart and i much more appropriated on indoor and cenain other duties.

Yours, a one star officer with 38 yrs service in Cumbria.

(N am e withh eld on r eq ue t),

MYSTERY UNRAVELLEDBUT NOT TOO MUCH!

I Intrigued to reael Rosemary Peel\ letter (Mat/ock 1ysteryJW ugust) and hasten to offer some Insight Into the Derbyshire Adventure Travelling entre . Although this IS not the actual mystery location enjoyed by Rosemary and her Divi ion colleagues from Great Yarmouth. please let me tell you something aboutll.

me year.., ago t John 111 Derbyshire refurbbhed and extended a pair 01 ollages near Ambergate In the Def\\..ent Valley, Just ..,outh or Matlock at the ga tev. ay to the Derby..,hire Dale and Peak allonal ParL The cOllage are custom-filled to prOVide a untque base for ad\'enture trainll1g In an Id) Illc ..,cttll1g , The nearby 6 roatl and mbergate radway stalion ..,lInplif) tran':!.

Vanous adventure courses are operated from the centre under suPCf\ ISlon and embrace the full ,>p\.:ctrum of outdoor acu\ IlIC These Include ro k cltmbll1g. canoeing, onenteenng leadership tmining, problem .,olvll1g and outd or FiN Ald. peclUl tador -made weekends for Badgers arc alo available p to 24 people can be accomodated anti the mode t cour.,e fee covers all meal. from Friday supper to lunch on unda our..,e members asist in preparation of food - a well a.., looking after the cleanllanti well-being of the ce ntre. and are not excluded from helping with th e washing-up!

All courses, for Badger weekends, have been ad\ ertised nationally and a grcat deal of mtere t continues to be shown Further details may be obtained from th e Ward en, Mr David Wright, on (0602) 30 454 or from Derby shire StJohnHQ,AlmaH use,54Derb Rd, Chesterfield.

Thisi a unique tJohn facility that Derbyshir is proud to run W look forward to seeing you.

Richard Bate Derb ys hire ounty Commi ioner

Letters Registered Complaints

I felt extremely disappointed when in my new copy of Brie,ade General Ree,ulatlOl7 s I found that the revl.,ed Rank Markings for urslng Officers showed such a great bia in favour of Registered Nurses and left the Enrolled urses squarely ou t in the co ld

The Enrolled ure, of which there are many in the Brigade, have now been given more incentive to give up the ghost than ever they had before. In my experience of the lowly EN, they have been \ ery hard working and Willing to help wherever they were able The Brigade has never recogni ed them as being any way equal for Brigade purpo ee;.

Enrolled urse have never been able to teach In any ursmg ExamInation except for Level 0 v. here they can teach and examine (exci tin g, eh!).

They can, however , sit out the year and watch their colleagues teach and examine in all care subjectsobtain promotion to tOH star rank directly as "upemumary nur .·e" and go on to three star rank a D 0 , After a whtle in their service they can then see their old friend become a croW/1 rank with rheir Special Promotion for all of the hard work they have done for their divi ion etc

But what of the E s? I uppo e you could ay it a aving in uniform expen es by onl) ever ha\ ing to have one et of rank.,1 ides for their whole career. Does all of the work that they ha\ e given 0' er the year count for nothing?

Wtll those that aren't going to take a con er ion cour e to bring them up to RG tatu have an) ort of future With the Bngade?

Will it be worth them jointng a anything but a uring or Ambulance Member. where the) Will at least get ome son of a chance to gain promotion on an equal footing. I wonder?

Being well aware of the role of the ProfeSSional lur e and of Project 2000, could it be that the E ha been deliberately left In limbo like this, a the title Enrolled urse v.-ill in time gradually di appear? would also like to pick up a point that ha been allowed in a count) or countie that ha'> not been allowed In London

Hov. can 11 be that an E can become a Tv.-o Star ur ing Officer in one Count) a a' DIV i ional 0:ur ing Officer' (and have the prospect of becomlllg a three tar officer under the nev. regulation J. v\ hen in London we can't even manage to give them a Tv.o tar rank? s a lay peron ask v. hetherthe Profe lonal Carer in the Brigade real I) care about their colleagues. or actually I ok down on them in some ort of internal 'Cla War'. I mean are we not all the in the ame organisation for the same purpose - and don't we all get the arne pay Ofc urse y u could Just ignore them m the hope that the)·ll e\ entuall) go a\\ay. Geoff Jack on London ( Prince of Wale ) Di trict.

He l n Gribble R N CM R NT MTD QN, Nur ing Director ( Brigade ) replie : In thanking Mr Ja kon for his comment I mu t point out that hi letter contain a number of Inac uracie which mertl correction

1) Lecturing and Examining The Users Guide ro Canllgfor lite ick (2nd edition) clearly set out the cour e · for \\ hi h the EN an act a either the sole Le LUrer and Examiner or as a i tant to a R The cour e are Caring for the irk at Preliminal) Level. Le\ els and 2, and Caring for th e Child (Preliminaf) Level). The e\.perttse of the E, I. nOl confined to eaching at Preliminary Level (the Brigade has never had a Level '0' course) a uggested by the \,I, flier.

2) pecial Service Promotion

Had Mr Jad,son read Bri gade Orders Jun e 1991 in conjunction v.ith the rev i ed Bngade General Re gulation he would ha e seen under the mendment to Dre Regulation ( dult) ltem -lthe deletion "with pecltll Promoti on". pecial ef\ ice Promotion V\ ill no longer be a\ ailable in" ie\\ of the ef\ ice 1edal of the Order being awarded to Brigade per ' onnel after 12 ear" ervice.

3) Appointment of ENs as 0 0 Thic; ha always been at the di cretion of the Chief ur ing Offi er on the per onal \\ rillen recommendation fa ounty ur ing Officer, where an e perien ed and uitable E 1 could be appointed and \\ here no is available. The e appointment are not confined to an one county.

Unfortunately, Mr Jack on doe not appreciate that 0 er the pa t ear much ha been d ne in the Brigade to recogni e the contribution the Enrolled ur e can make to the training of members a indi aled in e tion (I) of thi reply. However one cannot make fortotal equal it) \\ ith the R \\ hen one onsiders the difference in trainin g and lev el. of competence required for each to qualify. Enrolled Ltr'e. b) reason of their professional qualification,enj ) offi er tatu in the Bngade (in contra ,t to other 'profe , ional.') and thi" fact shou ld not bc overlooked.

The at titu de hown by the writer doe lillIe to encourage a team III a Division, and one which, unfortunately. all too often in the lo , s of valuable nure" to the Bri gade.

o tober 1991 t John World 23

Energetic Response Letters

The following is Headquarter's reply to T. Hollings worth 's letter, Lo sing E n ergy, which appeared in the last issue of SJW.

I hope the 'independent' article on the Energy Programme published in la t month 's t John World an wered ome of the querie Mr Hollingsworth raised about the s heme Hi letter wou ld appear to confuse two i ue The Statutory Certificate introduced by the Government in 19 2forcedSt]ohn tocon idertwoalternative .Either,to tickwiththe t]ohnAmbulance sociationPublic Fir Aid Qualification a the tandard required for member hip (even though It would not be recogni sed as a tatutory certificate); Or, to incorporate the tandard laid down by Government into the membership certificate, thu enabling them to treat employees in the workplace

The Foundation ' view wa that member should be in in of a ce rtifi ca te that would allow them to treat ca ualtie in the latter ituation When the Reg ulations were introdu ed the "".liiiiiillo. Health and afety Executive agreed that member who held a rccogni ed Firs t lei ertificate ould take conver ion training to reach this tnndard

MrHollingsworth cite a ca e v. here a memberwith40 years ervice i not qualified to attend publi c dutie Thi i of cour e untrue. If the member had, in 19 2, attend d con ersion trainin g to gain the tatutory certificate then continuity of certification was maintaIned. if he decl1l1cd to tak e the qualification (which in that particular year counted as his reexam to remain efficient) then he would ha e been unable to undertake public dutie on hi own. Thi is the required tandard for member hip agreed by the Brigade

With the change in legi lation and the ad an es in th 90',', high tandard of Fir t Aid treatment by well trained and capable. caring people are of paramount importance - thi S is the tradItional role or t John

There i no doubt that the tandard of Fir t id has improved v. Ith the level of competence required to complete the tatutory ourse and examination tu a rt La th a m Bri ga d e ec r e t a r ) a li o n a l H ea dqu a rt e r , Leiters tu the editur art! alneil-unit.'. nless directed uther\\ise. we resene the tn edit leiters t'or reasons ot' spul'e or tnne, ()bthe \iews e'\pressed here are personClIClnd du nClt rel1el't the CIt' the ()rder ot' St John or its Ihundatinns, The address to write tCl is: The Editor. St ,Inhn World. I (iroswnur ( 'resl'ent.l.olldoll.SW I X 7EF

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1 How would yo u maintain this pOSition on a stretcher?

1 When dealing with an un co ns cIo us person, whom you su<; pec t of being poisoned, what _-__ should you alway be prepared to have 10 do')

3 When treating bum of the che t what the burnt area not be allowed to come 1I1tO contact With If pos ible ?

8 Which condition develop ' when the cir ulation rail becau e either the pr sure orthevolumeofclrculation has fall n to a dangerous level?

6Youare trea tingthi a<;ualryv.hoha a u pecred pelvic injuf). Which <;ign and ymploms may present them elve even though the legs are sound?

-t When treating facial burn Indoor v. hat advice are you gi \. en?

9 When treating a ca ualty with a broken lo\\er ja\\.. v. ho e injurie are serious or who become unconsciolls, what treatment hould 110{ he lIsed ?

7 In which po ilion ha thi been pia ed?

10 81 eding from the mouth IS .rthe e'\ception to \\ hleh rul?

o ( ber 1991 t J o hn \ o rld 1 5

IdcnLI f thiS mu clc group

12 Partial recovery is ended (4) 13 Good source of dietary fibre (4) 14 Lighl instrumen finding increasing

surgery (5) 16 Act as locum enenr-. (8)

19 Living on a sparing and economIca regime (6)

21 Soak up b l ood at the operation site (3)

23 trange desire to live (6)

24 For cxamplc boron, )ulphur or phosphorus (3 -5)

27 The last round (5)

29 Find taste agreeable (4).

30 oothing ubstance for herbal mixture (4)

32 Femalc gametes (1)

34 pecial of for one of the crowd (5).

35 Weapons for an achondropla<;lc? (5.4).

36 how reticence f a lumbago suffcrer '? (5,4)

37 for biological group haVing species (5)

CLUES DOWN

1 umber 01 chromosomes In cells such as 32 across (7)

2 nusual beast to roast with fat (5)

3 It s vestIgial remain'> are the coccyx (4)

4 PathologIcal dilatation anti weakcnlng of an artery (8)

S Pari of eye whIch can be in tear (6)

6 Organ often re civlng a blow (5)

7 Defect of vIsion making it dlrticult to read (4 ,5)

8 One or the entrances to the air pa'>sages (7).

IS Projection fl r a group of r r breeding (4 ).

17 Pari of Quth frlcan Illali '>en ices for period Immediately

Don't

9 (91)

: 1 Plaster S ynap"e 9 Od ur 10 Blind spot 11 Eat 12 Geml 13 cIon IS cura 17 tarker 20 Retironn 2 1 lalia 24 Locum 26 M oan 27 pa) 30 Varicella3 1 Plut032 tained33

Autopsy Down: I Protein 2 Afool 3 Tien11 4 R abies S li gIllata 6 odes 7

Id not app l ajaw bandage 10 Theruie "Tha you eave th e first dre ing in place when u apply a further dressing so a to on lrol bleeding"

follOWIng birth (4-5)

18 One change in a very long period of

TWO GREAT SCHEMES FROM BANK OF SCOTLAND AVAILABLE TO YOU

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Scotloan rate i cu rr en tl y 12 % flat for term up t o a nd including 5 yea r a nd 13 % fl a t for t erm from 5 to 10 year. With thi reduction, the Annual Percentage R a t e (AP R ) for a loan taken over three year will be 21.40/0 a oppo ed to 23.3 0/0 charged under the tandard Bank of Scotland Scotloan.

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You

with

Account. The minimum depo it i only £1 and there' no limit on how much you can

With

to guarantee Irlclu\lon all contnbutlon, to )( }(JIIII VI IJ/lel drc \\ cicoille The,e ,11OUld he t) ped doubleOil onc Sidc or A4 paper PIeJSC

IUp and under' to you John!

For some reaso n or other there seems to be a rugby mutch on the televIsion CVC!) IImc) nu tUI11 il on lhe e day. SlilL must keep up with the tim es. The latest celebrilles to be tad-.led b) the John Dlnxtory include th e England (picrwe) and US rugb) teams

Yelmore limely acqui itions have included ·Dumptruck·. the umo \Hcstler (v. ho probably wClghs a much a a rugby team) recently in England for the Albert Hall Basho: and Jason DonO\ an \\ ho i" pre,>entl) donning hi s 'Technicolour Dreamcoat' at the London Palladium.

Trend-setter. J asper Conran. has put pen to paper. and honly the \"hole cast of the Archcrs and 01 Easl Enders will be following uit. Looks lik.e St John is definitel) making a name for ihelf!

Making a Partial Recovery

Two museum th efts reclaimedAmanda Devonshire writes

repo rt edinthe J ul)is\ ue, th e m u\eum a t t J ohn \ Ga te waso n often mu e um s In Londo n ro bb ed in M ay d u ri ng o peni ng hours.

Photograph and descriptions that \\-ere c lrculatcd to anti4uc and art markct trade papcrs havc no\\reo.;ulted in the rccov e ry or two or the most Important items a 17th Century enamelled bad g c and pendant. o far no other Hems have been recovered. but we havc purchased a 17th Century Maltese si Ivcr pi Igrim flask vllli.lIgrctte

The Mane Event

It happened lik thi s. Durin g the Andreas Racin g A , iation trial s on th e I Ie of Man, a bik roar d

pa s t a hou se cau in g someone to pani c and ca tc h hi s leg on ajagged pi ece or me tal , sev rin g tUl artery. The doctor wa ca ll ed but probabl o uldn t ha e mad it In time. Jennii'er

K ew l y Dr a\ J-.au l' Jurb y expr her concem when ... man and woman from t John Ambulancc ovcrheard and took charge ofthc 'Itu.lllon tellin g me not to worr) 10 get In the ambulance\\ ith them and thdt Ihe) \\ ould put a Inurnl4uct on hi' le g."

The Ireatmcnt \\-orl,cd, Ihc patient - aftcr a tetanm injection

SUf\ I\Cd "1 dldn'l lind OUI Ihell rull name">. hut thc) ",erc Halcl and Da\c. and thc) \\ere Jh olutel) maf\cllou., '.,fOlnill£! )011 1\ U hfl!, hone - I () h(/lId, hilt 1IC!lfha (!f Ih£'1/1 j7l1wh('d " Thai· right The ca,uall) \\ as a horse Thc lormcr v. Inner of the Danish Derh) IS no\\- we II on Ihe way to rcc()\c!) than!... to a lillie hor..,e ..,cn'iC from Df H rellen and Mr D Dcrh) shlrc of Ihe Douglas Amhulance DI\islon One ,mall tcchnlcal pOlnl - it was a prcs\urc bandag.e. not a tourniquet.

'Paralysis of the radial nerve

in a photocall to promote a ne" e hibition at the Florence Nightingale Mu eum, London. ur ing in/he GlilfWar: Flor e nc e Nightingale's Lil'ing Legacy will run through to 15 March 1992 and re\eal how the nur e pent their time both in the build-up to the war and during the e,ent it elf. A special ection,' pi ritual eed " concentrate on the Red Cro s and t John Ambulan e invohement.

Th e'.hibition run concurrent" ith the permanent exhibition on the hi tory of Florence \,ightingale and i ituated at 2 Lambeth Palae Rd, London E17EW.

Bo(f.;foril.eep, IlJe 17111 Cellfllry el/umelled /Judge al/d pendan(

Similar to onc stolen III May. and an 18th Century Malteo.;c spice box O ther recent acqui\ltlon'i to the Itbrary and muo.;cum IIlcludc impor ant le ll e rs from Grand Masters and Knights or the Order dealll1g with afrair ofthe Order 111 the 16th. 17th and I Rlh Century. These wil l f0l111 a valuable addition to the Museum's Important manuscnpt collecllon

0 newaeldlfiollfor (heo(1I edi(f()/I ofrhe FIrst Aiel Mali/wI ?

Publi r lation s, t John mbulan 'Dir c t r fPR point s ut a t leas/ three tim e ' a day, i 'everything ou -;ay, c.u1d ever thin g Oll d '. ow, YOll can g t an award r eve rythin g o u say and ev r thin g you do. £ 00 to be e act.

The 1crntt ward - named III honour of the laic Da\ Id rlerrill \-\ ho vva\ ount)' PRO 101 and - i a nc\\ competition dC"'lgncd to cneourage public aeti\ at a local levd

Quite "'Imply If you fcc I thaI an IndiVidual. a Di\'l'·']on a Badger el or a Fellowship g roup has achlc\ eel a particular - and can "ho\\ how good public rclallom madc a maJor contribution 10 lhal suceethen please let IIQ !...now about It. pplication formo.; arc availablc from Kate Buchanan on 071 -235 523 1 1991 to Jun e 19l)2arccligiblcror cn tr y " Our publiC illlagc is \ ilal to our 'Iuccess a" an organi!-oa ti on," comlllented John Mills. Director of PR o" It ha\e to en tail dealing 1,.\ ilh thc pre,"" lot of people don't rcalisc thai public rela ti ons is ever y thing you \£1\ and everything) ou do ··

Youn g Khad e r Fou a d from Belhlehem \\ ,\'> pia) IIlg \\ IIh I hi best friend last Jul). The) were fencing \\ ilh long piecc, of \\ ood An une\.pected lunge caught Khader una\\are" and a "pi illler or \\Dod penctra ed the s!... III of Ihe upper comea of hi right C) e een in the Cbualt) Depm1ment of I John Hospilal. a quartcr I inch piece of wood \\ a!-o sluC!... in the s"in He \\ as qUite undi lurhed. although the doctorcoll1tnented on rather \llll nee!... and thought that the inju!) tnll I havejolled his head. It \\ a considered probabl) beller to give him a general anaeslhelic ralher than 10 Ir) and rel11mc the splinter in the ul Paticnl Department. At operat ion, the \urgeon. nUPling stalT and all ohser\ er., \\ erc allla/cd 10 see a piece of \H)t1d li\'e long pulled from the Inner comen of his eyc This had penelrated his orbit. his phar) n\ and \\ as actuall) pinning hi" head 10 Ihc pine. He was discharged from hospllal after t\\ 0 day \\ IthoUl an) apparent after-effect at all.

\1\ cmber 199 I St Joh n \\ orld :;

Pictur d on the left are Mary Richard on (Red ro ) and Barbara Ru ell ( tJohn) who are repre enting the en ice Ho pital. Welfare Department

Banding

together

The St John band are just a keen andju t as relevant a any military band - and vet we hardl v hear about them. Andrew Kinch, 'PRO for the Federation of StJohn Ambulance Brigade Band ha now agreed to rectify the ituation and keep u po ted with events throughout the country. Bandma ter who wi h to help Andrew out with new and photo s hould contact him direct at 28 Down croft Gdn , Wildern Gate, Hedge end, outhampton S03 .tRR.

Uti : The Drolljie/d BOlld

Ri!!,llf The B/ucApoo/ BU/1(/

Andrew Kinch writes - The summer has been a vel) busy time for our t\\ ent)' t\\ 0 bands but there is only spa e here to outline the acti\ ilJe.., of four of them.

The Blackpool Band. which of Drum and Bell Lyres. ha played in three parades: One. organIsed by Waterloo Church in Blackpool. another for the Hairdresser" Federation. and the mo"t receI1l for the Blackpool Liom Carni\ al along the promenade The band led the Cadet noat and was awarded the Lions Carni\al hield by the mayor for the most colourful section. Well done!

The Wilnecote St J ohn Band ha" been making steady progres<., and i., now 25 strong. It ha" led all the parades in the Borough and given several concens in aid of charities (mo'>t recentl) at Leek for the FrIends of St John. and at Tamworth General Ho'>pital w here they appeared with Larr} Gray<.,on). On September :22nd th e band played at the Stafford County Review and in the evening at th e Briti sh Legion Parade in Tamworth.

The Dronfield Di\ i<,ion Band has played in well dres,>ings. wakes week., and galas at Matlock. Grindleford, Tideswcll and Bakewell. It has a l.., o played in parades for th e Scouts at Dronfield and the Guides at Che..,terfield <I'> we ll a" the Royal Britl<,h Legion at Derby and Buxton The Talbot Corp" of Drums from Bournemouth has also been busy. It now compri e,> 3R member and ha'> just iI1lroduced nutcs and "axophone<., to it" il1'>lrumentation. The band recently led a parade for th e Bournemouth ,>couls after which it played during a service at the Winter Gardens. At its first competition in Aldershot th e band was awarded the trophy for Be'>t Bell Lyres in th eir class It has also perfOnlled at Brigade COUI1l} Competitions and at many tattoos and fetes in the Bournemouth area.

BADGER DEVELOPMENT MANAGER WANTED

A \ acane) eXI..,ts lor a per<.,on to JoiI1l the Headquarters tcam with specIal respon"lbilltles for the Badger.,.

The po tholdcr , ould be cxpcctedto provide leadership a"'\lstance and gUldancc toCount) Area Badger Leader and to promote the movement. Experience of workIng. v. ith the agc group 6- 10 would be an advantagc Sk lib III organIsing trainIng workshops and devdopIng new inItIatIves. and somc travellIng would be required

The postholdcr \\ Iii be salarIed and based In I Grosvcnor cent. Plea"e subnlll CV / DctaIis immedlatcly to : Brigade Secretary, St John \mbulance, I (;rosHnor Crescent, London SWIX 7EF

Obituaries

Mrs Joan Wood,Area Staff Officer (retired), London (Prince of Wale ') District, South Western Area. Died August 1991.

St

ohnmoves into Top Gear

The photo how omeofthe urroundin g th e laun c h of the t John Motori t Poll re ult ear li er thL .\-ea r Meanwhile the new tJohnAmbulance ea n et,First idOflth e Road, wa promot e d on the BB C2 programme Top Gear and e licit ed 38 reque t the followin g d ay - includin g a t lea t one London cab driver who dropped in on Gro \ e n or Cre ce nt in perlion. Co pi es of the 16 p age lea n e t are a \ ailable from S uppli e .

Fe lVsh·p

Sheila Puckle writes - Thi month v.e v"elcome the formation of a I'urther Fellov, hip Branch in Lcice'>ler\htrc :-

Market H a rborou g h Branch , Leice t e r hir e. Contact: Mr\ Beryl Plant. 114 Bath t. Market H arborough. Leic LEI69JL.

As r wri te I am looking forward tovi\iting Branche a\ farapal1 as W es tga e, K ent, Bimlingham, Il erel'ord and Middle brough , apart from some lovely invitations to Branch hri tm a" PaI1ie I.,.

know th at all th ese v sits will have in common a waml we come for everyone present, a well-organi ec.l programme and news of <;ervice to St John and the l oca l community, as well a continuous care for <;ick or hou,>ebound member or the Branch

There is an impress on in area'> o r th e Brigade th at th e Fe ll ow<; hip i s a so rt o f Geriatric c lub. It is nothing of th e SOI1. It exists to enab l e former member of any branch of th e Order to con t inue to serve St John, irrespective of their age, whi le also welcoming the many ac ti ve Brigade members who rOllll or join Fellowship Bran c hes. There ar e 170 age limits or any kind. Member<; continue o belong to the Fellow<;hip 0 the end of their day!',.

The compa ri son s with the British Legion, in w hi ch ex-Serv ice men and womcn of any age carryon th cir '>ervicc o th eir comrades and th e ommuni ty.

Joan joined the Bri gade in 1943 and afte r service in 147 Nursing Di vision, turn ed her interest to Cade ts, a love he maintained thro ughout her Brigade Iife A fter a short break in ervice, he returned to the Brigade and in 1972 was promoted to Area StaffOffieer in th e Cadet Department. Joan a born leader, and was respected and loved by us all. A tireless worker , with a great sense of fun and humour in ' pite of ill health, which she bore with grea t fonitude and patience. Joan was eventual ly promoted to Officer ister, an award he richly de erved We who had the privilege of knowing and working with her will remember her, with joy and gratitude, for all her ervicetoyouthand humanity (Joyce Beck w ith MBE )

Mr Doris Bu hnell, 1 Star Nursing Officer (retired ), London (Prince of Wale ') District, South We tern Area. Died August 1991.

DOrIS Bushnell, who died a month before her 90th Birthday, was a de out Roman CatholIc who c ared for the elderly and dlabled in the parISh throughout her lIfe he was alo IIlterested in youth and played an aCllve pan in the Girl GUides for many years. She Joined the Brigade in 1933 and for many years a ursing Officer in orbury Divi ion A ervll1g she worked tireles Iy to the end of her Brigade life in 19 0 \\ hen she reured DespIte 10'illlg her ighthe mallltained her intere t in the Bngade and enjoyed the company of her friend We remember her wIth affe tion and are grateful for the out tanding ervice shc rcndcred to us all. (J o. ce Bech\ ith MBE )

Arthur oe, Divisional uperintendent (retired) Desborough Northants Division. DiedAugust24th 1991.

Arthur Coe who died at the age of 3 wa\ a member of the De,borough orthants Division from 1929 to 1979 He wa uperintendent for mer 25 ) from 1953 until hi retirement. (JR ca rb oro u g h )

Peter Bateman, Area Sgt Major, Leicester. Died eptember 14th 1991.

Members of the Bngade were deeply hocked to hear ofrheudden death of Peter Bateman, aged 53 Peter was re ponsible for drill and ccremonlHltrainlng - hi.., la t big parade being the t John Order erviee held at t Pauls Cathedral where he helped to train Leicester hire' colour part} He was an ambulanceman wi th th e Area Health uthorilY Ambulance Servl e and put hIS knowledge to u e by traIning many St John Caders on ambulan e atlendan e course a part of the 'Grand Prior Proficiency' He v.ill be sadl) (Vera G illman )

Noreen Wedderburn , Chief Nur ing Officer, National HQ.

Many people will remember and bc aelto hearofthe dearh late la r year of orcen Wedelerbul11 he joined the W e tmin ter Division in 193 I and after her general training at the We tl11in s tcr Ho pita I joined a ti onal Headqual1cr a the talT Officer responsible for th t.: at ional Hospital ervice R eserve. [n 1951 "he was invited to become th e fir t Chief ursing Officer. a pos t shc hcld until her marriage in 1960. he introduced the ur sing o n fcre nce he wa " always intere ed in th c rolc of th e professional nur e within th e Brigade in impro ing the training and quality of care given b members. Tho e lhat kn cw her admired the courage and fortilude wi th which she oped with a e ere [\ 11hriti c co nditi on over many years and will a lway remember her help and kindness. ( Ro e mar y Bailey)

In Search of Dinner TImes Past

Where would you eat Queensland Mud Crab'? (or why); What would JOU do with a Pie Floater'? Who. if they went to the feeding of the 5000, would complain if he didn't have a slice of lemon with his fish'? The answers to these questions alone are to be found in Derek Nimmo's introduction to the Hifle Book of Memorable Dinners.

This veritable feast of prandial perorations by over 100 celebrities will be hitting the bookstalls this Christmas, with all royalties to go to St John. Buy one yourself, give them as presents, or enter our competition and simply win one!

Win a free signed copy

A free copy of The Hine Book of Memorable Dinners, signed by Derek Nimmo, is available to the sender of the first card drawn out of the Sf John Worldwastebin which answers the following questions correctly.

1) Which James Bond film featured Derek Nimmo?

a) Casino Royale

b) From Russia With Love

c) On Her Majesty ' s Secret Service

2) Which was not a Derek Nimmo TV series?

a) Oh Father

b) The World of Wooster

c) A Very Peculiar Practice

3) Who said "There is no love sincerer than the love of food"?

a) Christopher Reeve

b) George Bernard Shaw

c) Robert Bums

4) Whose last words were " 1 think I could eat one of Bellam y's veal pies?"

a) Sir Peter Scott

b) Tony Hancock

c) William Pitt

5) What do the initials VSOP stand for?

a) Vim Satis Omni Populi

b) Very Special Old Pale

c) Vin Superieur Ote du Pousse-Cafe

frhe Hin;-

I I I Tick the correct answers (and ONLYthe correct ones!) : I

1 1) aO b::J cO I

I 2) a 0 b ::J co l

I 3) a 0 b ::J

I

Name

I Send to: St John World (Hine), 1 Grosvenor

8 St John World ovember 1991

In the meantime, we spoke to Derek Nimmo about his own eating habits on a rather bad Vodaphone link:

er... We can call back later. You re not driving down the road at 70 mph or anything?

No, I've ju ( got out of the bath. Who e idea wa the Hine Book of Memorable Dinner?

I think the impetus came from David We ' tbury talking to ancy Jarratt at Hine.

You are on the St John ouncil, but why were. ou gi en the job of compiling a food book? You're not exactly portl y.

0, butI'm a memberof AcademieGounnetde France, a member of the Wine Guild of Great Britain, and l' e writt n two bo ks on wine.l 'm very much involved with the food world - oh goodne<; " you don't have to be fat to eat well.

Do you have a fa ourite meal?

not a favourite meal. The two cui ine of the ""orld I probabl) enjoy mo are French and Thai.

Well, then, a favourite drink?

If one was having red meat I'd like a really good claret. and if one was having white meat or fish I'd like a white burgund - but \ ith Thai food I'm quite happy ""ith tea.

What is the cardinal in at meal time? Gue t taking their hoes ofT, muzack, alted butter ?

The cardinal in for me i when people mo\..e during a meal. r wa brought up in a very trict regimc. One of my gra ndmolher\ axioms, for in tance, wa that 'you can alway tell a gen tleman becau e he u e a butterknife e en when h 's on his own '.

(Unle he u e it to cut the end of hi cigar, of cour e).

The intere ting thing really about food i<; the way that at one tim e it followed a perfectly logical pattern in thi ount!). r mean it wa governed by theeaon - when the pea or the potat e<, were in crop ay.Therewa al:oadealofreligiou thou g htregardingf od.

At Chri tma , they killed off the boar, which by then of course had fertili ed all the ows. They salted the meat and ate it until Lent.

Then came 'Carne Vale' - which is carnival - you \..now, the mardi gras (Carne Vale i Latin for 'Goodbye meat' !). B the end of Lent, ofcour e, all the lambs had been born. 0 then ne had lamb . Thi wa all ewn in to a convenient religiou significance - rather lik e the Jewi h dietary law.

The book is a collection of anecdote. Did you di co er any general recipe that lead to di astrou dinner?

Thereare core ofrecipesfordia trou dinners - butnocardinal rule for avoiding them , like, you know, always serve red wine with a red carpet! But it' not really that ort of bo k It 's telling stories from around the world that are memorable Storie s of the 'ric h and rare'. Some are deeply pompou like (Vodaphone crackling noi ses) and (more Vodaphonecra kling noies) but there are others which are deeply un-pompou').

You and your team garnered 110 celebritie. orne mu t have been more difficult than others?

There are some, lik e Clement Freud, who' a particular friend or mine, who just wrote back and said his publisher woulcln 't allow it...I think maybe he cou ldn 't be bothered! Most people were terribly good with it. Take Ja on Donovan. You perhap wouldn't have thought he ' d be very much involved with St John, but he wrote a very good artic le. r think my own favourite was Viscount

y eymouth' he \\ a the \, ery first to repl} and I ti 11 think it" about the funnte tone.

Hmmm, we print it. People will ju t have to buy the book.

Well ye ,if\\e ma\..e "orne mone for John mbulance there· no reason why \\e shouldn't call) on li\..e The Godfo/her and have Mel7loruhte Dinners 2.

An oeuvre you can't refu e! What are doing now?

I'm in a play \\ ith aureen Lipman ailed the Cabinet Mini ter. W opencd Int night and "c·re coming to London in ovember. How did it go?

Well. I think.

A Hair Raising Tale

Derek NiITlmo writes. __ "1 particularly remembcraZontian dinner I addres ed on th outh I ' land of c\\ Zealand. For the uninitiated, Zontians are a s IT of female Mafia. I \\as to be introduced by Madam Chainllan, \\ ho wa the 10 al headmi tre BUll became increasingly alarnled during the progress of the meal by a hair which kept waftin g in front of her mouth. 'When ' he get up to announce me,' I thought 'the poor darling will wallow thi ' and choke.' So when the moment alTived when she began to addre ' the dinner I ros with her and attempted to remove th hair with a deferential 'e -euse me headmi ' tress

The hair tumed out to be attached to a mole on her cheek and th erewa !,in front 01'300 ladies, pulling theheadmistre sto'V ards me on a long whis \.. er. I s till \ uk. at night in n cold weat at the recollection or the horror or it aiL·'

Copie of The Hine Rook ofMemorabLe Dinners (160 pgs., ca ebound) can be ordered from Quillel- Pres Di tribution, Sparrow Hall, Hindringham, Nr Fakenham, Norfolk NR21 ODE price £16.95 each (inc P&P). Cheques payable to Quiller Pre (Order of t John ale).

On Call County and Divisional News

year. The W e I h Commi ioner pre ented him with th e ilver alver in the photo and a magnificent' gt Jan e t Atkinson a nd D O J ohn Kc ith were marned on 10th Aug ust at nr Whitb y. J ohn used to be a member of Whitb) Ambulance DivI"ion, bu t both are now mcmbers of Woh e rhampton Q Division.

On Call

County and Divisional News

Len, Cpl Gillian Tanner

and

Antony Perkin ( eated) was awarded £200 to donate to a chari ty of hi choice after becomin g Youn g Citizen of the Year for St Alban He c ho e to buy two carrying chair for St Alban Di vi ion and gave the remainder toward s a Cadet tent. Cpllan Parks (I)and brother Steph en Perk in are bearing the load

Macclesfield Di, s ion celebrated its ninetieth ann iv e rary with a dinner at Lyme Grecn ettlement for Parapl egic. PI c tured ith Lady Mo untbatten a re (/ to r) Di v Supt H Elh.in, and Dr G Varley and R winde ll." Chaimlan and

Ho", do you lo..,e t'" 0 stone but gain two hundred pounds? Kamal Bchdoost. managerat afeway\' Porbmouth store. IS .,cen after a "pon'>oreo slim handing over a chl;que for f2.ROO raised by hllw,elf and th e ';talT Churchwarden of th e Settlement

Ph ew! After a steamroller (Aug) and a tank (Oct) called Badger, we thought someone had found something even larger But no 1l\ an 0I1()I1\'11l0/1l chopper. adcts and Badgers from tav e ley Work 01\ i"lon the R F squadron in Leconfield

31 631 AIC RuL lip and r\orthwood Dlvl'>lons at the dedication of their respective ambulance and nag The fomlcr ha'> the registration H6 J Thank go to the RUlsltp LIons and man) other '" ho have helped fund the vehIcle 0\ cr 16) ear. of effort.

hmtopher Kissack and Ichael Moore of Dou g la Di\ i ion prc'>ent a cheque for f200 7 to OInIllI\'>Ioner Dereh. Bnd'>on and C"iOJulta Beatson. The t"'o Badger raied th e money at a ummer Fair in July.

Below, Bl y th Combined Dlvl'>lon collected together for II'> annual Inspection earlier last June

Commander Thom as Hurl ey of Stafford was only too pl eased after arran gingado nation of bedding mat e li a Is, heaters and medical equipment from th e orth Country - but how to ge t th em down to Stafford shire ? Enter Mr K L Ham so n, General Manager, Marston of Thompso n & Evershed pIc who provid ed free transport for th e asking. Dep uty County Commissio ner B.B yme is

Contributions to On Call should be sent to: St John World 1 Grosvenor Crescent London SWIX7EF

Claris<,a the dragon put in a <,urprise appearance at the Weqcm Area ( u e Badger Part) than"'" to ue Gorton of a local Production Compan). The dragon breathes moh.e and ,>ing" at [he ame time - but h.ld don't tr) thl at home

'Ne ll 'comers': (he Lord Pri or, Lord Vesley (r) alld (lie DireCfor General,TolIY Blowers (I)

The Norrhem Ir ish

cOlllin/!,el1(

Why Gaining Ground? The question, as he Iatcr revealed in his peech. was of the new Commander- In -Chief I an M oody by hi v. ife. Hi s immediate reply I n·t on record, but In Portsmouth he explained that t John Ambulance had to k eep moving forward:

o( (he disco e l'elling meal

" B ecau e complacency l eads to deteriorating standards. Deterioratingstandards lead todiscontent.and this in tum to a slov. downward path"

It · th e kind of commen t that often heralds a ..,tream of corpo rate hogwash - and there is no doubt that almos t e ef) one inv Iveo in organising the conference wa keen to what th ey do to the audi ence of volunteers It \ en tir ely to an Mood) 's crcoltthut he came traight to the problem"

"La year we 2O/C or members a.., compared v. IIh Vic- III 1989

That's a big improvement. but not enough."

After which he l aunched into a litany or t) pical (''Too much change too much paperVvorJ... too much i.., being asJ...ed of volunteer ") which a testament to th e fact that one man at lea"t has been doing his job.

R ath er like TS Eli t 's Cms, e ery conference ha three - the name it's general l y knov"n by, the name 11 reall) ought to have and an unspoken name (which i.., everyone' s pri ate op1l1ion) The true theml: of this conference was 'Compe titi on ancl Re onclltatlon '.

The theme of reconctlla110n wa pen1l1ent to the (surely ridlculou )

rift between the Bri gade and A,>wciation an Moooy again:

"There till remams a divide between the and the Brigade in ome pans of the country - a 'them and us ..,ltual1()Il·. These attitud es are to all y wrong and canno t be accepted Both the Director General and feel th at we arc 'The Ambulance·

The badgers did i( in rh vme

There are even sa id o be dark mUllerings of holdmg a combined Bri gade and Association conference - alth ough th e l oglsl1cS of it would seem awe ome. Th e present conference fonnat is already in need of trimmin g - as plenty of sore bOlloms and droop1l1g car.., wtll test ry

The theme of compe titi on was J...n oc " ed finn y 1I1to th e coun b)

Virginia B o tt om ey (a real coup this : Mini sters of tat e don t pac" just any organi ation 's co nfere nce into their crowded schedules).

She began her speec h topically - namely the nots which regularly acco mpan y wann weat her th ese day.

" W e liv e at a tim e when young people who are not engaged In the co mmunity are ca usi ng havoc. I ca n ' t say how hi gh ly I re gard th e work of th e Cadets anclthe ongoing development of th e

We s( Midland s po ed/or the camera - but swore (hey'd drunk oran Re juice all nighl!

She harked ba c k to the Ambulance "fra nkl y you perfonned magnificently" and, und aunt ed by some sharp intaJ...es of breath aro und th e hall (t he so und which loy alti es make as they divide), she drove strai g ht into th e que tion of com petitiv e tend ering for Fir Aid tr ai nin g and duties.

" You feel thi s imp o rtant so urce of in come will be diminished beca use you fee l you are not playin g on a leve playing field - that th e fees charged by th e Ambul ance Service contain a hidd en sub si dy and do not re nec t th e true cos ts invo l ved.

" They mu st abide by fair tradin g provi ion s" she finally ass ured her audi ence, remindin g th em th at "C hoic e ca n only be good in th e provi i on of serv ce " It was a good speec h, although th e kind of adm iration it aroused most

The St John Flag flying over Portsmouth Guildhall: Septelnber 13th - 15th

was akin to v. aLching the of the season calling you a siss for not doing balTe jumps in th e centre of th e pond owhere\ as thl s III ore so th an hen heconciudcdonthemallerof ommunity Care - a topic \\ hich Dame udre) Emerton too k lip in a well receivedpeech immediately after th e inister' departure.

The maiden voyage of Lord es tey as Lord Pnor \\ as o thl ) impre ive ("l can assure you that the job will be no sine ure") He 11 wa who elici ed a cheer by referring to instance \\ here t John had beateo th e ambu ance service for compe titi ve tender (see le((el's). H e got a seco nd cheer when he publicly th un k ed Colin mllh of afeway for th at o rganisa ion's remarkable ana ongoing ge nerosi ty.

Colin Smith, who is th e Argyll Group Finance Director. ater received a wann hand from th e audie n e himself and it \ as in Ponsm outh th at the afcway hallenge sc heme (for Di\ .' ions \\ ithout afeway stores) was announ ed. Mr mith wen t on to comment ho\\ plea ed he had been with the re-;pon-;e of young people wi thin hi: 0 \\ n

Minister for Health Virginia Bottonlle. addressed the issues - and then addressed the Cadets.

to the linJ... \\ i t h the Bngade and added

ale\\'a) shouldn't be se n a'> merel) connected to fund raising. I I' we can help you in an) other \\a) plea\e feel free to <\-,"- " Tim Gall\ ain was deft <1 eler tpra) God thi" Ime is proof-read) on his role as E\ecuti\ e Direclol. elling machine III motion 111 Ihe hands of\0Iu11leer"

The Welsh COI1(II1/?ent

Til7lGoIIl'llin

demol1slraled hall ex-Lighlning

pilOlS /I/(//...e good organi. IS or Ihe

Weatherman Bill Giles wellt dowll a SfOrl1l as gllesf speaker ulld fhe Cadels wrapped him lip warmly before he left

The Dorsel Badgers negolialing Ihe steps ojler preselllillg a cheque to ir Godj;'ey Milton Tholl/sollfor the Ophfhalmic Hospi[(J1

Return Match: Buxton

September 4th, 1992

Division ha been fonned 111 orfol!.- as a result of it') was 'illnilarly la king in quantitative anal sis.

The aftemoon was a lighter affair. The Overseas Department hll on the idea of a vldeoshov, which. depitc hitches, brought a touch of reality to bear. Ju t for the record, the Badger in ri Lanl-a arc called' Kill) \'.

The Gro venor provided a .,I-It on ho\o\ not to run a 01 and a gale of laughter face ll , the) must ha\ e based It on something). In complete were followed b) Barbara RU,>sell. a Welfare Officer and t John member who c;erved in the Gulf conflict. Thi was arguabl) the best 'ipeech at the conference and we hope to print it in full111 ne \t month's Issue.

The Gulf war more than touched Jerusalem al., Deput) Hospllaller Keith Ballen reminded the audience dunng 1l1', speech on the ho'>pital. Thi followed Dr Anthony Blower,>, the 'new' DlrIxtor General. v, ho reiterated the call for closer lln"'s betwecn the Bngade and sSOClalion Festivilles followed, wllh naf) a thought for hov. the conference hall was miraculousl) lUmed into a dinner and dance room. unda) came 111 on a tide of Alku- elt7er.

Bill Giles , described a,> 'Tcle\I..,lon·s senIOr \\eathenmln' and a Diviional Preident to boot. proved to be the pertect pic]... - me-up With a crupulously rehearsed piece of e\tempon"1l1g on the pllfalls of live broadcasting. (What is the difference between unn) Intel' al" and Sunny Period? The first means for Ie s than hal the da), the last means more than half - hlln'>elf u e!-.· unn) pells' J.

The Medical Branch then came forv.anlto put Its recent rc-orgalllsallon inrocontextand Dr DaVid Zideman ',>demon-.tra11011 of de fib nil allan stole the shov, here Although the urgeon-in-Chlcl Brian Lewi,> subsequently stressed the importance of ba<,ic PR over Advanced ]"'lIb training (to applau<,e) none of the delegate,> rcmotely seemed to Zideman 's exposillon. There l'i a man [,d tru'>t to load my camera he could probably even teach me how to do itm)"elf.

The PR department repeated Virginia BOllomley's circuit of the thm ice by doing a presentation on how 1101 to do a pre<.,entation (no\o\ if thaI had gone wrong )

The Open Forum la oted a mere twenty mlllutes, for which Ian Mood) apologised. He aho keenly anxiou'> to ..,how Impartiality by not selecting the questions, preferring to draw them from a box at random. This wa. a revealing illustration of the paranoia about censorship that besets St John.

Tnevitably, it was the 'lupplementary quesl10ns from the 11001' that brought the cheers: "Why are unifonns '>0 expensive if we're a charity organisation?" (The uperintendent - In -Chlefrevealed that upplies had just agreed to reduce 40 unlfonn ilems to virtual cost price); "Why don 'I you recognise professional ambulance per'>onnel?" (Ian Moody - "It is actively under consideration").

Gaining Ground seems an odd title for an organisalion that has been losing members and which shows tendenCies of lapsing into a self'them and us' mentality. But if change is going to happen then it can only begin when the arc addressed - and the issues can only be addressed if they are spoken about frcely.

In spite of the tcchnical hitches (mainly, although not solely. due to ambitiou presentation that were not matched by the same fervour for rehearsals), and even taking the parsimonious Open Forum into account. this was a remarkably honesf conference. Tfthe audicnce rccogni'icd this then ground was indeed gaincd in Portsmouth

Thc air heavy with thc of arditc. the guner are littered with ">pent h "ian tarchc">. black. reDecti e and caps. \\ eal) re\ eller. dn!..,..,cJ In a blue and \\hlle I.,tnped Jumper. thc rema1l1s of hi'> '>1:\pac]... ,,1111 finnl) attached to hi" belt greet'> us \o\lIh a heery gnn. It I" 2am on 0\'c1l1ber 6th and bonlire has fil1l\hl.:d lor the )car. ext ) prt:paratlolb are beg11l11lllg a-, the events of th e c\ening are dlscussl.:d anJ note" of poSible 1Il1prO\Cment" made.

The to'" n 01 Lc\\e,> has remembered the dlsco\ef) of the Gunpo\\der plot reg.ularl) \mce 11'25 and I'> no\\ one of thl.: largest street outside London. ,lltracting d" In excess 01 0 people IX different bonfire e\l<.,t In Lewes, each commemorate,> the e\ent In It, o\o\n \0\ a) Five ,ocietie, tal-e tht: major role on the night - murch11lg in torchlight processions

Mound thclr 0\0\ n area of the tov. n - and other so ieties from usse\ arc im ited to JOin in the festivitie The mmic come" from band" from around the world: mllital), brass, pipe andJuzz.

Our preparations for the e\ent f01ll1ull) begin in late summer, \\ hen the represcnttlti\ c'> of the Fire Bngade, Lewes Bonlire ouncd, Bonlire ocieties. Police and t John Ambulance Brigade meet to discuss the previou'> year's events anJ plan ahead. l'ter the basic timetable'> have been agreed,mcmbers of theStJohn Ambulance and Eat Su-,se, Ambulance ervice meet informall) to co-ordinate a comb11led ambulance cmergency CO\ cr. includes a combined mbulance ontrol, two SI John ambulances on emergency stand-by (not necessarily associatcd wilh the bonfire). cxtra ounty ambulances and a t'urther 12-16 ambulances brought by neighbouring Divisi n which can also act as mobile First Aid posts. A briefing between all the Divisions ta!.-es place in mid-October. Last car we had 7

manned lirst Aid posts 16 and 125 officers, members and adets on duty. Member are divided between the five societie. , each group having a radio and be11lg coord11lated underthe overall control of the Count) om1111..,Sloner and 01\ ISlonal upenntendent of the Le\o\es Di\lsion

On the 5th member member ha\e to gather at the Le\o\e" 01\ 1,>lonal HQ b) 9.00am to prcpare equipment and clear th e Lane forthe amI" al 01 vehicles. Fortunatel) a loud maroon 1-' \ounded at6.00a111to \va"'en the whole tov, n and ensure" prompt attendan e.

e le br a ti o n T im e

The celebra tion" ,tart \\ Ith th e children'., procc sion at Mound 5.30pm. From thiS point the to\\ n becomes a maSSI\ e pede'>tnan precinct. \\ hlch restncts ambulance movement and the rea,on \0\ h) "0 man) ambulance, are reqUired to tal-t Lip strategic po ition 1ember<,. in t\\OS or threes, \\ all- with each proce sloll to gi\e 'on-going' cover. Each proce,> Ion also pas"e an additional t John member \lalloned along Ils route ever) 11\ e-[O-se\ en minute \\ hlle the police are able to call on John through an officer in their control room \\ ho act. ;s coordinator.

There are some half-do/en proces,>ions. the large"t of thel11 , The nited Grand Procession, ta[."ing up to an hour -a nd -a- half to 0111pletel) pass an) gi\'en \ antage POll11. A.., the) \\end their v,<l) b) torchlight. 'Bonlire Bo),,' (active society member,,) \ct off lire-crac\..t:r'> at people ',> feet.

The li\ c ",o<.:ieties have their 0\\ n lirc,>ites al the edge of to\\ n and each one has a t John mbulanct: id po t.lllanned b) a trained nurse throughout the evcning. Fortumllcl). de::-pite treatin.g. an :l\erage I' mobile t John medicalteallls have nOt been called on. These team" of a driver \\ lIh local [."no\\ ledge of the to\\ n since the main routc.., are usuall) 32

blocked v, Ith people): a St John ,>urgeon. and a St John RG It' s a long evening. \o\lth a lot of \0\ alking. but the societie are generous at pro\ idrng refre. hment for us.

The final proce sion culmll1ate in ,>mall fire set ablaze lIllhe \0\ here the ong:inal firesites were. The more enthulatlc Bo) ,>' ha\ e been I-no\.\ to tl) jumping the,>e fire v, 1Ih painful con equence Short I) after thi the Fire Brigade becomes the 'Enem\ of Bontire' as the) pI) .,mall hose. o\erthe e to extll1guI"h them and the night'" fe'>l1\. Illes. '\lot until 2am do the e\hauted, but elated. St John member go home and dl'>cus\ the night'" e\'ents 0\ er a cup of tea - and start planning for the next year.

Why do they do it'?

obod) h.no\\ \1\ h) the deli\erance of Krng James Its celebrated rn ,>uch a spectacular and forceful \l\a) rn u se\. The fir t bonfire of the '>ea on I'> held In Rotherfield in Augu t and celebratton. continue through to mid-1\;o\ember. "\;0 one e\ er speub of'Guy Fa\\ h.e" '\'Ight' and man) other e\en£,> are recalled III Le\\e" For e\umple. there \\ a,> the bum rng of 17 Prote"tant Mart) r" dunng the religious persecuttons of Queen lar). The 0' t of eaford ''-Ie\\ ha\ en Oi\ t. Ion, nne Luca ,I a direct de cendanr of one of til 111. AI o remembered I" the lamJlIlg of Will tam Ill. PnnceofOrange and the fallen ofr\\o World War". Toda) Le\l\e,> Bonfire con"ist of 2.500 costumed participant'> and 20 marchtng band The tive enomlOUS fircworh. dlspla) tnclude cffiglc'>, ctpiece" and u giant tableau. It rem<ltn" a unique and totall) Briu"h e\ ent.

MalawinotOnlYhaSan

exqui ite land cape, wildlife and climate but ha al 0 become known a 'The Warm Heart of Africa ' due to the kindnes and incerity of its people. Its open policy to all races has resulted in one million Mozambiquan eeking temporary refuge there from the g uerilla activity in their homeland. De pite being urrounded by political and economic turmoil, the country ha managed to remain table and peaceful.

It al 0 remain one of the poore ·t COUlltrie in a very poor continent. In 19 267 children out of every I born alive did not reach their founh binhday (compared with the K. where the ratio i 11: 10(0).

Infant morbidity figure reflect thi . with chronic malnutrition 0 cuning in over half of chi Idren aged between two to fi ve years'"

Over 0 % of Malawian rill live in rural area and agriculture contribute orne 90 % of export earning. The urbanization that i a feature of many other African co untrie ha only recently tart ed to happen in Malawi. Poverty, overcrowding, poor warer and sanitation, and Aid are only orne of the factor that can exacerbate ill health and di ea e in the e newly emerged town and citie In each ca e an appropriate health care trategy ha to be found and the St John Ambulance Primary Health Care programme in Ndirande townhip i one such example.

Background

Malawi' St John Ambulance Primary Health Care (PHC) programme wa implemented in July 1988 after recommendations from the Government of Malawi, World Health Organi ation and UNICEF. It stated goal were to " propo e way of reducing morbidity and monality u ing little more than pre entre ource ,and building on what...Malawi is already doing and achieving". Oxfam , Save the Children Fund

and other donors gave financia l support to help et the project up , while both the Government and international health organi ation provided ongoing upport and experti e.

Ndirande town hip ha a current population of orne 85,500. It is one of four urban town hip in Blantyre, the country' large city and commercial capital. The provi ion of Community Care here i now the re pon ibility of the regional government health y tern and St John Ambulance PHC ,Malawi. The Mini try of Health i concerned primari ly with theclinic-based community ervice of Maternal and Child Health ( uch a grow th monitoring. immunization, drug dispen ation) while St John pro ide the outreach community ba ed health ervice

The latter activity u e Community Health Worl-.er (CHW ) to undertake home vi it It i e entia I that CHW live within dirande town hip ince thi en ure that tJohn' worki integrated v"ith the ervice of the government clinic.

The CHW were nominated by community member through a voting y tern, and were then trained in Fir t Aid and Community Care by St John Field Officer. lthough CHW are then formally upp sedtocondu thealthcarefourmorning a week, their integral role in the communit mean the are effectively on-call 24 hour ada e en day a week. or doe it stop there. When Malawi celebrated it annual Republic Day on July 6th th e CHW were ca lled on to back up Brigade member on Fir t Aid dut y. Thi wa a highly pre tigiou event, attended by life-pre idem Dr Ha ring Banda. and i indicative of the excellent reputation both of St John Ambulance PHC and the Brigade in Malawi.

Objectives

TheStJohnCommunityCareteamha two main objective Firstly, to identify poor health tatu at hou ehold level and imervene appropriately; and econdly, to conduct health education tailored to pecific family need - and thereby promote' elfhelp health intervention by individual family member. Both forms of hea lth care are targeted at the most vu ln erable group, namely mother and children of five year and under.

The CHWs in the field conduct health and nutrition education, oral rehydration therapy and early detection of tho e 'a t ri k' of ill-health or malnutrition. They al 0 actively promote regularcl inic attendance. This interrelated component of the St John and government clinic work is crucial in addre ing the immediate health problem of the whole community; individual health tatu i maximised in the hort term.

The long-term prevention of ill-health i achieved by encouraging all community member to participate in activitie uch a water and anitation provi sio n and income generating cherne (poverty i a primary cau e of ill-health).

Thi two-pronged attack to improve he alt h tatu utilising both prevention and cure i the key tenet of 'Community Care' and co ntra t with the more traditional curative ba ed health ervice worldwide.

Three additional clinic have been etabli hed by orne of the CHW in repon e to a huge demand by mother The e clinic co nduct growth monitoring. health education and sc reening for di ea e (referral to the main clinic are made if medication i ne ce ary). Since the main health clinic tend to be under taffed the additional clinic are able to offer more inteniveindividualcoun ellingand health care.

Impact

t John Community Care programme ha achieved a ub tantial impact on the provi ion of community health care in it three year of implementation Profe ional health care has been brought directly into the home of over 43.000 people Thi mean that at lea t half the population ha received regular and frequent vi it in relation to pecific health need

Over 1500 evere ca e of ill-health have been identified and referred to the main clinic. while nearly 000 children have received the often life- a ing oral rehydration therapy in the home. Nearly 16.000 health education e ion have been given in the home, including infomlation on malaria and diarrhoea, Aid , family planning. nutrition and much be ide

The impa t that St John' outreach activitie have had in promoting clinic attendance can be gauged by the figure : in 1988 13,000 people attended the linic : in 1990 57,000 peop le attended. Thi i a

sizeable achievement as the need for monthly health monitoring of th e Under 5' cannot be over tre ed.

The unique component of St John in addre si ng broader long-term i ue uch as provi sio n of water and sanitat ion facilitie s i moredifficulttoquantify lt is known , at lea t, that 47 % of people vi 'ited by St John now drink tap water -a ba ic component of the fight against water-borne diea e such a diarrhoea and c holera . It i fairto as ume that any family vi ited by the CHW will have a rai ed awarene of hygiene tandard in re pect of water and sanitation - ranging from regular clearing and burning of rubbi h pit, to boilin g of water for cooking. drinking and wa hing uten il where tap water i not affordable.

To the Future

The beneficial impact of the St John Ambulance PHC activitie ha been ub tantiai, but the need for full coverage i imperative. The recent commitment by St John Headquarter in London to rai e the numberofCHW from29t060(a targeted in the original propo al ) will go a long way to achieve thi . One of the mo t important feature of the Malawi programme i that the integrated tructure implemented in Jul y 198 ha been con olidated to erve a a foundation for al l future health care. Thee tabli hment of an Area Committee earlier thi ear (re pre ented by all ector from health and education to water and anitation) ha enhanced the reputation of what i a repected programme with the technical and governmental uppon to ub tantiate all activitie

The further upport that has been committed by organi ation uch a a fam mean that St John Primary Health Care. Malawi now ha the potential to dramaticall reduce the high infant mortality and morbidity rate \ ithin dirande, Blant re and even nationwide.

Li a Fairbank i tudying an MSc in Human Nutrition at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

*Fig ure from a e the Children Count!) Profile Report. 19 9

Sporting Dues

Football supporters have an opportunity to show their appreciation of St John Ambulance this month following the Football League 's decision to allow collections from the terraces ove r the weekends of 23rd and 30th November. To kick off the event, we spoke to the Commander o f London (Prince of Wales ') District, Derek Fenton, who on his retirement in March will become the National Advisor for Football Grounds.

Playing Safe

Editor Vic Allen was despatched up North for his firs t taste of what St John Ambulance is perhaps most famous for.

18

Derek Fenton ha more than a paing familiarity with the worlds of First Aid and football. One of his major claims to fame - and he'd surely be happy were it not to have been - was that barely a month before the Hill borough di aster he and Neil Thome MP had a personal interview with Lord Ferrers at the Home Office and warned him, in the light of the Popplewell Report, that unle the Government imposed better statutory medical conditions at League grounds it would one day cause them severe embarrassment.

Three years before, Fenton had seen the interim finding of the Popplewell enquiry (following the Bradford fire at Valley Parade) diluted in the final report. The going donation at the time from the club to St John Divisions wa SOp - £1 for every thousand spectator. Many club paid nothing. Many grounds lacked even the mo t basic First Aid facilitie

And then Hill borough happened. 95 people died. 400 received ho pital treatment and 730 were injured. The Taylor Repon was published and given legal force in the Home Office's Guide to Safety at Sports Grollnds - known a the 'Green Guide', available from HMSO. Suddenly every club was taking First Aid seriou ly - and whil t the Taylor report pointed them to the Statutory Ambulance Service, all the London club came to St John Ambulance.

The idea was to check out the facilities at a typical FirstDi vision match ; to get an idea of the typical casualties; and to go anywhere other than London - there's far too much media concentration on the metropolis. Sol went to Everton .. and they were playing Spurs, of course.

The only consolation for those born North of Watford is that the Spurs fans must have felt that the game was being played on a pitch that sloped the wrong way. The London team scaled arduously up to the Evenon goal once; while it was all Everton could do to keep up with a ball that fell headlong into the Spurs net three times.

Members w ho attend matches regularly will already have guessed that this was aq uietdayforcasualties; ona busy day nobody in the First Aid post would know what the score was

The prospect of getting into a football match free has doubtless lured numerous Cadets into St John - but it's fairly certain that o n ly th e people w ho belonged their, stayed. It's not only th e First Aid training programme that would deter the faintheaned, it's not on l y tha t your concentration is liab le to be in terrupted at any minute b y some th oughtless cardiac arrest victim, it's a lso the fact t h at a match seen from the sidelines simply loses its relish.

I arrived at Goodiso n Park well over an

It i again t thi hi tory that Derek Fenton's somewhat forthright views have to be borne in mind. If he wasn't a Commander you could fairly describe him a bol hy.

Two years after Hillsborough the football clubs in London have got their act together; frequently with Derek acting as con ultant on the medical recommendation

"Every club in London, except for one, has either updated or rebuilt its own Fir t Aid Post within the la t two year "he says, and adds for the benefit of anybody who might be Ii tening: "It's not generally reali ed that they can claim up to 75% of the co t from the Football Tru t".

At pre ent the 'jewel in the crown' is the new First Aid post at Arsenal, built to the letter of the Taylor Report and the Grcen Guide recommendations. Fenton recite the ideal requirement :

"A minimum size of I 50 square feet for licen ed ground of 10,000 spectators, sufficient to accommodate two cubicle\; with two trolley tretcher . For 30.000 and over. the accommodations should be 500 square feet bearing in mind the need for taft accommodation. In thiS there would be at lea t four curtained cubicle,> each With a trolley tretcher with ingre,>s and egress immediately avaIlable at match level.

Theyhould alv..ays have double door ... and be clearly marked and visible from all

hour early with ever-obliging StJohn memberChri s Phillip. Even if you're not getting the po tin readine s ,an early arrival i the only way toavoid the conge tion. Chri introduced me to the crew at gattling gu n speed. I don ' t have an FAW certificate and suddenly felt about as much use as a quadriplegic in a rowing boat.

The Firs t Aid po t i a good one, although pre umably not a good a the two new posts over on the Anfield ground. Sited between the Home and Away s tand s, with easy acce ss onto the ground and oULof the stadium (although what happen s then is another matter ), itju s taboutmeet s the 25sq metre requirement for crowds in exce of 25,000. There are three curtained bay , a toilet , running water and a water heater It dry but a little pokey and re so lutely pan of the original building The Record of Accidents lays open and fallow: " 5/10/91. Everton v Tottenham Hotspur. Dr Race in Attendance. " Thestadiumitself see mssmall and lacklu s tre. Eventually the mu ic tart s - initiated, appropriately enough, by Julian Lennon.

Chris fills me in on a match at the end oflast season when there were two cardiac arrests. Both casualties were resuscitated successfully, but one - an 83 year old man on his third attack - was especially memorable

The seats at Goodison Park (virtually

parts of the ground. Every member of staff should be familiar with it. It is also important that there should be a secondary First Aid post on the other ide of the pitch, as currently at Spur and Chelsea, and as is projected at Arsenal and West Ham next year.

"The secondary posts should also include at least two cubicles and trolley stretchers. All first and second division London club have 25 stretchers and 50 blankets, plus nine Firt Response bags. The third and fourth divisions have lightly Ie s. In most of the major clubs a semiautomatic defibnllator is available (£5,500, paid for by the clubs). In due course thi will become a tatutory requirement at all football clubs."

How many clubs meet this requirement? Fenton is willing to cite (off the record) more than a few clubs outside London where " the First Aid post i a ,>hared ground'>man \, room and the machinery is moved out on match days (the Taylor Report demand,> ,>ole use) and where there \, not even runmng water."

This IS perhaps a testament to what i normally only a tacitly recognised problem: that tootball, like St John, has both a national and a local face and the two often fad to coinCide.

HaVing been pre-em1l1ent 111 the effort to improve donation rates. Derek. Fenton rema1l1'> openly cntical of the money given

an all- eater ground) are coloured in bank s to form the word 'Eve rton'. Pre s umably thi s help s to alert any inebriated Liverpool upporters who might have unhappily got on the wrong bu s, but it also serve as an informal map reference when there are casualties.

" He was up there,ju st by the bottom of the ' V '" say Chri , pointing s ixty odd feet in the air. "We had to run the breadth of the pitch and go down a level to get under the tand When we got to the e calators they were all running the wrong way becau e the game wa five minutes from the end. We pu hed the emergency top and ran up them - carrying the stretcher and the gear.

" It was pretty tiring." He concludes with what I was going to call couse understatement - but Chri is from the Wirral. Apparently there 's a difference. The tory illu trate one of the merits of having Fir t Aid posts on either side of the ground. I notice that my shoes have gone pink from the Redgrar around the pitch another hazard footballing member will ure ly be familiar with.

I eave drop on the Cadets. They re from the Litherland Division. I promised Carl I'd mention them (Carl made me a cup of tea). As much as anything the Cadet are here for experience of casualties. A much as anything they end up wiping the floor

by the League to St John. Representatives from National HQ and the Football League recentl y negotiated new donation rates, namely:

London Clubs are to pay £ 11 per thou and spectators for First Aid cover, and Clubs outside London will pay £8.50 per thousand. Fenton argued for an acro s-the-board fee of £ 12.50 per thousand pI u £60 for the attendance of an ambulance.

"Outside London a spectator i paying less than a penny in hi entrance fee for Fir t Aid cover" exclaims Fenton, "and in any case, why hould team like Liverpool and Manchester United pay Ie than clubs of the same distinction in London? Their home crowds are often bigger than ours:' There' a double irony too, which that a providing cover for a large crowdwhere facJlibes and crowd control meth-

with Dettoi. Little wonder there was some grumbling about the way older members thrust them out of the way when the action starts.

Hughie O'Neil, the Area Operations

up. "No one' got a bad word to say about Hughie" Chris had told me , and I intantly saw why. He ooze the type of quiet authority that make Dan Dare look like a pantimer; a man you'd trust with your la t Rolo. He joined the Cadets back in 1968 but hi man-management skills are a legacy of hi full time job with the Fire Brigade. I asked him about the types of ca ualties they get. He gives the standard St John reply' no such thing a a typical match' "We had one match twelve year ago where there were six deaths. There are other matches where you don't even give out a paracetanlol."

If there i a common problem Hughie nominates 'cracked head '-u uallycau ed

and

ods are liable to be more advanced -

be 'cheaper' per head.

"There'll be 42,000 people at theAr enal v Chelsea match next week, and I doubt whether our customers will even reach double figures." He says [in fact, there were eight minor casualties - Ed].

Because of this, Derek Fenton i actually lobbying to reduce the statutory requirement for Fir t Aiders at large crowd "For the very good reason that it difficult to utilise to the full 42 members at

by people fainting, not through booze but through lack of food.

Hooliganism ha receded. Again, Hughie recalled a Liverpool v Man Utd cup final where they'd just ent off to ho pital a fan who needed over 300 stitche after a stabbing incident; when another ovember 1991 St J o hn Wo rld 19

Inside

ou! of the new First Aid Post at the Arsenal Ground

could

Left Hu ghie 0 'Neil tends a cas Lialty, below the cadets tend a bleeding /lose

anyone ground. I would sugge t that one First Aider per thousand spectators up to ten thou and pectator ,and one Fir tAider pertwo thou and over that figure, i a better ratio. Thi would have meant 26 member on duty at Ar enal in tead of 42. I am hopeful that the Football Licensing Authority will give the ugge tion due con ideration. "

Returning to the que tion of donation , it i still left to Divisions locally to negotiate rate for FA Cup matches. In this and imilar ca e Fenton lament a ituation that arise where well - intentioned St John member are imply outmanoeuvred by the busine smen and professional ervice that hold sway on the sport

"Either the Commander or the Commissioner has to be the one that does the initial negotiating here. It is s imilarly important that the ame level of rank - or an Area Commissioner - becomes a fu 11 memberofany Safety and Advisory Committee which is chaired by the Local Licen ing Authority. "

Incidentally, anyone who i s having trouble negotiating fee with organisers of public events should talk to Derek Fenton about the importance of a clo e liaison with the Licensing Authorities!

In arguing for high -level negotiation , Fenton is not eeking to downplay the role of volunteers in the field.

" It remain s vitally important that St

casualty walked in with a dart in his chest. It had punctured his lung "There were 150 casualties in total, 80 of which should have gone to hospital "

(As most readers will know, not every casualty does as they are told - but none are released without signing the book a precaution that has proved its worth at least once in the recent past )

Hughie goes off to banter with the two paramedics. ("We have a good liai son with the Ambulance services. That's very important.

The ground ha s filled up by a kind of osmosis. We wander around the pitch , in time to see a trio of cadets being moved by the ground staff because they ' re obscuring a bill-board (important people, advertisers ) I almost trip up a girl whose job it is to hurl toffees into the crowd. Chris thoughtfully stops me before I repeat the deed with the Spurs players, who tumble out in front of us like ants fleeing from a hosepipe.

The ground no longer seems small. It seems very loud. We repair to the ramp outside the Firs tAid Room where someone has opened a tin of policemen. They s tand there, enjoying the match, in their impossibly yellow jackets Hughie comes over and tells us he ll ' give us the nod' if anything happens I test my height again s t the Liverpool police (They're worth £96 each today

20 St John World November 1991

John and the tatutory ambulance ervice should work as a team and no r in oppo ition. The same i true of relation hip s with the club taff, or an 'aggro' s ituation can develop the moment you hit a problem

"The Duty Officer hould en ure thi co -operation, particularly on match day . But financial negotiation - for example over the initial upply and s ub equent replacement of medical s upplie - are another matter

Many member might feel that tron g arm negotiation hardly gel with a c harit y strong arm negotiations hardly gel with a charity

organisation. But , ay s Fenton , w e 're d ealing with a tatutory require ment here. It i the club re pon ibility to pro v id e qu a lit y facilitie not only for pati e nt but for Fir t Aiders as well

"One of the rea on s why there w as a compromi e over donation thi ye ar," continu e Fenton Hi that th e Lea g ue had agreed with the club to allow St John to collect money from th e terrace If we we re getting the a ppropri a te d o na tion of £1 2 5 0 we would not have needed a coll ec tio n ."

Fenton confe e to be 'not o ve r-enthu s ia tic about c oll ec tion

- The StJohn members, I work out later, are worth £8.02p each ) and feel like a parro w mobbed by bananas.

A few yard s away in the Firs t Aid po t the noi s e seem s almo s t irrelevant. Thi s is not a place to see a football matc h y ou care about. The crowd makes the event, and if you re not part of them , you re not part of it.

The fir s t- half come s and goe s Suddenly three 'cas ualties' arrive at the s am e not every casualty does as they are told

time . The mo s t dramati c is a dazed ten- year old lad who ' s vomited rather s pectacularl y over himself and hi s dad

Hi s detail s are taken and s olicitou s Cadets swoop on him with bowl s of cotton wool and water. Another e s corted 'c a s ualty ' is a middle aged epileptic who ha s been picked up after fainting. He is zipped into a bay to lie down A third is a diabetic who wants to carry out a blood te st. He explain s that the la s t time he attempted th e test on the s tand s the police nearly threw him out because they thought he was' shooting up

The match continues. Chri s, who se e m s to pick up infonnation from the vibration s

" Collection need e xtra pe r onne l as tho e on duty cannot (or s hould not ) be involved.

" Meanwhile th e re are pote ntiall y a wkward ituation uc h as our Addi sco mbe Divi ion , which ha bee n ra i in g m o ney for a new Ambul a nce that will cove r Se lhurstPark (wh e re Wimbl edon and C rystal Palace play ). Both club s ha ve a lread y g iv e n a £ 2, 500 don a ti o n. Th e Divi s io ns coverin g Arse na l a nd Totte nh a m a re lik ewi e e a

e wi ll see k h is adVIce H e ha\ alre ad ye n vi age d an earl ) prio n t)' - a small m a tte r call ed the u pe r Leag ue in th e e arth , te ll s m e th a t ano th e r cas ual ty i bein g brou g ht in Hu g hi e th e n a p pear a nd c onfi rm th a t om e thin g ha h a ppe ne d o n th e o th e r id e of the pi tc h : " Qu ery heart atta c k"

W e fo ll ow Hu g hi e a nd th e two param e di cs ac ro th e f ro m of th e Spur upporters; a bit like pl ay in g te ppin g to ne ac ro ss Leviathan 's tee t h. Th e c asualty is sa t o n a s t re tc he r in a damp h adow a t the inte r ec ti o n of th e s tand It w o uld be a a d pl ace to die. A coupl e of kid s st are d ow n fro m th e tan d abo ve. Th e re t of th e c ro wd i o bl ivio u Th e param e di cs ta lk to him Th e c ri i , w ha te ve r it w a , ee m to have pas e d , but th e y d ecide to carry o ut an EC G a nyway.

It turn s out to be no more' th a n a pani c atta c k. The man i e corted bac k to th e Fir st Aid po t to re cupera te in peace.

A s the matc h con cl ud es we d i cover th a t e ig ht peopl e have bee n ho pita li ze da t Lim

il had

for

Well , I didn t c om e for dr a m a an y way. It wa s a 30 ,000 c rowd , th e r e we re 3 1 St John voluntee rs on duty on e ambul a nce in attendanc e, and four injuri e I c ould think of bette r way s to p e nd m y Saturd ays.

The train journ ey b ac k to Lo ndon was diffi c ult.

INVESTITURE

by the Lord Prior of St John in the Grand Priory Church, Clerkenwell, London on Thursday 26th September 1991.

As C ommand e r (Broth e r or S is t e r )

John amuel Byard Whltc lP

Derek. WillIam Rudge

Ralph Anthony Lee "1\ 8M HCR MRCGP oobs tR cOG

Raymond Henry Francis

Arthur tum Thackray

DaVid John obbs R\'1'1 Beryl Doreen mlth Thomas Leonard Hursl

Arthur

Ja yne ildbury

traw

Leslie Enc Emment

Felicity France Lcwls

John Rowe Aberdeen WIlliam Houghton

Commander Peter Hugh Taulam Wing ommander Philip John Bush

Wg

John Daniel Wheeler lP Dl MP Elec up AC

&W Yorks Is le of

As A ss ociate Officer (Brother of Si s ter )

Serving Brother or Sister

Imagine a crow d ed room at a p aIty. Everyone i talking at o nce, the leve l of noi e riing a each indivi du al tries to v ie wit h the oth ers to be h eard a bove th e ge neral c h ao Sudde nl y a weak voice cries o u t for help a omeone faint There' a good chance th ey won't be heard. In a d en ely pop ula ted, indu triali ed iland like o ur , th at i n't at all a bad ana logyforthe p ro bl em facing anyo ne in Blitain trying to u e radio a a mean of communication.

The problem with radio i that, unlike a telephone y tern, it i a finite re ource.

With a telephone network, if you have more ub criber than line, you imply lay additional cable to cope with the demand. With radio, there are only so many frequencie available. However hard the legi lator try, there are alway going to be too many people wanting their own individualfrequencie for each to be allocated one.

E en a organi ation and companies who have never before felt the need to use radio start to ee its benefit, exi ting u er are finding their use of radio communication increaing all the time. St John alone has een it number of radio ri e from around 1,800 et in 1987 to nearly 4,000 set today. Each of the e users need to be able to get a frequency where they can operate without clash ing with other. Sadly, there ju t aren't eno ugh to go round.

On the face of it, you mighta ume that priority in the allocation of frequencie would be given to emergency ervice

over the need of, for example, local tax i

! l 1 l .: firm and security companies. To an '\ 1 l : 1 extent t hat i jus t what happens but, l U.."",L.. J"""J . ,/ perhaps surprisi?gly, Order of . l//.""I"/'/ //,,. St. J o hn doesn t have Its own ex'' i H,I,' :, :,' I ' a1 f h . u Ivenauon av. mg to share the use of Its even , " ' 'th t be f h WI q UI e an um root ers ,» , " "' '" .\ -'1.',' " T , , OUT ,.. ." '" 1, ,/ hat a ItuatJOn which St. John s ' ::.. :,t" .. ):,::., t/ National Communication Adviser

(NCA) would like to ee changed. But he need help.

To the uninitiated, the bureaucracy urrounding radio communicati n in t. John (or any other body, for that matter) might eem a cia ic ymptom of over-regulation but, a the CA explain, it i ab olutely es ential that the relevant paperwork (RC Comm 3) i done. Failure to ati fy the Government' demand . could result in the eizure of radio equipment from local brigade or even. in the extreme, the 10 of whole frequencie to (, John

The purcha , e of radio equipment, even the acceptance of donated ,>et has to be approved by H.Q. which mean, in effect , by the C per onally, although a) long as a piece of equipment appear. on the H.Q. approved Ii t, 10 al Radio ommuni ation Officer can give appro al to u e il. Only by making , ure that Indi iuual brigade are u ing uitable equipment can I. John be certain thatthe tri tg emmental regulation are mel.

'If you take the cenario where a local divi ion want to buy a radio,' the CA explain, 'they ha e to contact their local communication officer in the ount)-, who then fill. -out a fonn, it to me at headquarter and I then either accept or reject iton the ground of technical compliance of the licen ing requirement for the frequencie If it' accepted they can then purcha e the radio and I will regi ter that et with the licen ing department.'

Local divi ion certainly do have 10 be careful what they buy. The majority of et coming out of duty with the local ambulance ervice, the familiar Pye

We tmin ter for example, are not up to current pecification and, a such, aren't of any u e to local brigade, however reasonable value they might look. The pitfall here i that the law allow the exi ting u er to carryon employing a radio licen ed to a certain frequency but doe n't let a ub equent user re-license it. This Catch 22 can mean, for example, that a local group might be offered a second-hand radio which operate on the ame frequency band as a radio they a lready po e ,but they will not be a ll owed to re- l icen e the newel. To [hem, it's worth ies - even as a free gift.

On the question of frequencies, at the moment St. John ha two groups allocated, one in what is called 'high band' region,

There's more to radio than pushing a button ... there's paperwork, too! Butis it really all necessary? And why do the DTI keep messing around with St John Ambulance frequencies? As Gary Cooper found out, the two issues are not entirely unrelated.

ome in the low band' 'The low band frequencie are etinconcrete-theyarenot going to alter,' ay [he A 'but in the high band frequencie , becau , e of the introduction of 'Erme " the European Paging y tern which i coming into this country, one of our high band frequenciechannel 2, high band - i being taken away from u by the D.T.L There have been ongoing negotiations v. ith them for orne twelve month over thi and we ve come out of it with a repla ement frequency for hannel2, plu . two mid band channel and three additional high band channel ' On the face of it, this ,>ound like t. John ha e done rather well, but the CA ha some reservati ns 'You have to rem mber [hat all the radio channel we u e are not for the ole u e of the Brigade - we ha ether u ers on the sanle frequencie

The hope i that. in the ry. not all the u er will want to u e them at the time. One .,llghtproblem is that the frequencies we' e been gi\en are what we tenn as ' .K.wide' oanydi isioninth countrycanu e them, wh reas me of the frequencie is ued to a 10 al taxi fiml and so on are de ignated to operate within the mall ervice area in which the)- do their work. We can go int some areas \.\ here \: e 'II get no radio interferen e at all, outlying place lik motor racing circuits in the middle of nowhere, hor e e ent. in the country and o n But when you come to do inner city event, lik.e football matche it' a difference story, becau e there you'll have other users , Iike the ground men and the car park people all u ing radio. In London and orherbigcitie itcansome[ime bea nuggle to get good radio communication etabli hed.

'That's why we now have a numerou amount of frequencie, 0 that we should be able to find a free frequen y out of the even to work with.'

Evcnthi doe n'talway workinpractice, and the CA" long term aim i to get exclu ive national frequencie allocated to t. John. To do that he ne ds to achieve two thing - fir tly to ensure that there are a few complaint · a p ible to the D.T.I. Radio Tntelference Servi e about the way St. John u e the frequencie it currently ha ,and econdly to convince them that t. John make enough use of radio to de erve it. own, exclu ive, channel. Both of the e

targets are dependent on local brigade following the rule, he ays.

We have to upply the D.T.I.' Radio Interference Service, with a memo (RC Comms 3 form) howing where we're going to u 'e the radio, with time etc. fourteen day in advance. That ometime i n'tdone by local brigades and the re ult i that the O.T.I. get irate, only rightly 0 becau e it's in the legal requirement under the term of our licen e.'

'People complain about the paperwork, but at the beginning of the year many divi ion know what dutie they've got to do and where the radio i likely to be u ed. All they have to do i put one of the e form in, attached to a piece of paper with all the

quickly and, if it goe wrong, the local repairer will, hopefully , look after them well and give them a good di count into the bargain.

The CA' long term aim in hi negotiations with the D.T.I. i to get three excluive channels reserved for St. John. To achieve that mean the maximum amount of notification being sent to the Radio Interferencedepartments.A the CA ay , 'If you want ole-u er channel you've got to prove that you u e the exi ting channel to the ultimate, and the only way we can do that i to inform the D.T.1. every hour. minute and econd that we u e radio.'

" The re s ult is that the D.T.I. get irate J ' only rightly so becau s e it Js in the legal requirement"

date on it and that' done - fini hed. What could be ea ier than that? Then all they do i notify the new dutie a the come alone. It couldn't really be much ea ier.'

It' a con tant fru trarion to the that 0 many local Divi ion fall down on thi impleprocedure-notbecau eitthwarts orne ini ter rna rerplan for H.Q. to ha e control over e ery a pect of day to day

operation , but becau e it eriou Iy " weaken hi ca e when he ha to -"'-- -negotiate with the O.T.I. over frequencie

'If people would onl reali e that the more bit of paper they end like that to the O.T.I., the more leverage l' e got to get a ole channel for the Brigade, [ think it would help a great deal.'

'It' not that I want to be dogmatic,' ay the A. 'It' no longer the ca e that all radio have to be bought through HQ.

My view i if a man rai e thr e or four hundred pound to buy a radio I ally, he' got a right to u e that money in hi own area. Fir tl it put the mone back where it cam from and they can ee the re ult

With the growing importance of radio to St. John and the ri e in the number of other u er in the U.K., all of \.\. hom are competing fora carce re ource, the ooner that come about, the better. To go back to theanalogyofanoi :> party,inourcrowded room that CD for help need , to be heard loud and clear - not 10 t in the general hubbub.

The ational Communication Advi or, Mr G Streeter, can be contactedatGro venorCre centon 0712355231.

Apsig Ltd

Apsigi adi nibutoroftheBendix/ K ing range of radio equipment from America. Handportable and mo b ile radio uni ts are fully ynt hesised for frequency tability, with u p to 210 R F channe capabi lity. T ran mineroutpurpoweris

f u lly adjustable on all models (mobile up to 30 watts; handpo rt ables up to 5 watts, VHF, and 4 watts, U H F). CTCSS/ C D CS S is fitted as standard. The transceivers operate u p to 62MHz (UHF) and 26MH z (VHF). The basic radio un its are complemented by a series of Signalling additions, s uch as DTMF, Selective Calling and Trunking. Other option extend to fu ll customising of radio u n its to suit individual need

Communique

A snapshot of the market. Readers are reminded of the need to get approval from the N CA on models not listed with the local Radio Communications Officer.

There i al 0 an automatic mandown alarm, hould a et or the person wearing it fall to the ground. If an unauthori ed per on i u ing a handportable, the ecurity channel wipe feature can be implemented, to immobili e that panicularhandportable. until re et by the command unit. If radio ecurity i paramount the unit can be retrofitted with ophi ticated scrambler for secure peech.

Communique de ign, manufacture and ell radio for Land and Marine u e (the new GX_310UK synthe ised tranceiver i one of the mo t compact available, de igned to fit ea ily into the malle tboatsordinghies), the e include intrinsically afe et and R adio Telemetry equipment.

ide the et for the addition of elective calling a a imple plugin option lcom (UK) Ltd is always willingtodi cu srequirement and help find local dealer for Brigades who wish to ee the Icom range demon trated

Co mmun iq ue (UK) L td, a we ll esta bl is he d L and and M arine R adio Co mm u n icatio n s Specialist

b ase d n L o nd on, has recen tl y l au n c h e d its new security ha nd p ortab les, t he H.X347 series.

Th e HX 347 uni t is specifica ll y d es ig n ed to cate r fo r t h ose e n vi-

ro nm e n ts whe re safe y a n d securit y are of paramo u nt m po rta nce. If danger is im mi ne nt he set is

e qu ip pe d with an audib le or dis-

c reet emerge n cy/panic bulton, w h ic h wi II a lert the control ce n tre.

24 St John World November 1991

The comprehen ive range of equipment from leom (UK) Ltd in Kent enables ystems from either a simple handheld to a complete communication network to be prov ided. A full range of accessories are available for u e with all leom products and we wn ure that an ex ten ive after ales service provided by all our local dealers to back up their sales.

One of our mo t popular et is h e versatile IC-H 0 Handheld. Supp l ied with long life battery and s u itab e charger this compact unit provides an output of 2 5 watts and specifications previou lyonly avai lable in larger and higher p r iced u n ts.

T he IC-V I OI comp lements t he range of mobiles and feat u re two channels (fully programmab e) and an output of 25 watt CTCSS or private ine is fitted as standard a socket is provided in-

Two recent addition to the ubtantial Motorola range in lude the IS MX 1000 erie and the Staccato The I MX 1000 are lntrin ically Safe FM portables approved to Cenelec EEX ib lIB

T4 Standards for working in hazardou environment All three model offerthe highe s t RF power output available 2w UHF and 2 5W VHF Model are reprogrammable, pro ide full dlplay and keypad facilitie with telephone interconnect and up to 100 channel capability.

The Staccato is a mediumhigh tier mobile radio for use n conventional PMR s y tems and provide ver atile ignalling cheme call cueing and taLU identifi ation. The ba ic ignalIing package feature Pri ate Line (CTCSS) , Sele c t 5 and Binary ignallingand an ability tocombine more than one ignalling s tandard (including PABS interc onnection facilitie with DTMF). Security features include an operator alert if the driver i away from the ehicle when a call i received

Nabi s hi

The late t range of compact mobile radio to arrive at abi hi in Readingi the9100 erie ,available with 8 or 16 channel, from 5 to 30 wall Many of the new range's component are common to the ucce ful90 I Handportable rangemakingthe9100seriesco leffective and easy to erviee

Both the 9100 Mobile and 90 Handportables are available in UHF, VHF and Low Bands and are approved to M PT 1326 Programming is by diode matrix or Eprom. A u eful tandard feature CTCSS with eparale tone for each channel. A wide range of aeee sorie available

HX347

PROFESSIONAL HANDPORTABLE

COMBINING COST EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATIONS WITH UNRIVALLED

NEVER OUT OF TOUCH

can CO /1/ ran ge

Maxon Europe h as r ece ntl y launched the new 0 e re lg n range of Synthesised Handportable s and Mobile

Capable of operation on up to 16 Channel s the SL 70 limline Handportable ha an RF Power output of one to fiv e w a lls \0\ 1Ih a tandard 600 Mah battery makin g it one of the most po \0\ erfu I radio s a ailable

The MobIle PM 150 has an RF Power output eapa 11)' whI c h IS programmable be tween 5 to 25 wall With full CTC or Di g ital Control quelch and mUltiple addre ing facilitlc Imh. e d ""lIh sequential tone ig na1l1l1g format compatIble WIth most European y tems , the ov reign s te m pan both ba lc and advanced y tem requirement s The ru g ged aluminium frameworh. is c oupled with weather - ealing ga ket s on all opening pan of the desi g n Maxon Europe ha s worh.ed clo ely with cancom in urrey 10 upply the overeign range to St John Ambulance Brigade throughout the UK, and there i a ub tantial di count to Brigade users ( ee o ur a d ve rt , bac k p age thi i u e). The lale t enhancement allow operation up to 99 channel and i directly targeted at the mergency ervice With the extra frequencies and Tone Lock quelch ytem now available to St John the Maxon ystem caters for all requiremenL (we will happily discu individua l options) and is backed by a full guarantee

Please mention St John World if YOIl decide to contact any of (he companies named in this f ea(ure

During first aid emergencies an ambulance team needs a reliable and easy-to-use mobile radio system , that system is ICOM Your teams performance will be instantly more efficient with an ICOM mobile radio system . ICOM ' s range includes ; handhelds , vehicle - mobiles and base-stat i ons operating on VHF or UHF frequencies , ICOM 2-way radio has proved to be the most popular and cost-effective mobile system for St John Ambulance , London District . If you would li ke your division to make the most of its budget get in touch with ICOM today !

Conflict and Co-operation

I have ju t returned from the ational Conference in P ortsmouth and, although the event itselfwa difficultto fault, one incident there ab olutely horrified me: Brigade members actually cheered becau e St John/Red Cro bids to cover First Aid dutie at some large event had beaten tho e of the tatulory ambulance ervice.

I was under the impression that the voluntary o rgani ation worked in co-operation with and along ide the tatutory ervice, not in competition with them. Let us get together with our local County Ambulance Service manager and ee how we can work with them at these even t In a crisi we will still need to call on them anyway. Let us suggest joint training and duties. working together in the arne way a Police and Fire Service reservists. If we don't suggest t now, will lhe ambulanceservicecome up with their own reserve cherne and could it happen that their fir t recruit will be our mo qualified member?

To make the whole situation even more ludi cro us, later in the conference th ose same delegate laughed at the 'humorous' cenarios of bad management , inefficiency and low standards within some Di visions, yet every person I spoke to knew of places where thi was fact and not a joke at a ll.

Can thi be the same organi ation?

There's enough work ou t there for everyone, but let us recogni e who the real specialists are and benefit from their experti e by working wi th them. Or will we a ll be c heering at next year's conference to hear that we have beaten a Di st ri c t Health Authority and won a cont rac t to provide community nursing ca re with a budget-holding GP pr ac ti ce?

E. Ki n g h orn RGN SCM NDN Cadet Supt.

Letters

Ta, Ta, Kernow

May I rake thi opportuni ty through your magazine ro Ihank the Launce lOll Brigade Cornwall for the uperb attention they gave to my daughter Hannah when he collapsed at St Mawgan Air Show in Augu t. They were very adept and organi ed, and very ympathetic to me. It wa admirable th e way they took control of the ituation and organised tran port to Truro Ho pital by air ambulance. In it elf th is wa a nightmare for me a I had never flown before, but the lOok care to rea ure me

My daughter wa relea ed from ho spi tal af er two hour s, eemingly alright. So once again many thank to Launce ston; to th Bodmin team who were al 0 there; the paramedic of Fir t Air. and the Pilot - they were all wonderful.

Ble you all for thi s mall part of the wonderrul work you do. Mr and Mr Ro y Man ell...and Hannah Work op Nott

Crowing about Something

I am privileged to be one of the uperintendent of two remarkable Cadet Di vi ions : Coalville Ambulance and ur ing Cadet Divi ions, Leice ster hire. Our list of achievement thi s year ha included: ational Cadet of the Year (John Fern); ational Champions (Dunbar ami th in Croydo n ); ati onal You th Counci 1I0go des igner (Chri topher Knifton) ,a nd ational Semi-final Youth Fire Prevention Quiz( ur. ing Cadets).

We a lway do well in Cadet compe tition in Lei ces tershire and hav e won them all at orne point.

We a re a Division of around 80 in number , with a further 50 Badgers attached to us. We perform around 3000 duty hour each year and have had 58 Grand Prior winners in the last eleven years.

How is it done? There i a wonderful team around me : Supt Wendy J ohnson; Cadet Officers Ted Atkin, Matthew Underwood, Stephanie Bri a rs; four brilliant Cadet Leaders a nd not forgetting the B adge r Leaders Florry Atkin s, Shirley Fleture and Freda Cavendish. We al 0 have a parents' committee who rai se fund and help run the Divi sion. The Area/County starf also contribu te greatly.

If [ were to explain all that we do it would fill up the whole of the middle pages and I imply do not have time now Pl ease can you give my wo nd erful people a mention in SI John World?

DIS Brian Hind s Coalville Leicester

Don't • resign yourself to the inevitable

Regard1l1g T Hollingworth's letter ( ep' JW pg2<J.), I am one or the With service from January 1933 until March 2 th 19 8 hen I received a certificate or retirement.

I wholeheartedly agree With the omments in the letter; 1 agree that aged per onnel should retire but that doe not mean that th y are IIlferior. M) Brigade service included the Military Hospital Reerve 19 4; I v. as ailed up' in 1939 1946 ) and moved from Pn ate to rea Commissioner in the Brigade itself. a profe ional Public Heal th Engineer and onsultant 1 belonged to several profes ional in lIturion - from all or "",hlch I have now resigned, but I till get reque t for advi e on techntcal matter.

The Bri gade, in tead of aying old members are inferior, hould u to give advice from our pat experience. One reult orthi \ I am ure, would be an improv ement in di clpline and to slow the trend orbecom ing a youth movement by a littl e more auention [0 the Adult Divi sion and th e Foundation's hi tory

Shortly after I received my retirement certificate, I happened to be in the ri g ht place at the right tim e when one of my neighbours s ufrere d a heart a tt ack.. [ did not 'cros to the other ide orthe road' and am pleased to ay th at arter a few weeks in ho pital he is noW very much alive.

I know that I must not wear my unirornl , even to attcnd the funeral of one ormy old members, without first obtaining permis ' ion from the Chief Training Officcr.

JFE Bent Dudle y W Midland.

Letters

tuffiness

and onsense

As I understand it, the principal aim or the John Ambulance is to provide facilities to pre erve life until professional help can be administered. ThiS IS of course, the reason v. hy most people tak e up First Aid -they wi h to be prepared where they might be able to help save a life.

Many of the contributors of to SI John World, however eem to be more IIlteresled in unironns , Dre'>s Regulation.,. and the general 'pomp and circumstance' of the Order. ccordlllg to 1. dlcr\ letter (JY\I epl. pg 23) for instance, the Ore " Regulations sta te that no jewellery (illcludlllg 0 Tali'>mans) should be \\om on parades It ,>cem'> absurd to me that an organisation concerned \\ Ith the preservation of life an put berore medl al common "eme The point of wearing a tali sman. arter all , is to prO'. Ide First Alders and the professlonab with a cessible inf rmarion rele\ ant to the patlent's medical condition It IS thus far from sensible to attach the talisman to a bunch of k.ey,> buned in a bag It I" hardl) surprising that member"hlp or the Order declined 111 the 19 U" "uch a\ tl1l', put" ofT those v. ho simply v. ish to learn hov. to prepare themsel\es for emergencies

Richard Bank London W6

MICKEY MOUSE OUTFIT

Arter reading the letter rrom Mr Can right regarding baseball cap'> for duty wear, perhap" ifhi" Division also wore Mickey Nlou'>e Ear'> on their caps they would look trendier still Ir every divi'ilon wore their own or a ulllform the Brigade would look plain ridiculous. I have wom the Brigade

011 the wall of the orrh ChOir isle in our 10 ely Priory hurch here at hristchurch, Ihere is a brass Vv hich perpetuates the memory of gnes harlolle Burne , v. ife of lajor General ir Owen Tudor Burne. She de<,ignated 'Lady of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem'. I feci that this is incorre t as she mu t surel) ha e been a Dame of Grace he of course. Lady in her own right. othing is J...nown of her locally e cept that she died here at hristchurch in 1907 and IS interr(;d in th e Priol) chur hyard. Offi ial or th e Priory have been unable to help.

We in the Christchurch Division of the Brigade feel that we would like to kn ow more about her , particularly about her titl e in the Order of St John an you advise us whom we can approach to obtain the infon1l<llion we sec J... I e nclose a photograph of the plaque.

WJ Padgham, PRO C hri tchurch Divi ion

Mr Pad g ham leiter ha been forward ed to th e mu eum, but I)crhap a read e r mi g ht b e able to add ' omething - Ed.

Addressing

aproblem

0 Talisman while in Brigade uniform There are t \\ 0 Vv hich cau e COI1cern : 1) mongst the infonnation ontained in ide the Talisman is the person' name and addre [(ached to a ley ring it would allol,.\ an) per on \\.ho finds or steals the J...e) s access to the ov, ner' home or other premi , es 2) tali man ana hed to a handba g could beeparated from the casual ty at a critical time

In my opinion Brigade Regulation could be rela ed for [he above item. Parade are usually of hort duration and on rhe e 0caions th e Talisman ould be placed out of immediate Vle\\ under th e ne J... of the blou ' e or dr s\". e eral of our members hu\ e medical conditions r allergies \\ hich do not prc\ ent them from undenaJ...ing public dutie... Ian) of these conditions leg allergy to bee need to be highlighted and there is a genulIle need for Talismans for such people

AI / 0 L.W. Id\l inckl e te\ e nag e

0 /, C. Walker

BI} th Co mbin e d Di\ i io n :\orthumbria

More Poetry Pleas

I've been a member of St John Ambulance for five )ear nO\\. and I've enjoyed eve!) minute of it. I v. rote three poem for St John recentl) while I was bored at home k.now you can't prillt them all. but I'll end you them and let ou choose one (Crike), \\ hat a repon ibility - Ed)

Badger are loyal

Badger are true: Patching you up When you're

In

Ical collar should be lied : a) in lhe front h) In lhe rear c) on the ..,ide"?

a ) Two b) Three c Four .t Bra ll1 c omprc\sion wh y I'> It Import ant to muintall1 a go o d illrv. Cl Y'? a) To prevl:lll Cl"phyxIa b) To pre vent deepenIng of

c) To reduce dc\clopmClll or comprC\SIOIl

5) When checking levels of re, ponse body movements are Judged by the follow 1l1g table What is the missing observallon ?

MOVEMENT Does the casua y move on command?

• • Does ,he casualty maire no response J

7) When checking the le\ e[ of repone we examine the eyes. Which k.ey check mising from the table bela\.\ ?

EYES Are They open) Do he, open on command' Do the' remain Cosed'

10 ) In the treatment of a fractured neck.. \\ hen should) ou relea e ) our upport of [he ned.'?

a) 0 a to appl) the c liar

b ) e\ er: mainta1l1 all the time ) frer [he collar is fitted

9 ) LC\ch of are now (.Ictelllll11ed h) cheding threc spccific facIlltics What arc they?

Crossword No 11(91) by WA Potter

a limb studied for future knowledge (4,2,4).

8 Fa t -digesting enzyme of pancrea t ic juice (6).

9 Ave el not quite closed (4).

10 For administration by routes o t her than the a imentary tract ( 10).

11 Pa ie nl who are not on thc wards (3),

13 Transgre ion fol owing enthusiasm for fennent of gastric juice (6).

14 Arre t ca ling for immedia te, emergency action (7).

15 Sound return (4).

17 Make amends with a degree of muscle tension (5).

20 The carcinoma covenng tendons and pinal cord (5).

22 pecialised nerve cell of retina sen itive to dim light (4).

24 Rela l ing to part of the brain concealed in one pint (7).

25 Pimple (6).

28 Girl rcturns for an ediblc tuber (3).

29 Fifth cranial nerve (10).

30 Light fawn colour upscttlng 16 Down (4).

31 To open an is nIce change (6).

32 Lotion inhibiting growth of pathogenic bactena (10).

CLUES DO WN

1 Mangle it badl producll1g joint '>tructure (8).

2 Care wllh half a tender embrace (6).

3 Intennediatc product of proteIn dige tion (7).

" Acquire knowledge from renal dissection (5).

5 Alternativel) alumll1lum for adminislralIon by mouth (4).

6 After changlllg rota. pille for a prc-operativc drug ( ).

7 DIY co t for dlrticultlabour (8).

12 Courage gIven by "ton) (4).

Do you know your manuals? Answers fr o m page 25

b 2 b 3 Does casualt) make II1comprehensible c 5 Docs ca'>ualt) move II1 responsctopalllfulLImull? 6 b7 Do they open in response to

12 Ovcr L3 Bran 14 Laser 16 Deputi e 19 Frugal 21 M op 23 Reside 24 on-metal 27 Final 29 Like 30 Balm 32 Ova 34 Ext ra 35 ma arm 36 H olds back 37 Genus. Down J H ap oid 2 Bas e 3 Tai l4 Ancu-

Apron

33 F ag

St John Wo r ld

A not

e

to readers

The good news is that SI Johll H or/dwdl retain tl"coverprice of £ 1.00 per i ue for the foreseeable future. The bad new 1 that an IIlcreae In postal charge ha meant thatubscriptlon rate will rIse to a standard rate of £ 15 00 \\ ith a commensurate rise for Cadet and Fellowship mernber - to £7.50. Overseas <,ubs riptions will also ri e to £17.50. Exisling subribers will not be charged the new fee untiltheirreneVval i due, I Johll World now contains an extra four pages but thi ha had no bearing on t he increa e in subscrip ions. Our apologic 10 rcader for the continued la te-delivery problems with he magazine: and part icular apologie to those of you who receive bulk order' and ha e the ta I-.. of e p aining la te delicries to o t her members. o t with tanding a recurrent attack of flu, the December issue shou d bc landing on dool111at during Ihe firs week of th e mon th. Far from being a remar l-.. ab e achievement. we hope to us ain thi. feal t hroughou t th e whole of 1992. Thankyou for bearing with us.

14 Connection between placenta and foetus (4).

16 Pre<;erve remedy (4).

18 Fonn of medication poil! by a fly (8).

19 Eye said to inflict hann on other (4).

21 Sudden severe illne s or pro tration upsets close pal (8).

23 Flexure of colon in upper left ide of abdomen (7).

26 Public relatIons Vvith nice change for a royal male (6).

27 The three-lobed lung i correct (5).

29 Long. holloVv cylindrical organ (4).

Maxon have recently launched their new Sovereign Series of Synthesised handportable and mobile radiOS

Many d ivisions nationwide are currently using Maxons extensive range. Featuring:-

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• Excellent accessory range. serviCing.

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• Re-crystalling and programming of all leading makes of two way radio .

• Extremely competitive pricing.

DICK WHITTINGTON

ami (glo\\)) colour [1rlnh are all acceplahle lIlu, [rallon'. Photograrh, \\ lIh addre"e, on Ihe back ,lie 1110le 10 he rClUmed. '0 hc:c(/I P R F S DA 'I da y of Ihe 1110nth u/),cription, Indl\ Idual lOrleS 01 [John are CI (Xl cal h Poslal \Uh\LTlPIIOIl 1\ [I 'i 00 per .lnllU111 (l17

Thl!-. month',> front c o \er

Hand up that man who, at the Brigade Conference thi ' year, a ked 'why, if we're a chatity, do we have to pay o much for unifon11 ?'. St John Supplie ha announced a major initiative, DISCOUNT 199_, on uniform pricing to begin on 1st January.

Many uniform item such a jacket., skirt,. weaters and shirts will be discount d to less than August 1991 prices. Furthermore, all will be fixed for the whole of 1992 so that Di\ i ions can budget for the year ahead.

There will be no reduction in quality - all garments and v. ill be orthe arne current high tandard - and the e>-.isting arrangement for Privileged Card Holders. by which UK deliverie<; are free of postal charges, will be maintained. or, before you a k, are there an) minimum order requirement or hidden urcharge

'The e prices are the mo t compe titi ve ever," said a spokesperson for St John Supplie "Di count 1992 i possible becau e of the ing ucce of the exten ive Fir t Aid product. we toc\... which has enabled significant benefit to be pa '. ed on to t John Ambulance

"By continuing to uppon Supplie ,member III ensure regular avings acros a wide range of products used by St John Ambulance,"

A new Uniform Catalogue will be published early 111 January, gi\ ing full detail of the cheme and up-Io-date information on pecific garments, badge and acce ' orie ·. It loob li\...e 1992 is the year for l11a\"'ing ure everyone on paradejlnally look · Ihe same!

It's a snip!

The new St John Sup plies Shop was forma ll y o pene d on October 29th by th e Lo rd Pri or.

Reassurance

000000 0 Pic of of the tile month r l( nh

00000 000

No, thi i not a rehearsal. The member of Weybridge Combined Division patch up one of the casualties at thi year's Nolting Hill Carnival.

The pre reported that the event passed off peaceably, although there was one fatality. The London Ambulance Service graciously wrote to Weybridge about the casualty hown, pointing out that "had it not beenforthecombined kill of your people and our paramedic there was every chance that he could have been the second fatality of the Carnival' .

£20 to the St John fund ofWeybridge' choice for what may not be the be t exposed picture we've seen, but it's good to see omeone with the presence of mind to capture the moment and who' not afraid to tilt the camera.

Theshop,atN027 Stjohn Square, now boasts more room for extra stock and a new selection of gifts and souvenirs. There's even a waLk through access to the Gate should you want to vi it the museum

The DirecrorofSupplie s, Brian Rockell, was on hand to point out that October had been the best month ever and to thank the staff. The shop is open to mem bers of the public as well as SJA members whofee1likesneakily tryingon the Commanders' hats to see how they fit...

The shop is open from lOam to 4.30pm (4.00pm Saturdays).

In rc"ponsc 10 Klngham \ leller las l110nth ( Colljlic ( and Coopera(ioll). I am glad to bc able 10 tell readers thaI at national level are indeed seeking to forge closcr linb thc "talutory ambulance sef\ icc, with thc po\siblc aim of becomlI1g recognhcd as Ihe offiCIal ambulancc rC'lcn e We would ccn<ll11ly c>-.pect to benefit from JOInt lfUlI1lng and duties. as he suggesh.

Tim Gau va in

work pays off

Sl John mbulance ,>cored highly In a ,>urvey this utumn carried out by OP forUnipaI1 about First Aid Kits in ars. Over a thou and members or the public were 'Who do you believe would be the best able to advise on the conrems or a motorist's First id Kit '?'. St John amc top with 36% of people turnin g to th e vo lunteer. Do tors were next (with followed by the Ambulance ervice ( 19o/c).

Dunng Ihe Warof 194 Mohammed Abu Khaled ned to Gaza from Jaffa \>,nh hiS famil)-, !em Ing behtnd all 1m e Ion All his Itfe subsequentl) ha, been spent 111 the refugee camp of Jabalta At T2 years old. he accepted the gradual bltndnes that mtllcted him J the me\ Itable progres of old age famil) \\ ere re Igned to feeding him and leading him around. as he ould ee no more than Itght or dar\... . Then, on the ad\ ice of hi, fnends mthe coffee hop he ..mended a t John Outreach CItI1lC II1lhe refugee camp 111 ugust 1991 along \\ ith it hundred other people Wllhin a month, one of hI. ver) advanced cataracls v. as re1110\ ed and a lens Implant II1sened The follo\\ing da). he could see "better than I e\er ha\e done " and. 111 between jO\...lI1g \\ ith the prell) Pale'-lll1lan nurses, \\ as ask.lI1g for the other eye 10 be dealt \\ ith. HI.., famtl) are deltghled \\ Ilh Ihclr ne\\ freedom from nurs1l1g dUlles but 10hammed IS dlslressed to 'oce ho\\ aged have become hiS \\ ife and hIS fnends 111 the coffee

December 1991 tJohnWorld 5

sex please, we're St John

Avon Commander, Clifford Blount, recently pointed out to your favo u rite magazine (that's us) that On Cal l contributors are still maki n g reference to Amb u lance Members and Nursing Members. Of course, as everyone shou Id know now, there are no such anima s. Brigade Order in June finally acknowledged the not on ly of male nurses but even female ambulance drivers. So come on, all you Brigade Memhers, wi e up!

6 S J

December 991

In Remembrance

A ) ear ago thi" month. Dr MUriel A Haigh ( nee Stephens) died aged 92. Dr Haigh wa co0pled into the Wigan ur ing Division in the year of Its formation. 1929 More slgl11ficantly !>he was the fir t female GP in Wigan al a lime (1927) \0\ hen women doctor were rarer than Dodo dropping and liable to be treated \0\ ith even more discretion.

Educated at Kings ollege. the measure of her per onalil y can be gauged b) the fact that sh e et up her 0\0\ n practice 111 Lovv er Ince aged 2Y and v ith1l1 a) ear of l-.t:lning to \0\ or\... there as another GP 's tlssl tanl. i\c cord1l1g to nc\', paper repons the evenl ·cau cd a tir' "She v as a \ er) determined. dogmaLJc pcrSOnalll) said her son, Dr Colin Haigh "Whatever goals she set for her'ieJf. she nearl, cd \0\ H, s at talned, yct 'ihc did not have to be unpiea!>ant to do 0."

Muriel Haigh cH:ntually closed the pracllce III I 97(h hen "he went to v.. or\... \0\ Ith her q)n for three more ,ears before retJrlng he became Dlvl lonal urgcon with1l1 a wee\... of'join1I1g SJA Wigan urslng DIVI..,ion. In 1956 she was madc orp he met her husband, Edward Haigh, adentl"'l. through St John and was married in 1910.

She was Invested With a number of titles. becoming a Dame of the Order in 1979

Amongst her other achlcvements she was Chairman of the British Medical A sociatlon (1966) and a founder member of Wigan Soroptimlsts and the Wigan Music Society.

Dr Haigh also made a notable contribution to modern 0clal hi<;tory b, helping ..,et up one of the first ever creches at Walkers' Enginecling Works Based in Wigan Rectory. it was honoured by a visit from George V. DrMuriel Haigh was born in Wrexham in March 1898 Her funeral was attended by a Guard of Honour and the St John nag was draped over her coffin.

D! ,>i(,/l/red ill 19:6. Ihe v('ar olhe! (/P/WI/IIIIICIII (/\ H I Corps

Retirement should be about maintaining the back garden not the back boiler

Which is why we've been offering our older customers a free gas safety check for some time now

As we have to all our disabled customers.

If you, or anyone you know, would benefit, call in at a showroom and get in touch with one of our specialist advisers

They'll tell you about this service and our other special services

Like our GasCare Register: on which customers can help us improve our service by registering any special

needs they may have.

To find out more about our commitment to older or disabled people, fill out the coupon and send it to British Gas pic, FREEPOST, PO Box 61, London NW1 WH

When you have got some free time that

Pom-Tiddley

Blackpool Combined Cade Band gather around the shield for best floal. presented o them for the second year running at the Lion Carnival on Blackpool Promenade in August. According to DIS OM Hilton the band has gone from strength to strength ince

Tom Sheriden rook up the po of bandma ter in 1985. The group has some 30 members ranging from 10 to 19 years old, and there is an upcoming bunch of Cadets plugging away at music Ie on in the pipe line.

Fellowship Column

A Chri tma Mes age frOlTI

Major General PR Leuchars, Chairman:

As we look back over 1991, a momentou year in histol) by any ' tandards, we can also look. back with pride and plea ure at the contribution which the Fellow <;hip has made to the Order, Whether it be in the part our members pIa) in the activ ities of St John Ambulance, e-.peciall) their respon"e to the need of th e Gulf War, or the contribution the) mak.e to the OphthalmIC Hospital in Jerusalem. or the work many do In their local community and the care they give to our OV\ n member 111 need. In all the e and many other way" the Fe 110\\ <,hip has continued toerve as an mcreasingl) Important branch of the Order. In sending to you and to your familie my be wI!'>he for a vel) happy Christmas and in congratulatlllg you all on your achievement in the pa t year. I ask )- ou to cont111ue and \\ here po'>sible expand our work. and usefulness in 1992 I look. forv\ ard e"peciall} to eeing many of you at what promise,> to be another excellent reunion III Cleveland in May

Sheila Puck Ie add - I am pleased to announce the fomlation of the third Branch 111 Derby"hlre: Peak Area ( Bm.ton ) Branch, Derbyshire COI/wu' M, J £ 4.com/('y. 5. HO/AN Rd BI/HOIl.

Derhyshire SK J 7 6Q Now that the t John Fellow"hlp has 26 Overseas Branches the term' allonal' ecretal) j" no longer appropriate, It has therefore been agreed by the Central Commll1-----------------------+1 tee and approved by the Order that the appointment shall in

future be called General SeCreld!). There is nochange in my role!

Gnarled by Guernsey

Evel) Joumaltst knows that the potenltal error III the 'Aorld olltwcigh the chances of geltlllg somethlllg right by a factor of "oll1clhing IIkc <1 millIon. In other words, if you 're getting more nght than wrong. then you're doing pretty well! Mmm the argument didn't lut much Ice with Guernsey DIVISIon ellher. It recently took to task for getting the St John Ambulance Brigade mixed up 'A1Ih the SI John Ambulance & Rescue ServIce. The latter. ror future rderence. IS the island " full-time and only profeSSIonal ambulance service

Saints come marching

A GREAT SCHEME FROM BANK OF SCOTLAND AVAILABLE TO YOU.

You can borrow from £ 100 to 15,000 at 1% bel w Bank of Scotland cotloan rat . cotl an rat i currently 12 0/0 flat for t rm up t and including 5 year and 13% flat t r term fron15 to 10 ar . With thi r duction the Annual P rcentage Rate (APR) for a loan tak n v r three year will be 2 1. 49b a opp ed t 23.30/0 charged und r th tandard Bank of cotland c tl an.

If you'r 1 r ov r, and hold a b nk or building ociety acc unt which ha a direct debit facility, you're eligible to apply t r a loan.

£100 and £15,000 to pay for almo t anything you like. A car, a holiday, a new kitchen - it' up to you!

You can get a pecial application form by telephoning Bank of Scotland free on 0800-393789.

We are drawing the availability of thi facility to your attention and are not involved in any way in arrangen1ent made between the individual and Bank of Scotland.

8

Association of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.

Everyone's trying to get III on OverTo You John In a bId to encourage members to join its new St Christopher Dnver Plan the Isle of Man Assurance company recently revIewed its optIon.,. A ftcrmuch scratching of heads they came up WIth the fact that the chaim1an of the company that the plan is Sir John Paul (erstwhile Director Overseas here at Grosvenor Crescent) while the Isle of Man Assurance's managlllg dIrector, Roblll Bigland, ltves III a VIllage called St Johns. In th e event, they've SImply decided to make a donation to SJA for every policy taken out. ounds good to us - anyone Interested wtll find more details on page II.

You can choo e the repayn1ent period that uit you be t and the intere t rate i fixed at th time the loan is grant d - and guaranteed n t to change.

If your loan application i ucce ful - this is at the ole di cretion of Bank of Scotland - you can borrow between

For full detail and a written quotation, contact Bank of Scotland, FREEPOST, Central Banking Sen ice D partn1ent PL, 2 R bert on Avenue, Edinburgh EH110NR.

The Joint Meeting of the Alliance Orders of St John together with National Associations of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta took place in Berlin at the end of September. The new President of the Alliance. Baron Akerhielm (I) is seen with Lord Craigmyle, President of the British

ALLIED PRESENTATIONS LTD

Reading Speedway

would like to take this opportunity of thanking the St John Ambulance members for their work on Monday evenings during the 1991 Speedway Season and we look forward to seeing them again in 1992.

LUTON TOWN FOOTBALL CLUB

LEICESTER CITY F.C.

o'c lock on th e mornin g of September 18th I went with a yo un g doctor into the ward. I watched a he removed the bandage of a man whose ight over the pa t five yea r had deteriorated to the point where he could distingui s h with one eye only clo e and vigorou hand movement s. A very dignified man he wa , perhap s 40 years old and very arabic. A the bandage wa peeled back I watched hi eye open and a flicker - only a flicker - of a smile cross his lip s. Then , while the doctor peered intently at hi work the man raised both hi thumb upward and lowly nodded. The doctor led him to a chart, tested hi s vision, and reali ed with atisfaction that the cataract affected eye had regained almost 20/20 vision.

For Tim, the English eye urgeon , thi was almo t an everyday occurrence and he quickly passed on to the next patient but I stood amazed by what to me seemed nothing short of miraculou ; staring at the man as he turned lowly to gaze about him. Later I followed Tim into the clinic with it never-ending stream of children, men and women, old and young, whose eyes were troubling them Many were offered immediate relief.

Then a patient was led in -a frail man who I noticed from hi s records to beexactly my own age. One eye had already been removed - the record didn't ay wherewhile in the other eye I looked and saw the milky cloud of a full cataract. Thi s could normally be removed by a sw ift and straightforward operation. But focus ing the slit-lamp microscope Tim pointed out how the cornea was deeply sc arred and pitted He explained quietly that he didn't think it pos s ible to take the risk of a double operation of both cataract removal and cornea tran plant which, if rejected , would render the man totally sightless.

12 St John World Decemberl991

There were talks in Madrid about the future of the Middle East as we went to press, but Christn1.as is in any case a time to remember our hospital in Jernsalem. Jon Rollason is the scriptwriter a video "If not here - then Nowhere" to be released next year and has just returned from the Holy City.

I haven 't had tear in my own eyes for quite a long time or I had n't until I watched him tand up and tumble toward the door. It all see med 0 irredeemable and hope\e '

But then we went to the c hildren ward where Tim took off the bandage ofa chi ld who he had operated on ye oterday for the correction of a evere quint. She wa a lovely little Pale tinian girl f rom the Gaza and when the pad came offher righteye her mother' face radiated pure joy. Her daughter, whose ight and appearance Tim explained had been eve rely affected by her squint, now wa beautiful and normal.

I was told later that if it had not been corrected her pro pect of marri age and

"I'm furious. Collective punishment is so unfair"

therefore a happy life in her community would have been almost nil.

All that burden of the future wa lifted in a moment from her mother ' s houlder

It was a wonderful moment. I don't think I hall ever forget it.

The mother murmured omething co ntinually, very quietly I asked Tim what it was, he tran s lated - "Thanks to Allah" I was only an onlookerbutthe mother, thinking I was one of the ho pital team , took my hand in hers and miled up at me.

September 18th was a g reat day

7.30am thenextmoming. The Outreach bu s i packed , loaded and ready for off. Our doctor is Scottish and s pending her annual leave working at the ho spital the Si ter i a middle -aged Pale stinian and there a young male assistant-also Pale tinian. Two nurses who are taking a ride back home to Balata ,

the long-establihed refugee camp v. here their parent li ve, quee/einandwe'reoff.

Early mornin g tranl in heavy and our fir tride taJ...es udO minutes.

Then it ea e and we through Ramalah a nd into the hilly coun try to the orth of the City. We halt brieny for a plcni breakfast.

Rae. the wife of one of the and her elf a trained nur'>e, ma\.-e a c,andwich of some fre h bread and pic) vegetable sausage that we pic\.-ed up ('II roule. and w hich the Pal e tillian ister sa sis u local peciality. I copy her - ir's good.

We come to a road block but b pass th e lon g queue of waiting We)t Ban\.- car v. ith their tell-tale blue number plate and drive pa t. Road bloch are a wa) f life here.

Shortly after we pa ' ) a group of youth ' tanding on the roadside The driv r hatil) grab a pair ofnags which are embroIdered with the red cross and th e red crescent and we tick them out of th e front window Otherwi e, he exp lains, we're likely to get a rock through the windscreen.

Eventually we arrive at ubluI., on the out ' kirt of which lo cated the Balatn Refugee Camp, th e biggest on the We t Bank The treets are strangely deserted and the rea on i made c lear we arri ve at an braeli road block. Balata is under curfew. Apparently someone the lo ca ls decided wa a py wa., killed la t night. Curfew i the normal reaction.

The Si ter, who knows thi s camp well. decide we can tr y to en ter by another road on th e other ide of thi forlorn shanty town. But it is soo n obvious th at further progress is use le ss. The narrow s treets here tOo are all empty. Amilitary patrol c ro ses. Even if we s ucceed in etting up our cl ini c no patient s would ge t throu gh It is therefore decided to abandon the da y' . work. I'm furiou s. Collective puni sh me nt is so unfair. There are peopl e out there ne edi ng

Opp osile paf!,e, /e/I , Ihe 'dig nified gel/l/e/7/UI/' right COl'/e( lillg (/ C(/I/ challg e (/ life AIJOI (': (/ Pa/estill/all lIurse al Ihe /lOsplla/

urgent treatment and it ha., been decreed by that they han·t have it.

We arrive at the home I' the young t John Ilur'ie whose home this has been since her birth. Her parents come to the gate and we are ge tured \ery graciou)l) into the n at make hlft hou)

Look1l1g around Il \ lear that her parent!'> - or mu) be grandparenh - have fa.,hioned it from v..hatever material were a\ ailable (Te'\a Il omccarc ha no branch in Balata). The tiny garden i., long e tabli<.;hed for Balata I al o one of the Occupied Tenitor) \ olde<.;t camps. We all sit quieti) v. hile coffee i.., )erved. The )mall children (v.. hose. I cannot wor\.- out) ar en hanting hy but '>miling that 10\ el) mile all Pale"tilllan young ter..,eem to po.,<,es.,. Even the littlest. who can't be more than four, .,hakes my hand as we leave. Looking about as v. e drive back out or th e camp it is cry'>tal clear why the Intifada has not been quelled. These are a people pu<.;hed to the very edge ofde permion.

On the way bac\.-, the vast new I. raeli ett lemenl. are pointed out. Row upon rov. of home ' dominating the , urrounding cou nt ry ide, all provided with water, e lectri city and telephones and ready for ccupation by settler from Eastern Europe. The Government believe thes people ha ve more right to thi land than tho e whose forebears were livin g here I years ago. Back in Jeru alem we park the van while the Si ter call into a sh p. A b ttle crashes on th e road very near - meant for us? I don't know.

We pull back into the ho pita!. Ju ton e more wa ted initiativ e. Later today I will board the plane ba k home Tomorrow the bu will be loaded again and another team will try to get throu g h to another camp where a clinic ha been arrang d. Perhap they'll be lucky

A ea onal chuckle, courte yof Punch. Any resemblance' to gue t attending the Ball of Fire char it ball (held this month at the Hotel Intercontinental) i purely coincidental... December 1991 John World 13

Times

"Pity the poor Londoner who breaks his leg - the long wait while someone runs to find and fetch the hand-stretcher; the low and painful progress on an uncomfOltable vehicle to ho-pital, sun-ounded by a cUliouu, jostling, offensive crowd of hooligans and larrikins' ...

This extract from the Autumn issue of the NewZealand priory's magazine, StJohn Crusader, might seem a little savage in it condemnation of London District's qualit ofFir!>tAid cover. Before any international libel suits start flying though. we !>hould pointoutthatthe article in question i!> based on a report written at the tum of the century. when "the great objection to a horse drawn ambulance is the cost of maintenance of a horse and attendant".

The Crusader is a quarterly magazine and 51 John World has just come into posession of a year's worth of issues. Together they provide a testament to a thriving organisation full of dedicated people with a lively (and earthy) sense of humour.

The latter is illustrated by something called the Buddy Bear Programme On the face of it this seems little more than a ponsorship gimmick, with Woolworth Supermarkets and American manufacturer Celestial Seasonings donating 70 cuddly bears (called "Buddies") to ride in Auckland's SO ambulances

In fact the programme follows a pilot study in the States when 40 bears were given to the Boulder, Colorado police department who found that traumatised children were able to 'te ll their stories more easily to a Bear's furry face than to a police officer'

The article relates the case of a 3 year old asthma ti c child who was apprehensive about wearing a nebulising oxygen mask. A fter the mask had been demonstrated on the bear, the youngster cudd led the toy and accepted the mask himself.

The piece co nc lud es with an appalling catalogue of ursine puns giving the bear essentials for handlin g Buddies - including advice for bears with psychological problem s (ie, tho se who hav e lo sttheirbearings); there is a note that "geria tric s shou ld not be allowed to handle bears, as the intellectually stim ulated conversa tion may be more than they ca n handle For this reason, th ere will be no bears allocated to th e co ntrol

room"; and a warning that "the presence of a bear does not consti tut e 'double manning' - unless the bear is driving" readers will get the idea.

The Crusader takes a little deciphering for a 'Pom'. It's not easy coming to temlS with a Summer Issue that discusses the existence or otherwise of Santa Claus (a debate that hopefully was not inspired by the previous Lord Prior\ reported in the same issue!) and simultaneously offers a feature on the causes and treatment of sunbum CWalch that Sun")

The Priory is New Zealand's premier voluntary organisation with over a 100 year history and 70 % of the country's ambulance service. The medical standards it works to have obvious differences to those in the UK (in particular one can imagine the grimaces that would be produced amongst our own Medical tanding Committee by a mechanical re,>u,>citator that look'> like an accordion with a nange on it) - but the in'>piration or ''>ervice to mank.ind' is palpabl) the ,>ame It was good to .,ee article on 'iuch 'non First-Aid topic'> a, diabete and childhood cancer and to hear of an appeal to enable a 1.+) ear old ufferer from cystic to visit London for a heuI1-lung - liver transplant (The appeal wa,> successful, with 395 ,000 being raised. $24.000 of thi" from tv\o pil7a drives in which 70 people made pizzas to '>ell through the [Own of Whangarei now there\ a fund raising idea for you).

1990/1 saw the initiation oflhe Badger programme in New Zealand and increa,,ing emphasis on 'community services' If there was one thing to envy about the New Zealand priory (apart from the healthy advertising in its maga/ine) It is the fact that despi te bei ng in the of an ongoi ng re-organisation programme there was littl e evidence of people complaining. This 01'fers a rather uncomfortable reminderofthe an tipod ean caricature of the average Brit as being someone who is never satisfied (we believe the local expression is "whingeing Pom").

Last year, H M the Queen awarded what is only the twelfth St John Life Saving Medal within th e Priory since 1905 It wm presented to Senior Station Officer Grant Pennycook, who is based at Tamaki Station. A father of two , Mr Pennycook was in charge of the first ambulance on the sce ne after a lad en tanker and car co llid ed in Auckland last August. The story bears repeating in full:

"Gran t Pennycook braved waves oj burning /uel 10 help {() save a youl1R gir l

traf}ped IIl1der a crashed pelrol tanker

The Wilker (lccidelll co used a huge firehaff I1'hich/c)fud thousollds of people 0111 (1/the IIfarhy Mall Ilk (1/1 Ci(r Shoppillg Cellln' os streoms of Immillg /llel flml 'ed 1501llji 01711he crippled tallker thmugh the Cflltre·.\ car pod FtalJ/e \ leOI)t 50111 Illto the air alld Il'Oklllf!, pellvl exploded III draills alollg Ihe mad. hlOlI ill!? (!tlm(lllllOle COl 'ers alld throughollt South Auckland's \lOrl//II 'alel 'yslem

Al rhe ('('litre of the Illferno, pilliled ullder Ih(! 1'('01' whe(!/.\ of Ihe Wilker for help, II W Shirley YOUllg, (I 12 year old \\'ho Iwd heclI ill her 17I0lher's car II 'hell II coltided lI'ith Ihe lallker Royd Kell II edy. rushed illio Ihe III/c'mo 10 he with the badly illjurNI !?irl IIl1lil II(Iillg gear colild he IIsed 10 ji-ee her ecolI£!.1 laler he l\'(/\ joilled IJY Mr PCllllycook II 'hose oilly prolectil'e cforhing was a lighl jadel and plastiC helmel Fire-ji !!.llIerssprayedll'oleroll rhe Ihrce o/rhem to keep rhe j7a/7/es at /Jay "£I ell lI ith the heal Ihe waler II a o/JsolJllcly free:illg - I !lOd 10 horrow a sih 'erjacketjro/7/ ajirel7l01l" ,reports Grallt. He relayed details of the lillIe girt's (ondilion olld thell refilmed into the fire sel'eral limes Grallt decided agaillsr gilillg lite girl poin rdiej/lllder tlte lallker " hecallse ! felr 11 £1 didn't h([\ 'e time" He slJelll abollt 50 min/lles al Ihe scelle also Ireatill!!. Shirley's motlier, Gaylelle, lI'ho was badly bllrl/ed in the occident.

There is a cOllllection betl1'eell rescued Clnd rescller - "Shirley's Olillt used 10 be a pay clerk 01 Mt Weffington".

"There were s(!I'eral hero es that lIighr Shirley was a Itero, lOa - she's a bral'e girl.

"My attilllde was that there lI'as someolle ill rhereandl1'e had 10 get IhemoIll."

As ller Excellency The Prior of the Order in New Zealand. Dame Catherine Tizard GCMG, DBE, DstJ says elsewhere

in th e Crusader: "To put the welfare of others above that of se lf takes faith, yes, and I would add to that courage, compassion. <.,trength of purpose, and an unswerving determination to give the very best of oneself ."

But returning to that earthy humour.

The following extract is titled "An Auslratiall mother's letter fa her SOli" and represents a thorough I y unwarranted attack on the character of a great country.

"}IISI a/eYl' lin(!s to leI YOIl know that I am slil! alil'e.

r m wriring rhis lerrer slowly hecause 1 kilOIl that you can't read I'ery/ast.

You Hon't knOll' the hOllse when .1'011 cOl11e home We ' "e mOl'ed.

Ahout YOllrfathel: He has a 100'el)' new joh with 500 men ullder him. He's cufting grass allhe cemetery. Your hrother Sean is doillg well in Ihe army. He's only been a soldier/or t\l'O weeks alld they' I'e already made him a court marshal.

The weather here is really wet, but nOI as 1\ el as Idlell it's really wei. Mary yOl/r sister had a bahy but! don'l know ifit is a boy or a girl so I can'llelf you if you , re an (11117101' an ullefe.

Your uncle Dick drowned in a vat 0/ Whiskey lasl I\'ed. SO/7/e l7Iell at the brewery dil'ed in to sQI'e him bllt he/alight them ofl brawly. We cremated his hody, it took j(wr days to p/lt the fire a liI It only railled fll 'ice last ",,·ed Once for /0111' days and ollce /01' three days.

Last MOllday il was so ""indy thai one oflhe hens laid rhe same egg/h'e times. We hClI'ejllst had a letter/rom the IInderlaker.

H e says that i/the last illstalmelltoll granlly's ji ll1 eral isn't paid then lip she comesi YOllr 100'ing Mothel: PS I was going fa sendyoll $10/oryollr hirtltdaybutl already sealed theel1\'elope."

Afterthat, itwill be cold comfort to any Australians reading thi s to be told that most people in Britain can't tell them and New Zealanders apart!

'ain puvlvaz maN /0 slvUUV al{1 mo.tj sa!J.l3'lJ amos S'lJnl uanv J!A '.l.ammns Injssnq v 0lU! SU!tfJunvl mou uaaa S! lV'll 1U1UnOJ v SU!PUV1S -.l.apun .1.0/ poom l'lS!.I. a'll 0lU! S.l3pVa.l.laS 011dtuanV uv lnq 'a'lvl S!m v 14 US! S!lU '0

Rhyme with Reason: The History of the Order

Keith Ward, ASO Cadets, Derwent Area, descends into dialect, strains a few quatrains and possibly even mangles a bit of history butit's all in a good cause.

16

'Twa about the year ix 'undred, The Summer 'ad just begun. Pope Gregory at on 'i papal throne, Blowin' bubble wi' bubbly gum.

"Send for t'Abbot Probu ", Said Gregory to 'is Peer.

"I want thee to build me an '0 tel, Fo' Pilgrims what comes 'ere".

The Abbot ent fo' builder, Who took up pade and pick: They dug wi' achin' mu de , Then built wi' sand a' brick.

The 'ostel soon were ftni hed, The Abbot were reet proud, e welcomed all 0' t' Pilgrim , By gum there were a crowd.

The Moslem Caliph El Hakim, Were very cruel and vain, 'e 'ad the '0 tel burned to t' ground, Left Pilgrim out in t' rain.

Meanwhile up t' coa to' Italy, Jut south 0 ' Naple town, Some merchants from Amalft, E pied thi 'allowed ground.

They bought the site of t' 'ostel, Then set to work to build, A newer, beuer, '0 pital, The Pilgrims they were thrilled.

The monks who ran t' establishment, They all wore cloaks 0 ' black, Wi' t white eight pointed cros on t' front; 'Twere better on t' front than t' back.

The eros were t' badge of Amalfi, Or so the merchants say, And wi' their 'umble blessing, T'Monk wore that badge alway.

The Moslems kept on goadin' Pope, But 'e were not afraid; 'e called on t' western Christians To start a grand Crusade.

In Europe, t' Christian armies, Began to rave an' sho ut. King Richard shouted, "Foller me, We'll sort this problem out".

The knight they came from Germany, From Italy , Spain and France, Anned to the teeth they oldiered on, With spear an' bow an' lance.

They reached the 'oly City; This first class, top notch aIlTlY, Time after time they tonTled the wall, Till t' Mo lem near went barmy.

'igh upon the City wall, A lonely figure tood: Hurlin' lumps of leven bread, To gi' them Chri tians food.

Mo lem kept on fightin' Wi ' vigour and wi' vim, While Gerard kept on chud,in' bread, To 'elp Crusaders win.

And after the battle were o'er, The Mo Iems they 'ad to gi' in, They let down t' gates 0' Jerusalem, And said to t' Crusaders, "Co me in ".

Then Gerard 'e opened 'i 'os pital door , For t' sick and t' wounded to 'eal, T Crusaders, who were reet chuffed about thi , Gave 'im money to 'e lp is appeal.

Soon Gerard breathed 'i final breath, Then gave a lonesome sigh, The blessed '0' was soon rcplaced I, By a man called R de PUy 2

Then came the )ear Twelve inet) One. When thousands met their maker. The battle raged for day on end, At 't little port of Acre.

Alas! the mighty aracen, Expelled our lads, tis said. The few remaining Knight then sought An i land in the Med.

To Cyprus went thi trusty band, With Master John de V' l. "RighI lads". said John, "We'll show 'e m 'ow the Knights can rule the sea".

John called 'is lad together, To a meeting at 'is Palace. " ow listen 'ere, you orrible lot, We're goin' to build some galleys".

They worked all day, they worked all neet, 'ti ll a fleet 0' ships were built, And many a shipwrrght drownded, In the sweat that they 'ad pill.

Thi 'naval power' protection gave, To shipping in the Med., When pirate hoardes espied our nag, They soon turned tail and fled.

The navy grew from strength to strength, And t' Cyprus King didn't like it. 'e told the Knights to sling their 'o ok And pack their bags and hike it

In Thirteen Ten, de Villarer Assaulted t' Isle 0' Rhodes, The pirales who'd been hiding there, Were driven out in droves

T' Knights built a fort at Lindo,>, And an 'o'> pital ward tift) yards long, A street down to t' 'a rbour, where most 0' t' Knight lived , (An 'Auberge' for each 'langue or Tongue').

For t\\O hundred years, the Knight lived on this hie.

Tillt ' Turb launched an all out attack. Li.,le Adam urrendcred, Tur"., gave 'im Iwelve day.., To get out and to never come back.

For '>e,en long year afler Rhode fell to I'Tu rb.

The 'a d no where to go.

The 1 land of Malta, (a ,\arn1 unny isle) eemed a nice place for t Order to grov..

Charlc Five Ihe Ruler of Malta lie came to t' 'o..,pltaller'.., aid: 'c offered them t' land a.., refuge. and <;0, ne>'" <;el 0' roundatiol1'> were laid

In t year 0' Fifteen Thiny, Around September lime, I' !leet sailed in to Valetla Church bells began to chime.

People ran from t 'o u... e." nd all the slreet'> \\ere hllml111l1', They'd 'eard what Charle the Fifth 'ad said And the Knights were comin'.

ow Charlie gOI excited. And thought he'd backed a winner. He'd 'ea rd of anlu nna; Planned to take 'er out to dinner.

'is 'ean were beatin ' faster

As 'e thoughl about this trip, BUI all 'is amorous 'opes were dashed. When 'e saw she were a ' hip.

Charles called the Knights together. "We need a fortress 'ere".

'e were quite amazed when a fOl1 emerged, Before the end 0' t' year.

The Turks laid on a massive eige, In Fifteen Sixty Five.

More than an undred Knights were slain. Just a few were left a liv e.

The battle lasted half a year, And neither side would sever;

At last relief came for the Knights, The Turks expelled forever.

For twenty five time ' ten long years, The Order dwelt in Malta. It eemed by now, at any rate, That things would never alter.

[n eventeen inety Eight Old Boney. Changed the whole agenda. He anchored off Valetta' hore, And a"ked fo' I' Knightsurrender.

Von Hompesch. a German. was a man of peace; And he the Isle 's Grand Ma ter.

The Order'.., treasure he did J..eep, Great worJ..<; in alabastor.

" Mon ami Mon ieur ". smd Boney, "Give up this Isle to me, And get thee bacJ.. to German) nlee the bacJ.. 0' Ihee".

"Before tha goes. gi' me the ke)

To t safe for all 0' them treasure '''.

(For 'e J..llCv.. if 'e could sell only 'aIr of 'e m, 'e could buy 'im a whole lot 0' plea:llre ).

'e stashed all them treasure in'i tlagship.

L Orient so we are told The cabins were ,;tuffed v. i diamond. The decJ.. were. trev. n \\ i gold.

'e sailed <1\.\ a)' on t easl wind, For mile afler nautical mile. 'till elson sanJ.. L'Orient.

At t' Battle 0' the ile

Old elson trounced them Frenchies. 'till all 0' their decJ.. ran blood. But treaures 0' the Order were sunk, And lost fo ' good.

Three banners we "-now were captured, From t'mast or a French frigale. They were then brought bacJ.. to London town, And 'ling in St John 's Gate.

[In Eleven Forty Four De Bricett and spouse, Five acres of land did donate; Fo ' Order to build 'e m a Priory, Better known to us, as St John 's Gate.

I Bob Hales were t' Lord igh Treasurer, Peasant's taxes did 'e gather up Wat Tyler, 'e burned down the Gate House Tom Docwra, 'e built it back up

I The Pope upset King 'enry the Eighth So t' mona teries 'e did di olve, Including the Priorie 0' t' Order, i marital affair to resolve.]

The work that' been done in the last ' undred year , Is a credit to SJA' crew. To mention 'e m all would tek me all neel. So I'll try to recall ju t a few.

An 'os pital. Eye Bank and Medical School. I In Jeru alem' cit) 0 fair.

Research in Trachoma, (an awful di ea e), l IS ju t part of the 'opitat' care.

First branch 0' the Order i SJAA. Teaching Fir t Aid and Care 0' the Sick. The uniformed branch i.' the St John Brigade. Its member are reall) quite lick.

There a unit of youngter called St John Cadels.

And the Badgers are grov. ing. we hear. They re the future 0' t Order. '0 let ' not forget. But \\ hen we're gone, They'll till be 'ere.

The ble ed Gerard Raymond du Pu)

3 John De Villier Fulk de Villaret

S{ John Nurse

B arhara Ru ssell

At last year's St John Ambulance Conference it was mentioned that there was a Welfare Officer on standby for 22 Field Hospital in case of an escalation of hostilities in the Gulf. I was that Welfare Officer.

Friday the 14thAugust 1990 dawned as a nonnal working day for me at the Duchess of Kent Military Ho spital Catterick. However, my life was to change dra stically when late on Friday afternoon a phone call came through from my Admin Officer infonning me that I was now officially attached to 22Field Ho spital and to tandb y for further order Trying not to panic, I carried on as nonnal until late on the following Sunday when there was another phone call. Thi s time it was the Duty Officer to say I had been expected in Aldershot that morning - and where was I?

I decided thi s was as good a time as any to panic , especially as I had nev e r been on exerci e with 22 Field Ho spital , le t alone gone to war.

My major concern was that my body had not been built to carry heav y thin gs. A I was issued with vastamount of un be lie vably weighty kitlknew that I was not go in g to enjoy thi s trip one little bit. To thi day I know my back pack weighed more than anybody el e's si nce it ca used me to walk at a funny angle. I will never forgive th e RSM for say ing a s huffle at 90 degree did not constitute marching In fact I'll neve r forgive the RSM for a lot of thing s he sa id to me.

I was given twelve hours to pack my kit and close my hou se before reporting to Thornhill BKS in Aldershot a early as possible on Monday morning I joined some 180 medical staff from various ho spitals, only three of whom I knew , and we 18 St John World December 1991

CARING IN A CRISIS

pent the ne xt month learning and re-learning all a pect of chemical and biological warfare. We al 0 Ii tened to the new a the si tuati on deteriorated.

We were is ued with kit which was unu ual even to the everyday o ldi er and wa totally alie n to me. We had to carry and perfect the donning of re pirator or ga mask and pecial chemical warfare uits known a NBC uit . We were i ued with uch nece itie a achets and bottle of Fuller Earth fordecontamination purpo e , a nd NAPS tablet which were anti-nerve agent tablet We had Ie so n, on the horrendous effec t of m u tard and nerve ga on th e body ... but it all eemed omething of an academic exerci e; a chapter out of Brave New Wor/d.

UN 0 amount of exerci sing could have prepared u s for the first Red Alert"

The dail y routine began to wear a little.

Most of u began to feel we'd never lea ve Aldershot, let alone go to war.

We were wrong. On the 16 September the day of departure arrived. Our briefwa , si mpl y, that we we re go in g to th e de ert and should only tak e w hat we co uld carry o n ourback Ikn ewit! It wasno maJlrelief when we heard th a t orders had been c han ged and our first port of ca ll was to be B ahrain.

We set off from Bri ze orton late in the afte rnoon and landed at RAF Muharraq at 0300hrs the following morning to be greeted by the new s that we would be ho used in five-star hote ls. Th e Arab hote l taff were horrified to see women carryi ng s uc h heavy pack s and in sis te d on reli ev in g us of them.

Arab hot e l taff will a lw ays have a spe c ial pla ce in my he art.

We took over a ho pital that had been abandoned by th e Briti h in 1971 when

Last year's Christmas was not especially notable for the international spirit of peace and goodwill. A year after the Gulf crisis Kuwait remains an environmental disaster area, the Kurds remain a people in jeopardy and many ordinary Iraqis continue to face devastation and grief. St John nurse Barbara Russell recalls her taste of modern warfare

troop were withdrawn from the Middl e Ea t. The unit' fir t task on arrival wa to clean away 20 year worth of cockroaches, cat, rat and grime. Thi proved difficult as we had no access to running water or anitation and the only water supply a ailab le to u was so loaded with E.Coli and other bug that the dirt seemed preferable We took the place to pieces and crubbed everything that 010 ed and didn't move. Then we did it again with di infectant. We had the cleanest c "-roaches in the Gulf. Our main priority wa toet up COLPRO (the Collective Protection Unit).

Thi can i ts of as ,eries of specially deigned tent which have an independent air supply and are therefore not ontaminated from the outside. Thi'> all ws patients to be cared for in an atmo phere which ha not been polluted by chem ical or biological agent and enables taff to work without protective clothing.

One of the biggest problems to combat wa the heat, which was over 100 degree Fallfenheiton mo tdays with a humidityof alma t 100%. We had to get used to working in our chemical warfare s uit and also had to urround the hospital with sand bag o we combined the two activitie , and for an hour a day we dug and and filled bags in full BC kit. I think most of us 10 t half a Slo ne in this daily sauna.

The heat wa indeed the bigge t initial headache with COLP RO a it had no air conditio nin g and th e temperature in ide cou ld soar up to 56 degree ' centigrade.

If the SCUD didn't kill the patients, th en COLP RO ertainly would.

Thankfully the problem was finally rectified and to our great relief the Engineers took over the arduous tasks of compl eting the sandbagging and building helter Becau e of the heat any work wa. s low and labo ured, but needed to be completed as soo n as po s, ible a the rumbling s of war g rew louder and tr oops poured into th e Gul f at a tremendo us rate.

a amount of exercising could have prepared us for the first Red Alert. It wa a qui t unday moming. calm voice on the P system announ ed: 'Aflenliol1. Atten11011 R ed Alert - () dllff ' (mea ning , this i, not an exercise). There wa a SCUD heading in our direction. The fear wa overwhelming and e erybody g rabbed their B uit and initially ran in circle. We all had designated shelter and I arrIved at mine and crawled into the darkness. On ga th ring my thoughts and breath for a moment, I realised that I had left the most important part of my eq uipment - the re pirator - under the desk and had to decide whether th e wrath of the RSM wa preferable to th wrath of the CUD. The C D won - butonl; jU'lt.1 fled back to the hospiral and wa nearly knocked over by theCO runmngout. He had left his kitin the b at of hi car. 1 felt much better after that. We s tayed in Bahrain until the middle of January when we received order to lea e the ho pital and m ve forward into the desert to s t up another. We left Bahrain the day before the air war started. it wa a very emotional journey for u a we had become friendly with many of the RAF air crew who would be nying the raid over I ra4. and had no idea if we would ever ee them again. The thought f going a cIo e to the border also filled us with trepidation, not to ' ay fear.

It wa a 13 hour journey along a road called the Tapline or Main upply Rou te. We had to book a place on thi road a ' the volume of military tran ,' port heading for the de ert wa beyond imagination. We arrived at our location about 40 mile from the Kuwaiti border a t around 6pm in temperatures verging on the minu and in pouring rain. Ev n wa lking proved to be difTicult - rather lik eclraggingyourfeet through very fine, waterlogged talcum powd r. We had no heating, no running water. no ani tation and as yet no g ulli es dug around the tent to top them nooding. s

Allied Gulf {roops in a mopping up exerCise oj{helr own

I wa Senior Welfare Officer r was given my own tent and I can remember that night s ittin g on my camp bed with the rain bucke tin g down and the temperature plummeting to minu , eight. wondering for the fir t of many time whatonearthI was doing there. Thing improved lightlyovertheday but r can imagine that our condition were not much better in wwn We were on COMPO ration from day 1 They were aid to be a well-balanced diet, and for a oldier marching through the orwegian Fjord with a 50lb pack on hi back, they probably were. For a fairly tatic ho pital there wa a little too much s todge and weer and - for a non-meat eater like menot enough fre h upplie My diet coni ted mainly of chee e, bean. ardine.

"At least the ladies had their own thunderboxes " be mixed.

rose wa et up V\ hich one went out and watered. The roses were red pIa tic funnel attached to a piece of piping and et into the <md. They were grouped in two and ea h pair wa urrounded by a piece of he ian to ' houlder height. We had become u ed to far better than thi in a five' tar hotel. a with the cold cruelly nipping your bottom a t 0200hrs. and the p r i tent f1ie at 1400hr there eemed no end to the mi eries of des rt li ving. At lea t th e ladie had th eir own thunderbo e which were ful l enc lo ed. The' gen t had to endure eethrough me h from th wai t up and op nplan , eating for five. Priva wa not allowed to become a major preoccupation

Initially we were i ued with a bottle of water per day for wa hing and drinking, but thi water wa 0 cold that people would leep wi th the bottle in their leeping bag to take the chill off it. Happily the laundry wa eventually et up and from then on we had the lux ury of a hower once a week. Co ld howers were aloin tailed, but I wa only brave enough to u e them when the temperature ro e can iderably. The night were unbearably cold and I have been known to crawl into my leeping bag at 1800hr (fo rgoing upper bean !) and tay there until re eille twelve hour later.

Gradually the camp took hape and once again COLPRO and ward were et up and were joined by yet another group of oldier and medic from variou unit. We had band men from three different band to equip and man a casualty collection unit. and to act a tretcher bearer V\ hen patient were flown in b helicopter. We were guarded again t the can tantthreat of niper by the Royal Artillery, and tran portation dutie were taken care ofb the GurIJ1as. Repre entative of all Corp were there from REME to RCT. V e had chippie and parkie lawyer and interpreter. and it eemed that for all of them the greate t challenge wa to ee who could beg. \\ ap. teal or borrow mo t from the merican unit In fa tour main weapon with which to barter wa our food ration. In comparion to the meri an V\ ho e i ue ani redof u hdeli acie a reamed corned beef for breakfa t. our rarion V\ ere a fea t. Th merican food a known a MRE' , or 'Meal Ready ro Ear': but the in i ted it toad for' Meal Rejecred b) Ethiopian " I wa amu ed to ee that th y had ent ron of til e ration to feed the Ku\\ aiti people after the war not aery friendl) thing to do real I)

It \Va no\\ Februaf) The air war \\ as under wa but the ani ne\\ \\ e eyer recei ed \\ a either via the \ arid ef\ i e December 1991 t John World 19

(which wa very sporadic), or the American Force s Broad ca ting which wa obviously bia ed towards the American troop. The realitie s of war were soon forced upon us when we heard of the capture of the two John in the fir t raid overIraq. Many of u knew th em, as well a the air crew th at were later hot down. For the fir t time I was really quite afraid

I wasn't as worried about bomb and bullet as I was about personal attack, knowing that a a woman rape was the very least I could expect. Rumour wa rife and we heard horrendou tories of the torture and killing of POW s from very reliable ources. A the ho tilitie e calated the feeling of unreal ity wa overwhelming and we eemed to be inextricably drawn towards an unimaginable climax. Over and over I wou ld think ' I cannot believe thi i happening to me '

The land war tarted but once again our information wa par e and con i ted mai nl y of conjecture. After the firing of the Kuwaiti oil field we experienced the phenomenon of blackness at midday, but a we were well into sand torm eason, blacknes was preferable to chewing grit. We waited for orders to go forward as that was our role as a mobile hospital ; but waiting was all we did

The plan was that the 4 Brigade would attack the Iraqi force along the border and form a breech through which wecould pa s

SIS MOTORS LTD

and set up the hospital behind the advance party. We would accept and treat battle ca ualti e before moving them back to static ho pitals. We would then pack and move forward, alway remaining ju t behind the advance troop

Becau e of thi plan our patient load wa light but we did take in many Iraqi

" ... they had been told we would torture and ill treat them or (even worse) that as we were faithless we would eat them"

POW Mostofthe ewereyoungmenwho had been con cripted from chool at the age of 13, and forced to remain in the army for 30 year. They were all very frightened as they had been told we would torture and ill treat them or (even wor e) that a we were faithle we would eat them. At the sight of their rotting feet even the mo t devout cannibal would have thought twice about that.

Our order to move forward came out of the blue. An advance party wa to make

ready to be flown out by Chinook at fir I li ght and acro the border into Kuwait. The excitement wa e lectric. We had waited for 0 long and eventually we would be fulfilling our mi ion.

The Chinook never arri ved and, like a bride left at the aJ tar, we were ad. Sad to go to war and ad not to go to war. That which we h ad worked toward for even month wa never to materialize. Day in and day out we had liv ed on our emo tion s and all of a udden nothing. It wa a trange feeling. e pecially when friend and family wroteenquiringafterall thejubilantpartie we mu be having.

Partie were the last thing we cared for. A II that remained was [0 pack up and go home.

r cannot begin to put over the wealth of emotion that we had never experienced before and probably never would again. othing like this had ever happened to us in our I ives and no doubt a great many of U would have had to find hidden re erve within our elve if the war had escalated. ever had I )0 long being reminded of my fraillY in comparison LO the awful trength of war The friend we made were different, the feeling were different, everything was different and unbel ievable.

But it did happen. The memorie will remain with me alway ; to return when I lea L expect them •

County and Divisional News

H a mpt o n Co urt & Mo le e) Cadet Unit entered a float and the ) mpath) ambulance at the local carl1Jval. Both won and some £280 raised - half of II for a 'Resusci Junior' for thc Badgers Than]..,., go to Budget Rent -a-Car and to Garage.

At last! A picture from the

Corse it is. Have a Happy Christmas everyone. Pntchard , Hicks and MarvJJ1 (Jl says here) of Lip h oo k Q Oi, i io n clu ter around a man called Tarbuc!- at the Old Thorn's Cancer Golf Day . Apparentl) he ' s a member of the Order. Apparentl y he ,> a comedian too no, only jo!-ing J 1111m) Hone s t.

S"!' JOHN AMBULANCE

Letters

Sticking with it

I read with intere t the article on the Energy Programme (SJW, Sepr) which quoted an e tract from a letter I ubmitred so me month ago. In part of that letter I do pro ide actual evidence of "bottoms on eat ". (or more important, fully qualified FAW/pFA members in St John uniform doin g Fir t Aid ur ing dutie ). My expe rience ha been that potential memb ers do not find a PFA cour e daunting , but that it i expected of them to obtain credible member hip.

Additionally the y feel more confident in them se lve havin g ucces fully completed a full cour e and ati fied an ex perienced examiner and/orDoctor.Thecour ecanal oacta aneffectivefilterforunde irable

am not totally again t the Energy Programme , but from my experience of talking with many people, mo t hare the view of Gary Cooper (the writer of the article), namely surpri e at the lack of First Aid I-nowledge required before wearing a uniform

It has to be accepted that a far as the general public are concerned anyone wearing a St John uniform is to their belief a qualified co mpetent First Aider, regardle s of what badge they wear on their houlder, and it wi ll be a long time befo re they think otherwi e Cunle s ,of cour e, we get ued a few time s).

It hould be remembered that a further change become ne ce sary it may prove the original thinking to be erroneou Thi hould be borne in mind before individual. become entrenched in their view. In my opinion we should eek wider advice (from member and public) before appearing to railroad through new idea, rule and regulations

Jim Bond and Stuart Latham ay that the problem ha been one of communication and I agree entirely - but communication i a two -way thing To quote Stuart: "You have say, twenty letter. People are a lway going to write " Thi s is quite true, but the e people are trying to communicate. For every person that writes there are at lea t ten peopl e of the same mind who do not.

Unlike my colleague who wa al 0 quoted in the article, I will not resign from St John Ambulance. There are a few ex - patient around who are grateful for our efforts - and that is really why I joined. It i the potential patient and the friend we leave behind who suffer when we resign.

R ex Pur c ha se CS O Dorse t

Re x ha s a s ked us to point out that our articl e wron g ly r efe rr ed to him a s C SO for Training. In fact h e is th e CS O for R ec ruitm e nt a nd Rad io C ommunication s - E d.

No Rest for the SelfEmployed

Vo ice of Sanity

I joined St John after holdin g Fir t Aid ce rtifi ca te ' which my emp loyer req uir ed I decided that one exam every three year not eno ugh, a nd I needed more experience and trainin g. I have been leaming ever

On duties, at Oi i ion a l meetings andjus t having th e opportunity to tallto lik e- minded peop le ha'> give n me a much beller bacl-ground for Aid

After the introduction of FA W my employer onttnued o send me to be trained , 0 I wa qualifi ed almo t as a matter of (oure. Durin g 1988 I wa made redundant and became self-empl yed. I v.as now expected to attend an FA W COUL e of extended duration in my ov.n tim e. Of course now my work is 'req uired' b) m) customers and I am unable to guarantee my attendance over lon g Recent ly I allended as many F W e ion a Iwa able( lmi edtwo)andv.asnotallowedtotal-et heexam a t the end - de pite the fact that I could ha e pa!.seu it easily! The weeks that I attended were a comp lete wa!.te of my time

The FA W cour e is designed foracompanyemplo ee. The members ofSt John are volunteers whose family and worl-lIIl1Sr come first. volunteer are asked to attend FA Wand other cou rses as a condition of membership with no heed paid to th eir peLonal lire

If, a I hav e been told , it i a Health and afet) Executi e rule that require member to have an FAW, please can It bl: renegotiated '] r now do not do public duties (despi te my expenence) and sti k to other thing within th e organiation that arc u'>eful to th e DI\ 1 Ion

When wIll the people who work at I Grosvenor Crescent reall.e that the, have made a very bIg mistake by introducing the Energy Programme into the Brigade. They cannot hope to believe that aftcr Just clght hours basic First Aid training people can wear a St John Uniform, attend public duties and treat members of the public.

I know these people only go out on public duties under but what do they do when they across an RT A. or an an elderly lady with a CV A in the market place? As soon as they say they are a First A ider everyone will expect them to do a good job If a poor job IS done, then the Energy Programme Will have been responsible for a possible death that could have been aVOided.

It i now time for change. In tead of large numbers of low -trallled personnel we be at highly trained First Aid personnel to keep the membership from fallmg any further First Aid Work IS an insult to members' intelligence. It should no longer be compulsory for members to do such a tnvlal course A new in-depth First Aid for members should be introduced without delay. The Bngade should also introduce Area Re sucitation Officers whose role should be to examine Divisions at random (but no less than every ix months).

I am an amb ulanceman in the County Ambulance Service who is trained up to HSTD ParamediC standa rd s. My co lleague s and I practise resuscitation at Icast once a fortnight. I would be mterested to hear any comment on the se ideas.

Alder hot (J';,jame witheld for MOD security rea on )

Letters

WATCH OUT FOR THIS LUNATIC TODAY, lin ""I ond f1f1l ",1£100 He heI",!Iie

For EN-raged readers

In age r could ea ily lit into th e ' die - hard' bracket, but I am convin ed that the Energy concept i<, the nght approach to a ttra ct new members as it gives ('Iwice.

The genera l public has always considered that we only 00 Firs t Aid - notwlthstandmg our you th work, welfare work and Olher It is nov. sugge ted that we ... hould tell more of them abo ut th e options within t J ohn and how we are read) to adap t if one side of our work drop and ano th er We thinl- we get it nght mast urrey, and It goes ILI-e thl s:II a ml:mber of the publiC "how<, interest in our work. we are careful to pomt out th at we need a lot of pe pIe \.\ ith different thmgs to offer. uniformed and non-uniformed Their addres is tak.en and th ey are inVited to consluer an induction COUf!-.e (7 hours) to get the feel of th e organisation It I'> pointed out that, whether they join or not, the First Aid and arc "csslon would be useful while the t J ohn module v.ould be at lea\t of mten.:s!.

Bnng1l1g people along to 'ju t any' Bngade Tram1l1g meet ing I not alv. ay., a good Idea There ma) be a lot of ab entees, the Supenntendent m:!) have had a bad day Perhaps no one v. ill tell the new omerv.hat the) want to k.no\ since other things have to be done In an even mg. Some people go on for years Withou t I-nowing the structure of t J o hn ; that \.\ :e have a tl onal Evenh, that t John's Gate belongs to us and so on At thl<' ) e,1I 's coni'eren e It wa" found that. ome delegate had neverseen Sr.lohll (Gas p ! - Ed).

We tend to have the mduclJon course on a unda) , stal1mg v.lth th e Energ) \ Ideo, lot of teL! and coffee and smiling face.., t the end we give them a heet v.lth all the options and rh ey declue \\ hat they want to do Wh) not try It )ourself?

, The comment that a one -tla) curse I'> not (iclent to allow ..,omeone to wear uniform IS perhap right. If the power,> - that -be are worned about uomg id v.ithout a ..,tatu tory certlficatc, even If we have been in t John for many years, then we should be concerned abou t people travelling m unlronn. say. between home and Oi\ ISlonal HQ

You al hearpeoplecol11plaining about the ne er-ending numberof courses and e am The Energy Programme the'. ork. people could do. If the y opt to clean and ma1l1tain the ambulance all th e) need the Indu Cl10n a bag of tools, a set of 0 crall and a buck.et. If th ey want to drive a rront - 11I1c ambulance th ere arc ?ut \.\e have alway' done thiS sort of trainin g - onl) before It \.\ as 111 bit and pieces and badly monitored

As th e Bn ga de ecreta r says, Energy IS a lle\lble !.c heme. oper hit th erig htnot l:w hcnh esay th a tth ' cem to have th e problems with Energy that exis tin g members 01 the Bng ade do There arealways people who kicl- against new ideas. few year ' ago a poster was produced showing a ergeant Bill-o lo ol--a- lil-e in J uni fOlm with the sloga n " Wat ch out for thi s lunatic" ( ee pic tu re). It was th e (irst logan had that really people in their tra c l- s. t John oi'licer up and down th e ountry went white with rage (' 1 umllOl a lunati c. This poster lowers my dignity') ot man) people put th e posters up; yet they would hav e worl-ed. Our 'dignilieu' members were wrong.

Arter attending the last four conferences I Icc! we now have a g od c hance and hav e some very exciting people helpin g LIS along. Tr y thc Energy Prog rammc as I hav e suggested and it \\ill be alright. J E mith De put y Area o mmi io n er Bl e Ic h" or t h

Ma y I make my comment'> on Geoff J ackson' complain ts about dl';crimina ti on again t Enrolled urses (Lellers. o.croher) 1. The competence requi red by the '> gove1l1111g body UK C) for Regis tered urses demand a level of knowledge v.hlch I'> much greater th an that reqUired for E s. An RG who completed a three year training in di ffe rent and more eXam1l1ation a much wider range of experience than an E with a two tra1l1111g Afterten year ' experienceagood E may have ad\'anced their to a level far beyond that ofa nev.ly qualified RG : but a Ie s keen _ may have just 'kept level'. Hence the di cretionar) power'> of the Chief urlng Officer to appoint an E ' to D O

2, In th e Brigade I have met a number of El who feel the) a re discnmlnated again s t, and occa ionally th e e fee l1l1 gs are expres ed 111 a way that perhap a utom atically sugges ts the) are not suitable or D 0 rank and it respon ibilities.

3, The Brigade at least recognise the qualifica ti on of E '. The Red is not '>0 obliging.

C hr i t in e \1 Da n n H o \ e a nd H eng le t o n Dh i o n S u e\. Whafs

1 \\ rite for the mas of member - \\ hO e employ ment not heal th -.ef\ Ice related but n nethele .· have something to offer th e Brigade People \\ ho join as ordinal') m mb rs and mal-e their progre sionlhrough ran 1-.." on their per onal and unencu111bered by the lacl- ot medIcal qualilications People who are ble sed \\ Ith the ability to build a team orgal11se and admini ter. It is of course onl) correct that our orgal11sallon should recogl11se medical s kills but what is to people entering the "a111C promotion race' beyond g rade live as the majority or and feeling th e same satisfaction for each subsequent prornol1on? us not forget our functional objecti \ e s \\ hibt interest group" light ror recogl11tion.

A G r ade Fo u r Officer "ithh e ld o n r eque t) December 1991 t Jo hn W or ld 27

Happy ·shnas?

I

NEVER BE OUT OF TOUCH

and l y ing in a dan gerou,> s\luallon

Wh\( h lifling dc'lct.: IS parllcularl y recommended ')

3) In tht.: case or a per-.,on \\ ho Ius a fractured "'plne and IS con.., CIOU," , you are b) ) ourself. Ho",", \\ ould) ou treal IhlS person '?

S) Which of Ihe lolkm 111& are Illm categonsed as a ' Knee JOll1t Injury "'?

I. 01 placed scml lunal earttlage

2 Broken femur

3 Broken upper end of tibia

4. Broken patella

S Tom ligaments or k.nee jOint

7) You are alone and come aero..,.., a asualty who ha:o. a broken lo", er leg.. What would your aClton be If Ihe ambulance 1\ ten minutes away '?

2) When preparing an improvised Cervical Collar you are advised to bend the collar before application. Where! You are going 10 transport a ca"ualt) who has lower leg fraclUre and have applied a splint. Wherehould the bandage.., be fastened ?

6) Ho\\ ",",ould you treat a fractured fOOL v. ound'?

"I' 8) Y hen applying broad bandage to a fractured peh IS \\ here ' hould the bandage.., be tied )

9) I n the treatment of a fractured pelvis when should the bandagc:o. be applied?

10) The manual des ribe: force as a cau e of fracture How man) ype of force are describ d?

(4).

(6).

17 The story has late chan ge (4).

20 Compound formed when an eleme nt in air (5).

2 1 Endless part is the norm for the cou r se (3).

22 Three chan ges in an old anaesthetic (5).

23 hortened te t of knowledge (4).

25 ot hin g more than 21 Across three times daily for salivary gland (7).

27 Precipi t ate a erup tion (4).

29 ilentdrama(4)

30 Light-hearted outburst of merry-making (6).

32 Peg on axis ( ).

34 A deficiency may cause rid,ets or osteomalacia (7, I)

35 Win ged bone of th e sh..ull (8).

CLUES DOWN

I Part of nephron Important in regulation of amount of water in body (6.4).

2 Withdrav, fluid from thc body by a urgical pro edure (3).

3 Get near to \ubstance u')ed In chemistry (7).

4 Ach..nov,ledge error to take into ho pital (5).

5 Se ond-hand editor from Unlled State (4).

6 Grealer or les'>er part of the femur ( 10)

7 courageous mew ures applied to treatment of patient (6).

10 MercJan h..ing of First Aid (el).

14 A round rad in jOints of the foreann (5-5). IS rtisl from '>outh-cast provldcs th erapeutic preparation from blood H).

Are you making the mo t of your magazine? Have you got unifonn or equipment to ell or even xchange? Then why not place a cla ified? R ing Lyn on 0243264992 to ee how li ttle it reall co t

Do you know your manuals?

Answers from page 29

1 The scoop 2 Ovcr your thi gh 3 Apply to the head and neck. in Ih e nOlmal neutral posit ion by placll1g your hands over th e casualty'S ears 4 On the uninjured side 5 os I A,S 6 Expose the foot, raise and support 7 upport the limb by holdin g the joints above and be l ow the injury 8 In th e cCllIrc

9 When casualty is being transported by th First Aider lO Two - dire and indirect.

Solution to last month's Crossword 11 (91) Acro 3 Palm of hand 8 Lipa se 9 -jar 10 Parenteral ll Out 13 Pep in 14 ardiac 15 Echo 17 tone 20 Theca 22 Rod s 24 Pontine 25 Papul 28 Yal1l29Trig el1lina13