St John World (1993)

CANVAS SUPPORT

TESTING TIMES

Should your ambulance have an MOT certificate?

PRE HOSPITAL CARE CONFERENCE AND EXHIBITION

TELFORD • SHROPSHIRE

Progral11l11e

Saturday, 27th March, 1993

090t) - 1000 Registration

1000 Welceme address and Exhibition opening

1030 SESSION 1

"Thrombolytic Therapy in Pre Hospital Care " Case Studies and discussion

Dr. R Woolard, Department of Emergency Medicine , Rhode Island Hospital , U. S A. and Prof R. Vincent, Specialist Manager, Cardiac Dept. , Royal Sussex County Hospital

1115 SESSION 2

" Development in CPR " Airway Management; Defibrillation; Drug Administration ; Plenary Discussion *

1200 SESSION 3 " Early Treatment and Transport of Spinal Injuries " Immobilisation aspect

Dr. J. H E. Baker, Cardiff, South Wales Road -v - Air Transport

Dr. R. Fairhurst, Director & Chief Medical Officer Travellers Medical Service

1300 - 1430 Lunch and Exhibition

1430 SESSION 4

"The UK Pre-Hospital Care Scene "

Dr. J. Fisher, Essex Joint Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee

Dr T. R. Evans, Chairman, Joint Colleges Ambulance Liaison Committee

'JHSTD Ambulance Paramedic Training

Mr M. I. Willis, Chief Executive, Norfolk Ambulance NHS Trust

1§4S Tes

163(;) - 1730 Vehicle and Equipment Concepts 1730

Mr. V Jolliffe, Chief Ambulance Officer, Dorset Ambulance Service Obstetric Flying Squads , Mr A. Parr, /raining Manager East SWEsex Ambulance Service

EXHIBITION CLOSES

Co-sponsored professiona.ls of the industry

Sunday, 28th March, 1993

0930 SESSION 5

" Criteria Based Aided Despatch and Telephone CPR " Seattle Experience

Dr C Horton , Medical Director and Linda Culley , Program Co -ordinator,

- 1430

" The European Dimensions " Cr E. H Dykstra , Center for International Emergency Medical Services , Germany

- 1600 Afternoon Tea and Exhibition

- 1730 Vehicle and Equipment Standards Germany France

Mr P Peemans , Sales & Marketing Manager, Ferno International and one U. K. speaker 1730 EXHIBITION CLOSES

Monday, 29th March, 1993

SESSION 7

" The Armed Services Resources "

8

" The Health Minister Perspective "

" The NHS and Civil Emergency Planning " Dr. H Baderman , Consultant in Accident & Emergency, University College Hospital, London and Mr F. Thornley , Chief Ambulance Officer Oxfords hire

Accident out of the blue

eve r before wi ll be runnin g th e Marathon in a id or St. John La s t yea r , t o H Q's kno w led ge, 4:2 fl eo fll e ran in aid of oca division s o r coun t ies and a few were hi g hli g ht ed wi hin th e ';e pa ges show in g w h a th e ir antics cou ld do to help p r ovide f und s fo r Fir st Aid equipm e nt and m at eri a s.

Approxima te y 35,000 people

wi ll h ave rece i ve d notificationju s be for e Chris tm as th a th ey ha ve a pl ace in th e 1993 L ondo n Marath o n If yo ur Co unt y o r Divi si o n wo uld lik e to hav e yo ur very ow n runn e r (o rthr ee!) r a sing mon ey to help yo ur fund s; NHQ has some very co ourful ane! em o ti ve posters ready o se nd yo u Lo help yo u recr uit th ese mac! athletes.

As ast year, o nce yo u 've found yo ur runn er s/he ca n become p<U1 or a tea m of Sl. Jo hn runn er s ca ll ed th e " John - a- thon tea m " and rece iv e va ri o us supp o rt materi a s suc h as a runnin g ve st Fund-ra sin g tip s an d a m onthl y So i fyou would lik e a poster o r r equire furth er infonn ati o n o n th e " John -a- thon T ea m " or ind eed wish to l et NHQ know yo ur runnc r 's nam e so th a t support maten a s may be sent. pk:lse con al' l L eigh Siocombe. John-a-Iho l Team Co-ord in a tor. Mar"ctin, D epa rtm e nt. I Cre ce nt. L o nd on SW I X 7EF (Tel 07 1-2355:23 1 eXI.2)O) Big Apple

"Th e /1wr(lI/JOII cO ll rse I

l11nllllJili es alld cII/lllres, UI ished ill eelllm/ Par" Manlwll ell I s/alJd

Trumpeting voluntary week

St. John Ambulance was amongst the key volunteer .( groups mentioned at the launch of plan s UK Volunteers Week . The week is scheduled to begm on June 1st 1993 and will receiv e coverage on BBC televi sion and radio among st oth

ANew Year's Message from the Chief Commander

Breath of Life keeps on building

Th e Brea th of Life ca mp a gn pack shoul d now h ave bee n r ece ve d by Co unti es - co in c idin g w ith th e publi c ati on o f th e new CPR procedur es. Th e Pack in c l u d s th e sc heme o f wo rk p rog ramm e su gges ted tr ainin g aid

and one t oeac h Di v i s o n and A rea, and th e Cam pa g n m an

r h

alm Q co mpl e ted hi s prog r amm e o f vis its to eve r y Co unt y. Th e publi c it y camp a g n w ill beg in in earn est inJ anu ary. Aco mprehen ve Publi c ity Pac k w ill be m ai led to eac h Di v si o n, Ar ea an d Co unt y HQ ea rl y t ha t m o nth , as th e nati o na ca mp aig n ge ts und er way. Th ere h as bee n a m os t enco urag in g r es ponse r om the m ed ia an d th e 3,00 0 j o urn al s we h ave a ppr oac h e d ; Briti sh R a il h as ag r ee d o di spl ay OUI p o tel's o n all r a il way s a ti o n s; Vir g ini a

B o tt o m ey, Sec r etary o St ate fo r

H ea lth h as ag ree d t o help u w t h

th e Press aun c h o n 23 M arc h and we sh all th en publi sh th e res ult s of a G a llup survey o n First A id W e have now dec id ed to co nnec t a Freefo ne lin e t o eve r y Co unt y O ff ce, fo r th e peri od 7

Fe bru ar y to 6 A pri I 1993 - th e numb er w ill be 0 800 :22622 6. Th is w ll g rea tl y ass st in ge ttin g th e pu b li c enro ll ed o n co urses. M ea n w hil e.

The dawn of a new year is a time for hope and for looking ahead. It is also a time for reflection on the past year. I have been privileged to be your Chief Commander for 6 months during which time I have been able to visit you in the counties and meet you at conferences and special occasions, such as the Brigade Finals and the Grand Prior's Competition. I have been most impressed by what I have seen, and the selfless dedication of the members of St. John Ambulance is truly "In the Service of Mankind" I am proud to be associated with you, and I offer you my sincere congratulations and thanks for your efforts over the past year. I extend my best wishes to you and your families for every happiness and continued success in 1993.

6

Taking Groups Away

Alastair Lee,NHQ Youth Training Officer, writes- Thi s book has just been published to replace the old St. John Ambulance Camping Manual. The most obvious difference between the two is that Taking Groups Away deals with taking people away anywhere (Youth Hostels, Huts, Hotels, etc.) and only has an appendix specifically for Camping.

This change is to provide a handbook for a greater Cf(')SS section of our membership. Not everyone taking groups away goes camping.

The bulk of the book deals with how to organise a trip away. All the skills used in running a trip are s imilar to those used in runfJing a [i\omlal Divisjon (i.e. trouble shooting , calming people down and keeping people hapIDY).

It is the planning and organisation that is different.

The book s tart s by looking at Planning and General Admini stration Then it move s on to Site Selection anm the - Programme.

These are foHowed by sections on Equiprnenn, Securi,ty aJild F ire Precautions, Heal th and Hygiene, First Aid afJd Care, and Food and Menus.

Finally there are two appendi-

ces which s how how all the above relat e to Camping and Foreign vi sits.

The Ind ex of the manual is to form the sylla bu s of the new Camping Warrant course More detail s about thi s should be available in the Spring, so until then keep using the old sys tem Fm up to date in fo rm at ion ask your County Camp Adviser (or equiv alent) to contact me at NHQ.

Taking Groups AwayThe Sl. J(j)hn Ambulance Guide to Camping and Residential Events (P80036)

So often when telling the hi story oftheOrderofSt. John o ne part 'of the Order, that of the Ho spitaller Si s ters, is forgotten It i s a problem that is compounded partlY by lack of research and partly by lack of exi sting ev idence .

The following is j ust a brief glimp se of wh a t we do or do not know

Th e Ord e r of St. Jo hn was recog ni sed in 111 3 by th e Pope as a n ind e pe nd e nt re lig io us o rd e r mad e up of mo nk s a nd nun s. [t is o fte n a uth orit ati ve ly s tated th a t th e S is e rs o f th e Ord e r se rv ed in th e hos pi ta l in Je ru sa le m a long with th e Kni ght s Hos pitall ers. Certa inl y th e re was a fe male ward a nd it was poss ibl e th a t wo me n wo uld have erved in it , but as ye t no ev id e nce has bee n fo und to co n finn th at th e re we re any Sis ers o f th e O rder in Je ru sa lem Did th e s isie r ever nurse th e s ick? Aga in th e re is no dir ect evid ence. It is kn o wn tha in th e 12th ce ntury th ey we re a tt ac hed to so me Europea n co mm a nd er ies '111111111111 a nd th ey may have wo rk ed as la undresses or nurses, but towa rd s th e e nd of the 12 th ce ntu ry th ey we re be ing group ed int o mo nas e ri es wh ic h us uall y had no hos pit a l. It wou ld ee m th at th e ir ma in ro le was praye r a nd conte mpl a ti o n Th e Statut es of th e Ord e r wh ic h are such a valu abl e so ur ce ofinfo1111 a ti o n forth e Kni g ht s provid e fe w clu es a bout th e li fe o f th e s is e rs Th ey do ho w ever pro vid e us with an inte res tin g in sig ht int o th e cere mony of e nr o llin g a s iste r in th e Ord e r. Much sy mboli m was att ac hed to the ha bit and wh e n a sis te r wa s rece ived into t he Order the pri es t wo uld s ay : ' Thi s is

••• your habi t, th e e mb le m of your penitence s inc e it re pre sents th e

ha rd and c ru e l li fe passe d by our Pa tron , St. Jo hn th e Ba pti st; it a lso re p rese nt s his habit whi c h was ca me l s ha ir s ig nify in g th at we mu st qui t th e tr a mm e ls of s in a nd fo ll ow w ith o ut hindr a nce th e path o f virtu e."

Th e Statutes also me nti on th e ' dut y' and 't ru e o bedi e nce whi c h was owed to th e' S up e ri or', and in mo t cases it wo uld ee mth at th e ir sup e ri o r ke pt a c lose wa tc h on th e s is te rs. Eac h co n ve nt was admini te re d by a Pri o ress, w hose e lecti o n was nonn a ll y co nfi1111 ed by th e loca l Pri o r. Th e Pri o r a lso exe rc ise d pow e rful ri g h ts in oth e r way ,s up erv is in g di sc iplin e, makin g vis it ation s a nd app o intin g office rs to ove rsee th e ir affa irs. Ye t th e Pri o ress had imil a r powe r to a co mm a nd e r a nd wo uld have atte nd ed th e annu a l Priora l C hap te r and se nt to th e Ea t o r to he r Pri ory _ th e equi va le nt of res po ns io ns. Ev en in En g la nd we do not ha ve a nyt hin g nea r aco mpl e te pi cture a bout th e s isters We kn ow th a t th e re we re Hos pita ll e r ' i ' te r in En g la nd fr o m a bo ut 1170 Th ey we re o ri g in a ll y a tt ac hed to a numb e r o fdi ffe re nt co mmand e ri e o f th e Ord e r, but a ft e r 1 180 , as a res ult of a n ag ree me n be tw ee n He nry II and Garni e r d e Nab our , Prior o f the Order in En g la nd , th e es tate of My nc hin Bu c kla nd , near T a unton , passe d to th e Prior of St

John a nd a ll s iste rs we re re m oved th e re. We kn ow th a t th e fir s t Pri o ress was ca ll e d Fi na. We eve n kn ow th e names o f th e e ig ht found e rs of th e nunn e ry a nd whe re th ey came from for exa mpl e, Si s te r Mili ce nt f rom Sta nd o n, He rtfo rd s hire, a nd Si s te r Ag ne s fr om Cl a nfi e ld , O xfo rd shire. Weal o kn ow th atw he n Fin a di ed in 1240 tha t s he had in c reased th e numbe r of s is ters from 8 to 50 Howeve r there is so mu c h th a t we d o no t kn ow Wh a t ty peo ffa mil ydi d th ey c ome from ? Wh y did th ey join ? How o ld were the y w he n th ey j o in ed ? e tc Unf ortun a te ly we ca n o nl y s peculate o n so me of th ese qu e ti on Oft e n th e s i e rs te nd ed to be f rom ri c h fa mili es wh o e ndow ed th e nunnery w ith mo ney a nd land It was con s id e re d th at a d aug hte r in a nunn e ry wo uld improv e th e spiritu a l fortun es o f th e fa mi ly Al s o beco min g a s te r was con s idered a suit a bl e a lt e rn a tiv e for a wido w Will we e ve r know for de f init e w hy Si ste r Milic e nt o r Si ster A g n es beca m e nun s,

i e is he re by g ve n that th e ten th An nu a Gene ra l Mee tin g of th e St. John Fe ll ow hi p wil l take p lace a t Carnat ic Ho use, No rth Mo ss ley Hill Ro ad, Li ve rpo o , Me rseys id e, on Wed nesday 5th May 1993 a t 2. 15pm. It ems for the Agenda ho ul d reac h me by 5th Ma rc h 1993 De ta il s wi ll be fo rwarded sepa rat e ly to Bran c he " Eddi e Sc ott ca red dee pl y fo r all aspec s of th e vo lunt ary wo rk of St. Jo hn Ambulan ce a nd was supp o rt ed by hi s w i fe I vy who had bee n DIS o f th e Nurs in g Di vi io n o f th e Co rp s a nd who di ed in 199 1 T h ro ug ho u t Lin c o ln th e re ar e ma ny peo ple o f a ll ages who w ill always be g ra tef ul fo r hi s ca re a nd g u idan ce (M r s. K. \ H erri ck ) Janu a ry 1993 Sf John World 7

ONE BIC DUTY--

Readers report on their activities around the country. Contributions are always welcome, send them to: 'Out and About', St John World, 1 Grosvenor t Crescent, London SW1X 7EF. Nothing longer than 500 words,please!

Kim Godwin, PRO Crawley Division, finds out bout a Katha at first hand.

EMERC'ENCY CAbL. OUT-

Six members alTived and

sh ort, th e m eet in gs came and wen t and so se ven more had arr ved. We all kn ew th a Sea brook Lod ge , a KCC wa: n o t w he n hey wo u leI arrive. did th e 9 days, c ulmin atin g in he following esti m ated fac s: Res idential School h ad b een clo sed down and we re now toid that th e Th e SOC a Serv ices In C den t Offlcerexplalneel th a t

ow on g th e c hildr en wo uld be st aYing o nce an.-I .ved and l11ell1be Approximately 360 cas ualti es we re tr ea ed. th ere were so me still in the ro oms that were to be used , but the bulk of were aske d i th ey co uld be dunng th e n g ht If n ecessary. Cove r was prov i ded by 32 SI. John per on ne!. them had b ee n dismantled!!! We needed a bed, mattress 2 blank

The Divi sion wa s fonned on II h Jun e, 1942 , and in recogn iti

half century the B ath Brig ade in v ited th

St. John th e Bapti s Ho spita Chape l, Bath , on St John D

Thi s is Bath 's oldest Ho spital fo und ed in 11 80 by Bi shop Re g inald FitzJoclyn for the aged, s ck and poor to hav e the ben e fit " Of Th e Waters ". Overthe year s the ho spital rece ved in co m e from h ay and other bequests. IN I S3S the ho spital was va lu ed at £22- 16- 9 and fortunate y esca ped the of reli g iou s hou ses Qu een Elizabeth I s gave the advow sen to the Mayor and Commun ty of th e City In SS2 th e hospital was then valued at £2S-13-8. (There wa s obviou sly innation t hen ). Having surviv ed the RefoJil11ation it s rooms were reb uil F in a "Q uaint Quadrangle" to hou se " 6 Old men and 7 Old women" 2S0 nonresidents received weekly dole.

In J 984 t he Princess Royal atte nd ed the opening of Chandos H o use, St. John 's Hospital , St : Mi c hae l 's Within in a Service of Thank sg ivin g. There was provi sion for 69 flat s to provide reli ef and comfort for o ld er re sidents of Bath City.

In 1992 the nearest Friday St. John Day wa s 19t h Jun e, and th e annual serv ice for the Bath Divi sion wa s held in th e Ch ape with th e M as ter , Rev. Frederick-Harte offici atin g. Durimg the serv

d ays \ Our fir t m ajor stop o f co urse was Dov er , where o ur L eade r was a bit per turb ed 111 case we were m ade to turn back oWll1g to our bnn g lll g refugees 11110 thi Sco untry - how eve r , a vote was tak en and we all we nt :, hea d and th e coac h tr ave ll ed ni g ht and day. Occasionally th ere Iove r e '\s mall stops: Ca a s, Rh eim s, M e tz., Str as b ourg, Mulh o use. B ase l , SI. Gotthard Pa ss, II mil es, L ak e Lu ga n o, Lu ce rn e, Venice, int o It al y,. th en ,Tri es te into Slov enia <:l ndth en Croa ti a, k ee pin g to th e coas ta ro ute. Up o tlni s point Vhe go in g had been very goo d o n m o o r ways, but as you ca n imag in e from th en on into Slov eni a and es pec a ll y Cromia, road were ve ry narrow , tortu ous with hee l' drops do w n o ne s id e. It see m ed at one la ce w e mi ght have to div ert where a brid g had bee n blown up W e we re p eri odi c all y topp ed obviously at eac h bo rd er : th re we re so sm all road bl oc k s and we saw ho u es th a had bee n h ell ed , but w e rse vered on af er small de ays LIn t i I we w ere nea r Spl it z wh ere w e th en et up w rh Unit ed Nation s Per so nn el and wen int o

Way

It

It

The Divi sion

and Safeway staff got stuck into fundraising. The order was placed

John Byrne writes about a voyage of Discovery ,

A grand time at the Grand

by Tony Thornton, National Competitions Manager

Aid C01npetition was held at

the Spa Complex rn

Scarborough on the 19th No-

' _

ted by Sir James Anderton, Sa

LOOK WHOSE DORKING--

th an 20 m emb ers we re il: spec ed a ol Thi s ne w f0I111at se rv ed two purpo se with th e Di v sion 's Ambulan ce and M obil e M ed i ca UnIt. Th e 1I1

ast January was dedicat

bleak

belll

reqUIred to be

The dedi ca tion bega n with

wel co m e from

's Pres

agalll.. Dr. Tudor Thoma s, to th e g ues t s and m emb ers prese nt who in c lud ed D The th em e behInd the 1992 c ompetItIon Tony Blowers CBEJP DL PHD CBiol FimLS C stJ , th e Direc tor Gen er. was initi ative ', and many of th e scenar o s of the Sr. John Ambulance A ssoc i atio n Bill Lan cas er , th e Challl11aI1 l h ad littl e or 110 Fir st A id equipm e nt , no the Council represe ntat iv es from l oca l companies , who donat ed to t ' helpful b ysta nd er s', and a ack of acces s to Fire Di sa ter App eal; ot her Divi s ons in th e Co unty and fri end s of t communi ca tions. Som e o f the cOlllpet it o r s Divi si on. " ., I were initi a ll y ca u g ht o ut by the la c k o f After the short dedicalion wh c h was c? ndu c ed by thandy eq uipm ent, but o nce they rea li sed Reverend Derek Sayer of Sl. Martin s C hurc h, Dr. Blo we1 t he situati o n they adapted and did u se

and

supporters who had so ge nerou s y donated to th e App ea l. do not o n th e Ir own. Councillor Bill LaFlca ste r

ce , for takin g im e off in their own eave a llowan ce to be tim ekee p er s in th e individual eve nt s. Membe r s of th e ol1 h York hire Ca sua lt y Union for be in g prodd ed bandaged and ro ll e d around th e pl ace - and for m akin g th e injuri es' l oo k rea li sti c e nou g h for m e o ge t a bi concemed!

M emb e r s of th e orth York s St. John Ambu anc e Bri ga d e for all th e other rol e, far too m an y o m enti o n , r equired a t suc h an eve nt.

M emb er s of th e orth York s. Constabul ary w h o kept th e p airs t es t s runnin g to schedu l e, and ass i stin g at o th e r ta k s req uired on th e da y Dr. Chapman and h e r gang' r o m Buxton fo r all th e ir hard work in th e audit room and for en suri n g th at th e re u I t s were rea d y on tim e, de spite m y m an y int e rruplion s at d e v in g into th e ir suppl y of toffees (T horn to n 's b y an y c hanc e? ! ).

All m emb er s of the Sp a Comple x for all th e r work on th e d ay, and th e d ays befor e ( it was amaz in g how m any tim e th e ea tin g alTan ge m ents we re c h an ge d before th e act u a l compet iti o n ), and for pro v idin g exce ll ent se rvic e for the lun cheon and t h e co piou s amount of coffee quaffed duri n g the da y. And finally to all tho se r ha ve not m enti oned but who all did a plendid job on th e d ay, and I h ope that they, lik e th e competitors, enjo ye d them se l ve

If the editor wi ll a ll ow me a quick plu g (gra n/ ed - ed) ,J am inter es ted in h ea ring from an yo ne who wo uld like to assist at National Compet iti on in 1993. esp ec all y in th e Ea stboum e Area, in w h atever role th ey fe e th ey ar e comfortab l e at. i .e. cas u alt y simulator or audit or. Contact me a NHQ by e tter o r tel ephon e (071- 235 523 I) I wis h yo u a ll a Happy New Y ea r and thank s to all th e vo luntee r s who h ave h e lp ed throughout the previou s yea r a t a ll th e ot h e r

Results

Challenge

Championship

AMBULANCESI WELfARE BUSES

How safe is your ambulance? Geoff Jackson asks the question, but only you have the answers.

Is yourvehicleroadwo11hy? I'm notagamblingman usually , but I think I could risk a fair sized bet, when I put that to rnany of the motolists that I meet during the course of ll1y work.

That s mall pi ece of paper th a t is g ive n to you whe n yo ur ve hi c le passes it s a nnual MOT is. fo r ma ny peop le. ju s t o ne of a few tim es during th e year that th ey think abo ut the safe ty of their ve hi c les ve hi c le th at ca rr y families exceed th e speed limit... pass through Re d tr aff ic li g ht s, as we ll as man y o th e r thin gs th a t ca use so many se rio us injuri es a nd fata l acc id e nt s during any o n yea r. Is yo ur vehic le roadwonhy?

Ju s t one of th e man y types o f ve hi c les that require a n MOT eac h yea r fro m new are AMBULANCES So. le t me ask yo u how safe th e n is yo ur Amb ul a nce')

We have all see n il done. no ma tt e r what o rga ni sa ti o n we be lo ng to, because it happ e ns eve ryw he re, th e "New Toy" sy ndrome, eve ryo ne wanrs to driv e it . o r c rew it , but when it comes to c lea nin g it o r c hec kin g it or re portin g fault s, s udd e nl y that kee n few aren'r th e re. The problem with failin g to ca rr y o ut prop e rd a iIy c hec ks on your veh ic le is that man y min o r fault s are overlooked for too 10 n D' a tim e and beco me maj o r defec ts th a t wITllead to yo UI' vehic le fai lin g th e MOT t s t.

The MOT Test

The Road Trclffic Act 1930 provid e d th e fir s t ge neral power to in s pec t priv ate vehicles. Th is Act e mpow e re d poli ce co ns tabl es and Mini str y of Tra n port In s pec to rs to exa min e veh ic les in res pec t of require-

me nt. affecting brakes. s tee rin g a nd s ile ncer.

There we re no major c ha nges made unti I the ea rl y 1950's. whe n it became c lear th a t th ere were a la rge number of unr oadwo rth y ve hi c le on the roads. Pres ure th erefo re increased for a compu l 01')' system of pe li od ic in s pec ti on of a ll ve hicl e.

The Road Tr aff ic Ac t 1956 gave th e Minister of Transport powe r to set up a s)'.' te m for tes tin g ve hi c le and, as a res ult. th e annual tes tin g of Cars, Motorcycles a nd Li g ht Commercial Vehicles was comme nced o n 15th February 1961. The age a t whic h ve hi c les we re testable was progress ive ly reduced from 10 year in 196 1 to 3 yea rs by Ap ril 1967 fo r Car. Van s and Motorcycles.

From 1s t Janu a r y 1993, AMBULAN CES. Taxis and Passe nge r Vehicles w hi c h are no t use d o n fa r e pay in g se rv ices became testable after I year r.,itially the tes t was limit ed to an inspec ti o n of braking ystems and th e ir effic ie ncy, s tee rin g gea r, basic li g htin g eq uipme nt and reflectors. The exa minati o n of tyres was in c lu ded in th e test in ove mb e r 1968 a nd sea t be lt s we re add e d in Octob e r 1969. On Is t Janu a ry 197 7 th e tes t \. as ex te nd d to in c lu de s top lamp s, direction indi ca tors. w ind sc ree n w ip er a nd washe rs. ex hau st sys te m , ba s ic bod y s tru c ture a nd ho rn s. Th e sco pe of the MOT te t was exte nd e d furth e r in November 1991 to inc lud e ex hau s t e mmi ss ion , te sting for p trol e ng in e d ve hi c les and c hecks o n antilock brak e sys te m warning li g ht rea r w heel bearin gs, rear whee l tee rin g (w he re appropri a te) a nd rea r ea t be lt As a mea ns of improv in g th e tes tin g of brak es and hea dlamp s, a ll MOT tes tin g \... L /

!I ( s ta tion s we re req uired in 19 80 to in s ta ll roller brake tes te rs and optical head la mp te, tin g eq uipment.

Fo ll owi ng a two yea r e mb a rgo o n new a ppli ca ti ons for a pp o intm e nt. mo re demanding co nditi o ns of a ppointm en t were introduced in 19 85 as a means of impro ving th e sc he me. The e were ame nd e d fo llo w in g di sc us io n w ith the tr ade a nd re- i ue d in JLII y 1986. On I s t J a nu a ry 1987, all ga rages we re re quir e d to improve ec uri t y ar range m en t for the Bl a nk Certificate.

Since 1990, both ex i ting a nd new exam in e rs have had to meet the ne \ co nditi o n wh ich include the pro visio n of a view in g area to enab le th e publi c to \ atc h their ve hi cle being te ted. At pre en t th e te ting of ve hi c les i being can' ied o ut by in th e reg ion of 17 .500 cO lllm erc ia l ga ra ges (Au thori ed E xa mine rs) a nd by about 160 loca l a utho r iti es. Tes t fees a re rev ie\Ved a nnu a l! and are at present£ IOfor , 0 10 m oto rcycles a nd £ 20 for ca r. mini-bu es a nd li ght goods vehic le ' no t exceed in g 3 .000k g des ig n gross we igh t.

Fo r private pa ', e nge r ve hi c les with Illore th a nt we lv e pa s ' nge r eatsandgoods vehicles ove r 3.000 kg a nd up to a nd including 3,500 kg design g ross weig ht the fee is £2 2. 60. a s ma ll proportion be in g recove red by th e Depa rtm e nt of Tran ' po rt to cove r th e administration co t Th e veh ic Ie test ing sc he me is a road safe ty meas ur e \,vh ic h i ' de igne d to e nco ura ge ow ne rs to maintain th e ir ve hi c les and toen ure th a t th e mos t imp0l1 a nt afety re late d ite ms a re in ' pected at lea t o nce a year a t a reaso na bl e cos t. Afai /llr e mre of .:f.O CJc of all ' -e llldes resred indica res rlie need/or s l/ cli (/ rest. Janua r y 1993 St John World 13

LJA-esting imes ... (continued)

TEST CERTIFICATES

The following vehicles are subject to testing annually 1 year after the date of first registration:-

Passenger vehicles with over 9 seats Licensed Taxis Ambulances

Goods Vehicles over 3 S tonnes Gross Vehicle Weight **

**Garages authorised by the Department of Transpcort for MOT are only authorised to test vehicles with Design Gross Weights up to 3,SOOkgs Vehicles that are over that weight, although they only require an ordinary MOT will be required to attend a Goods vehicles test centre on appointment.

Goods vehicles exceeding 3 ,SOOkgs plated weight require annual testing after ONE year.

Passenger vehicles with 9 seats or less (including Motorcycles , Motor-Tricycles) , Light Goods Vehicles up to 3 SOOkgs Design Gross Weight (unless exempt) , require MOT testing annually 3 years after the date of first registration (o:r ifan imported used vehicle , 3 years after the date of manufacture)

Whereas British registered vehicles require testing 3 years from the date of first registration (unless it is one that requires a test after 1 year) , vehicles registered in Northern Ireland don 't require testing until S years from the date of first registration

Exemptions from the MOT that are likely to be of most interest are :

i) Any vehicle without a current MOT f§>roceeding t%r returning from a booked test appointment.

ii) As the resu t of a test failure , the vehicle is being taken to / from a place where work to remedy the defecVs will take place and return to an examination.

iii) To del iver it by towing to a place

where the vehicle will be scrapped.

iv) Imported vehicles on arrival into the UK from port to the place of residence of the owner/driver prior to registration

POST DATIN·G

Did you know? - Test Certificates can be dated for 13 months , as they can be pretested up to one month before the e xpiry of the current MOT certificate , and the new certificate e xpires 12 months after the current certificate expires

One query that has cropped up several times in recent months , is that of the

TYPES OF

I

VI

MOT Vehicle Testing Classes , particularl in relation to Ambulances , Mobile Un il and Minibuses

Vehicle Test i ng Stat i ons are able o nl to test vehicles in the classes that t h Department of Transport , Veh i cle If spectorate have author i sed them I test , these classe s are summari se in the table below

Geoff Jackson is the Area TransPQrt and Communications Officer, London (Prince of Wales's) District. Eastern Area With acknowledgements to the Vehicle Inspectorate

S"-ap, Cackle, Crop!

Angela Brooker recently reorganised the NHQ photo library and came up with a number of snaps fro m the past that we thought you would want to see againeven if the people in them might not be so keen!

Sweltering in the Eighties (t

1982, to be exact), and any sane person would sooner be in the ir bare skin than a bearskin. St. Joh n helps out with a little liquid freshment. This truly classic sh comes from the Sunday People.

Back to August 1979 when photographer Neill Burrow attended the Knebworth Pop Festival. Peculiar to the Seventies was the problem of sprained ankles from falling off platform shoes, injuries caused by flares getting caught in bicycle chains, and splinters in the eye due to shattering 'clackers' (anyone remember clackers?). The casualty on the right has a nose bleed, probably due to exposure

1980,

August

and the youngsters pictured (right, at the have walked from Ipswich to London obviously the BR service to Liverpool St. was as bad then as it is today. They come from the Suffolk 'Interlink' group - whatever became of that?

We don't have a date for this photo featured in the Hull Daily News showing a royal visit to the County HQ. Whilst readers try and guess the year by judging the hairstyles, it's worth pointing out how rarely you see a picture these days where the royal subject is not centre frame.

Left: the two top entries in the Knebworth competition to find a new uniform for St. John. Ultimately the judges rejected the sheep skin coat and the leather hat when it was found that tics used to get trapped in sterile dressings.

A delightful series of photographs from the South Wales Evening Postthat encapsulate the frustrations of First Aid competitions. Once again, we can't offer a date, nor do we know anything aboutthe expressive young man other than that his first name is Richard. Assuming he hasn't improved on his level of skill, he s probably a commissioner by now

A touch of history. Here you see the first recorded St. John Ambulance mobile unit in service with the Bristol Corps in 1912 - wonder if sash windows are still covered in the MOT regulations?

And just to bring us up to date, the picture on the right landed on the Editor s desk last month. It purports to show Paul Bumstead and Tim Gauvain atthedrawforthe 1992 raffle, but clearly they are both of them auditioning for parts in a new Kung Fu movie

". A still from a BBC1 production , but no , it's not Eldorado. As St. John gears up to its Breath of Life Campaign next year , this is a reminder of the Save-a-Life campaign in 1984. The exotic location is Bournemouth Beach and the film , for some reason, was never shown!

18 St John W6rId

Camp Competition

The Winner

Alan Crosskill retired from the NHS Ambulance Service, and as newly appointed Public Relations Advisor to Cleveland County St. John, gives his views on a St. John Cadet Camp.

For nwo week s in Au gust , Cadet s from Cleveland County take over th e ir own c a mp in Commondale. Whil s t th e ca mp is onl y a half hour drive from Tee s ide , th e ch ange in surrounding s is spectacular.

Situated a few mile s within th e N ational Park boundary, Sandhill s is in th e wild s Sh eep outnumber peopl e. Lookin g in any dire c tion th e y are seen in the di slance as white blob s again st rollin g purpl e heather. Seen clo ser, they are rath e r ta tt y, ragg ed and g rey , and they are se en clo ser mo s t of the time , for they wa nder at w il1 in and out of the s ite.

The camp buildin g wa s a terraced row of irom s tone miners cottage s. the miners have long gone and the row ha s b een converted into a communal dinin g/re s t room and dormitorie s for male a nd fe mal e Cadets. Whil st not palatial and poss ibly a little basic , they are ideal for a two week camp. The theme of the camp is activity and the adult staff en stJre 8J full pro gralmme is provided. It range s f rom rock climbin g o raft buil@iing and activiti es with canoes ()n river.

T@k eep pace wi.th all Gf th e phy s ic a l exerci se, the duty cook s produ ce In ountains offo(i)d. On Dhe two mornin gs I vi s ired nhe camp, breakfa s t was in proc ess It wa s hard to refu se, a l ()f my wife 's ca vefi ul contml ef my diet went!! ] con fess I'm weak willed.

I had every ch ance to work itofft hou g h. r wanted to 0bnain photo g ra ph s of rock 20 Sf John World J anu ary 19 93

climbin g We dro ve for 5 mil es o n moo rland roa d s a nd th e n a noth e r two mil es acro ss tra c ks - I di scove re d w hy Cl eve la nd

St. John La ndro ve r Di sco ve ry ve hicl es Ali g htin g in th e middl e o f a flat area of moor , I innoc e ntl y e nquire d w he re we re th e rock s " O ve rth e re" was th e re pl y - th ey we re mil es away and uphill !! I do n t nee d to prov e I'm out of co nditi o n, bur I de m o n-

str ate d it th at mo min g Th e Cad e ts romp ed

ahea d a nd 1 was exce pti o nall y g ra teful to th e youn g soldi e r who wa lk ed w ith me and ge ntl y s ugges ted th a t he ca rri ed my ca m e ra equipm e nt. He d ese rves prom o ti o n fo r hi s skill s in tact and diploma cy. At th e ro c ks he de mo nstr a ted he po ssesse d s ki li s in leade rhip and in stru c ti o n Eve n I fe lt sa fe I dec lin e d th e kind offe r to spe nd th e afte m oon by th e ri ve r w ith th e m, buildin g raft s with o il drum s a nd bit s of woo d Knowin g th e Co unt y Co mmi ss io ne r wo uld

be th e re I fe lt it unfa ir to infli ct t wo ge ri atric s o n th e m

I wa s pl e asa ntl y s urpri se d a t th e ra nge of skill s a nd tr a inin g de mon s tr a te d a t Sa ndhi li s Th e adult s, w ho g iv e up ho liday s to a tt e nd , a nd th e Ca d e ts, who thr ow them se lve s wh o le he arte dl y int o ac ti viti es, we re obviou s ly hav in g a good tim e, lea rnin g about life and wo rkin g with oth e rs

The medi a is f ull of th e anti- soc ia l acti viti es of inn e r ci ty mod e rn youth but to see youn g pe opl e from a similar bac kg round und e rt a kin g vo lun na ry tr a inin g, publi c dutie s a nd cOlllmunit y wo rk fo r St. Jo hn , mak es me convinc ed th a t th e pl!.lbli c should be told th at it' s not all ba d in th e country tod a y.

At th e ri s k of bein g th o ug ht borin g, I say aga in , St. John me mbers do fir st c la ss wo rk in th e colllmunity. Ste p be ing shy, ge t up ctr'ld ne ll th e JDu blic about yourse lv es, you ne ve r know, som e of Che m liliI ay want to j o in you

arry on campIng ...

wife Ca1iTil e in from an H e adquarmeeting last year: " The Hereford Worcester Cadets are going to the outh of Franoe for their annu a l camp is year, wOUild you like to come? "

Us ually th e ca mp is in Brita in but in th e 70th Anniv e rsa ry Year it was pro-

to do som e thin g a bit s pec ia l. I had no t to a St. John ca mp bef o re a nd th e South Fran ce see me d a goo d id ea, a nd I ag ree d o c om e. I ca n hon es tl y say that th e s it e )r oc hur e whi c h s ho wed th a t topl e s ba thin g

The Runner Up

We all tre kk ed off to D el'o l1 ,

To j o il1 th e a n nu a l ca mp ,

We s qu as h e d into th e mi n ibu s, Th e wea th e r il was d a mp

Now B e lry was ca mp co mm a n da l1f , A j o h s h e loo k w ilh pri de , U nlil s h e s lil Jp ed 0 11 a mll ddy pal c h , A nd n ee d e d cr ut c h es a l h er ide.

Th ere was I e ry mu ch t o lea m ,

A nd n ew wo rds we ha d to kn ow, Lik e hrailin gs, p egs and g u ys,

A n d .""h e n to say "yes" o n d " n o"!

We all ha d hrig ht r ed T -s hirl s,

So th ey wo ul d k n ow us a ll

BUI th e a dlll t's secre t wea p o n ,

Was th e Vo n Tra p p w hi s ll e ca ll

Th e f oo d w e ll it ca m e in b ox es, La b e ll ed f O me n /o r I d ay,

Wh e n yo u o rd er it fo r n ext ye ar

Pl ease g il 1e us ki ds a say.

We we nt to see th e ca mil 'a l

A nd s an g so n gs in th e s lree t

A nd ju s l to ge t .fi·o m A t o B , ."ve co n g a d o h so n ea l.

Nas not unu s ual had a bso lute ly no e ffec t o n n y dec is ion

A g roup with cases, ru c ksac ks a nd s lee png bags occ upi e d a ca r park in Ma lve rn lw a itin g th e a lTiv a l of o urt wocoac hes w hi c h lad co ll ec ted ca mp e rs f ro m th e f urth e r flun g ·eache of th e two Areas Mu c h pu s hin g , iho vin g a nd adju s tin g was require d to ge t !verythin g on boa rd th e coac hes, and th ey se t )ff individu a ll y, w ith a pl a nn ed re nd ezvo us

)Jl th e M20 w he re th e fir s t coac h ha d to pi c k

Ip so me Ve nture Sco ut s, a co up le of ho ur )efore bo a rdin g th e 2 100 fe rr y fr o lll Dove r to =a la is A co mbin a ti o n of tr aff ic o n the M4 md M25 mea nt th a t we ha d no c ha nce of na kin g th e re nd ezvo us but hea de d str a ig ht ·o r Dove r. At th e po rt th e o th e r coac h was low he re to be see n and o ur dri ve rs ca m e unn ing o ut of th e tic ke t office hav in g bee n old th a t we had IS minut es to ge t o n boa rd , vhe re th e o th e r coac h was a lrea d y. We mad e t and as we left th e ve hi c le th e sea m en we re Ios in g th e dec k d oo rs be hind us.

It see med sca rce ly a ny tim e at a ll be fo re ve do c ked at Ca la i Th e n bega n th e long trip hrou g h Fra nce, w hi c h is bi gge r th an mo t leo pl e think Th e fir st aga in di sa pleared with o ut tr ace Th e co untr ys id e and tyle of th e town s a nd vill ages c ha nge d as we ra ve ll e d throu g h th e C ha mp ag ne co unt ry; cro ss th e Mass if Ce ntra l; dow n th e Rh o ne

Th ey b oo k ed th e bu ses and b oo k ed va ll ey a nd on to Andu ze a littl e vill age nea r fi e ld , A nd b oo k edfoo d b y th e to n , At th e ca mp th e initi a l in co nv e ni e nces of

But pl ea se o h pi e a se ju s l te ll m e, me re be in g no t quite e no ug h te nt s, and a lac k

Wh y didn t th ey b oo k Ih e s un If f ull rea li sa tion by th e camp sta ff th a t a l-

We a ll tre kk e d ba ck F On? D evo n

Ba ckJi"o m the To rridge ban ks,

So j us t se nd to all th e a dults, A ve r y ve ry bi g th a nks

S t J o hn Ca d e t G a reth Coo k

S e d g l ey Quad Di l' is io n

Wo l ve rhampt o /1 Are a Wes t Midl a nds Co un ty

lou gh we we re ' hou se d as one a nd a ha If rOLlIjJ S, we we re to be to ge th e r for a ll mea l nd activiti es we re soon re o lv ed. Th e wea th e r show e d us of wh alt it was c ap a bl e by a ulck , sharp

Olll- ca mp s ite was in ti e rs a bov e th e ri ve r whi ch prG)Vid e d a coupl e of natur a l auhln g pool s, th e access to th e main me wa s som e wh dtt s lipp e ry , as our lea de r )U1 nd he r di s may A pl e th o ra o f ac tiviti es

we re a vail a bl e includin g w ind s Ulfin g; kaya kin g; horse ridin g; a bse ilin g; s no rkellin g; a nd c limbin g, so th e re was no c han ce of an yo ne be in g bore d So me ac ti v iti es were mo re s uccess ful th a n oth e rs. Fo r exa mpl e th e Ridin g Es ta bli s hm e nt c la im e d to have f o ur tim e as m a ny ho rses as we re ac tu a ll y pro v id e d, a nd so me of th ese.we re no t we ll tr a in e d by En g lis h sta nd ard s. I ce rta inl y surpri sed myse lf by ta kin g pa rt in so me of th e e ac ti viti es fo r th e f irs t tim e eve r, a nd e nj oy in g th e m. (I m no t tha t o ld -f o r th e f o unh tim e in my life I ca n represe nt m y age us in g o nl y on e rom a n f ig ure - but a m no t a s pony pe rso n). Som e thin gs I wo uld

lik e to do ag ain , o th e rs not.

So meof th e hi g hli g hts in c lud ed : Th e G o rge tre k, w hi c h in c lu de d wa lkin g in a I ittl e c an a l pe rc hed o n th e go rge sid e a nd w hi c h trave rsed a tunn e l; (th eo nl y kn ow n ha bit at of th e lege nd a ry Red -l egge d

A ndu zia n s pid e r); th e bitin g a nt s; try in g to get a res po nse fro m th e cl earl y v is ibl e

Jea n-Pi e rr e' w ho, we we re rold , was a tte mptin g th e wo rld cave -ladd e r-h angin g reco rd ; th e rid e to a ma rk e t in a s tea m tr a in a lo ng th e go rge; a ll but two ma kin g th e o ne d ay desce nt of the (an if ic ia ll y co ns tru c te d c irc ul a r) Ard ec he ri ver witho ut ca ps iz in g; th e fun of th e ·Miss·

A nd uze co mp e titi o n; th e ex pl o it s o f

Dump y & G rulllp y; th e a b e nce o f

Klin go ns; lea min g w ha t s hee p do: a nd e nj oy in g s ittin g in a bro ke n dow n bu s.

A ll too qui c kl y th e tim e was up a nd we we re pre pa rin g to leave. Durin g th e fin a l ni g ht th e wea th er w hi c h had bee n ho t a nd s unn y gave u a rea l s tOllll ju s t to prove how fo rtun ate we had bee n

Th e j o lllll ey bac k ee me d m ore te dio us th a n befo re (of co urse) a nd wa no t he lp e d by a n e nfo rce d s to p a t a H y pe r-

ma rk e t H oweve r we ma d e a n ea rl ie r fe lTY a nd re turn e d to Britain to be g ree te d w ith heavy a nd pr o lo nge d ra in - ho me !

Th e 7 0 peo pl e wh o ce le bra ted th e

Cad e t 's 7 0th Anni ve rsa ry in th e So uth of Fra nc a re g ratef ul to th e Aco lll Ve ntur e s taff fo r th e ir se n e offun a nd co mmit -

me nt to o ur afe ty: to o ur dri ve r ; a nd mos t of a ll to B arb a ra R oge r a nd Rose

A ll a rd who did th e o rga ni s in g. Th e behav io ur of th e C ad e ts was exe mpl a ry thr o ug ho ut ( unlik e a no th e r Briti h Yo uth orga ni sa ti on o n th e ire), a nd a re al c redit

to St. John

Nex t yea r? I' ve a lrea d y put my nalll e down f orTa ly bo nt , topl ess ba thin g o r no topl ess bathin g !!

D

Thi s year I was one of the fortunate si x Cadets from Northern Ireland who were invited to attend the Buckin g ham s hire County Camp in Channouth , Dorset.

Before g oi ng to th e ca mp , I had bee n in co nt ac t w ith Cad e ts w ho a tte nd e d th e previo u yea r, so th ey h ad g ive n me som e ide a of w ha t to ex pe ct. I a l 0 rece ive d a ca mp boo kl e t w hi c h was ve ry use ful. Th e ca mp more th a n li ve d up to m y ex pect a ti o ns. We we re to le ave from Alderg ro ve a irpon a t 2 pm on th e 1s t A ug ust,

ave l

2 nd Au

s pendin g o

ni g ht in Oll! ey, Bu c kin g

m

H oweve r. so me thin gs do n 't a lways g o acco rdin g to pl a n On th e j o ulll ey leav in g No nh e lll Ire la nd. th e pl a ne was de laye d f or three ho u rs, not a pa rti c ularl y pl easa n t s ta rt , but it was prob a bl y th e onl y se t-b ac k of th e w ho le wee k , ex cept ha in g to go ho me aga in , th a t i ! Wh e n we ac tu a ll y go t th e re I wa s urpri se d a t how effic ie ntl y e e rythin g was run , a nd th at co ntinu e d a ll thr o ug h th e wee k I fo und eve ry thin g ro be exce pti o na ll y we ll o rgani ed. Th e prog ramm e of eve nt s wa te rri f ic Th e re was a g rea t va ri e ty of day tim e ac ti v iti es in co rp ora tin g St.J o hn profi c ie ncy wo rk. coac h trip s ga me, a nd eve nin g e nte l1 a inme nt w hi c h in c lu ded two di scos a nd a [rip to a fLlIl fa ir.

I was amaze d a t th e amount of e lec trica l e quipm e nt o n ite Th e word proce o r fo r th

On Call and Divisional New

In North Africa there is a range of mountains called the High Atlas. Nestling in this range is Mount Toubkal and at thirteen thousand feet it is the highest mountain in North Africa. For this reason, myself, Andrew Wapling and my sister Lorraine, both members of Uxbridge DiVISIon, decided to attempt its assent.

We flew out to Marrakech and arrived at the hotel Ali. Here we met up with our trek leader Steve and the rest of the group; that had been pre-arranged but we had never met. After an hOUT of asking each other's occupation we went to bed , but not to sleep as the hotel Ali had no air conditioning and heat was to o much to bare The first day was basically about being shown around Marrakech as a group so as to get us to break the ice. The city itself was an experience to be remembered!

On the second day we were driven for three hours on a s ingle track mountai n road without tarmac, to Imlil. From here we walked to oUT first Berber village Aroulnd (pwnounced Ammt). Here we spent a couple of nights while we did a series of short treks. These were around the nearby mountains and were designed for us to get use d to the altitude. On the seco nd night at Around, Steve called me out to another 26 St John World January 1993

Mounting Atla

Andrew and Lorraine Wap ling become the latl young SJA members to record their exploits a make most of us adult members feel timid a inadequate!

Berb er hut. As there is no doctor or ho s pital facility for hundreds of mile they rely on westerners to help , if th ere are any in the village at the time We had been ca ll ed to a young boy with a scorpia n sting, a it wa st ill in hi s ha nd we had to dig it o ut wit h the utmo st care 0 as not to sq ueeze a ny more of the poi son out. Steve is FAW trained by St. John and sai d he is often ca ll ed up on in the small villages.

The next day we s tarted th e se riou s walking, it was a fo ur day round trip to get us used to lon g hard day wa lk To guard against s un stroke we a ll wo re turban and ignored how odd we looked We hired some mul es to carry o ur large ruck sac k and we carried daysacs co nta inin g ba ic commodities like water and s un tan o il. We hired a Berber c hef call ed Mohammid Ali who made us lun c h of salad and sardines and dinn ers of e ither Couscous or Tagine, both vegetable dishes, throughout the trek

The conversation had now c han ged from occupations to bowel movements. Durin g the first day's walk we had the option to 'bag a peak ' (climb to the top of a lo ca l mountain). On the way down one of our party fell and cut open hi s knee. Given the s ituation there was nothing left to do but put into practice a techniqLle I have been trained in at work and that was to put two s uture s in , half way down a mountain!

Following that our guide Brahim open his foot so two more s uliUl res had to be don e We lived in the hut s of the Berbers and joined in their customs. The hut s were made out of mud and sticks and the toilets were ju s t hole s in the ground, there was of course no running water. We would eat and

PURPLE STRIPE

The Registered Mental Nurse Within St. John

ta lks on d ifferen t a rea s of mental health. J a m

intere s ting and benefic ia l.

A n a rea of Sr. J ohn wo rk in which r

to many officers and m embers of the Bri gade, the .1Id. ualification held by the m ajo rity of nur sing officers is he Re g is tered General Nurse certificate, but a seco nd rlance a t the g rey epa ul ettes may s how th at the nur se is li ther a State Enrolled Nurse with a gree n s trip e, or if a )urple st rip e is di sp layed, the nurse w ill be one of the ollowing: R eg is tered Mental Nurse , R eg i tered Nurse or the Mentally Handic apped , R egistered Sick ChilIre n 's Nurse , or a State CeI1ified Midwife. There is with o ut doubt a va lu ab le place within Sr. John for ac h of th ese s peciali s t nurses, and I wo uld not be doing th e m s leep on the roofs a nd as there wasust ice if J attempted to de cr ib e th e ir ro le and f un ctions. What r e lec tricity we wentlo bed a t du k and arvant to do in s tead i to look a t at dawn. Wa s hin g wou ld be done ius.t one of the e nur ses, that d ivision s hould invite and encourage RM s

"/ see the role of the RMN within St. John falling into four different areas, that being in a teaching role, a supportive role, involvement in public duties, and escort work"

I feel that if a perso n presented them se lve s ata Fir s t- A id po s t s uffering from a n acute mental health problem and the e rvice of a n RM we re ava ilab le that per on wou ld be able to receive immediate s peciali st

very ben eficial is that of g iving s upp ort and infollllal counse llin g to mem bers of th e Bri gade and genera l publ ic fo ll owi ng traumati c incidents in which indi vidual s were involved. Oneofthe large t areasofS r.John work in which Heel RM can playa very va luable role i that of public dutie s, particularl y the larger ones. I a m s ure that at mo s t large duties the officer in cha rge tri e to en ure the pre se nce of an RG ,and possibly a Midwife, but I wo uld lik e to s ugges t that on future dutie s , the se rvice s of an RM be so ught. pal1icularl y for the fo ll ow in g reaso ns : In our soc iety more and more people are s uffering from mental he a lth probl ems a nd a a ny other member of the public, are ve ry likel y to attend public event s. tream, so me were in th e vi ll age an a,e ln g the RegI s tered Me ntal were s now fed from the mount a in. It (RMN ), a nd to look at so unbelievably co ld it mad e yo ur \vl: at an RMN can offer to the tingle. The li s t of injuri e that we a nd how be st hI s or her deal with got longer, th ey ranged flkIll s ca n be re moving fly egg from wounds , to ee The RMN IS a profe s lo na l a five year o ld gir l w ith mUltiple fractl,erso n, wh? forthree to the s kull. ear., peclall s ll1 g In the care of

After the four day round trip tayi n,eople .w ith mental hea lth problem s, which I am ure people wi ll Ouane sekra, Oukaim edene and Am kiPpreclate covers a vast area. RM 's can be found car in g for we embarked on the assent ofTo ubk al. ,eop le In most areas of hea lth care, but are fo und to be caring for wa lk ed up to a plac e ca ll ed Neltner mo re a nd more wi thin a com:n unit.y ett in g rather than in ba se of Toubkal. Thi s wa at ho s pItal s. An RMN work ll1 g w lthll1 mental hea lth ha thousand feet 0 it meant that we o nl / Illu c h dl:ferent role th an th at of a ge nera l nurse,. but a t tl:e same three thousand s ix hundred feet to clime he 0.1 s he has to po sess gene ra l nurs In g s kIll s, partIcularl y the next morning. We ro se at five ,vhe l: carIng for a person with mental health probl e m who has a Ih ys lca lliin ess tartedtowalkat lX,ltwassoco ld we\\ a ll injump er and g loves. We made itto An RMN has a va t an'ay of s kill s to be ab le tocall upon. whi ch top by ten to nin e, the quickest s uc h as cOI:1 muni cat io n a nd co un se llin g Steve wa s aware of, that a ny team CII SIS II1terve ntI o n work, behwloural s kIlls, a nd the achieved it. At the top we flew the a nd manage ment of a per so n WIth an ac ut e me ntal hea lth St. John, or rat he r th e 'T' -s hirt as we dif'°blem. The ro le and scope of a n RMN i.s a vas t a nd inte re s tin g have a flag! You can now say that St. J(lne, .but tl:e y a re,spec la ii sts 111 theIr ow n rI g ht , a nd have a uniqu e Ambulance ha s bee n to the top of the tal lole 111 C2l llI1 g fOI pe?ple WIth me nt a l hea lth problem I see th e role 01 the RMN h ' S J I f II 'mount am III NOlth AfrIca, at thirteen tilt. , " WIt "! t. 01n a II1 g Int o tOUl sand six hundred feet. hffe re nt alea. that belI1g II1 a teachII1g ro le , a s upp o rti ve role, The next few day were s pent In publIc dutie s, a nd eSC0l1 work I wo uld now lik e d aki b k A d o look brIefly at eac h of th ese a rea an m ng our way ac to roun W _. the la st day the Berber whose hou se. Ith lega ld teac hlI1 g, I feel that the RMN pos sesses the were stay in g in cooked us a roast skI ll s to be a bl e.to run quite co nfidentl y any of the rea l luxury) and got the lo ca l lads and t· John Iill!.l l s lI1 g courses, a nd wlnh regard to the 's pec ia li st s ubj ec ts to s ing and dance for us. n.l eve Irwo three, be a bl e t? upon th e as ista nce of ot he r A f I I d ,1IofessIOnals If he or s he feels It I more app ro pri ate terpaymg t1 e mu eteers an VISI W· hM ak h · h 'I[ It lega ld to the me nt al Illn ess sec tIon in leve l three r fee l arr ec agaII1 we were on e Ph t .' .' h f h · I b k a Itl sesse ntlalwh e leverpo ss lbl e tou set hese rvl cesofan RMN ome a ter aVII1g t1 e est two wee' b h I ' 01 ot ect unn g and eXamII1I11 G As we ll as fOlmal CO UI' es our Ive s. b' c, help. a nd 1 a lso feel that the me mbers pre e nt wou ld fee l ' upp o ned b the pre se nce of th e RM Th e ty pe of problem s that r could foresee a perso n pre se nting with, are s uch problem a ac ut e panic attacks in anxiet persons s uffe ring from depre s ion ma be fo ll owing a s uicide attempt and peo ple having problems a oc iated w ith drug and a lco ho l. r am s ure divi s ion s wou ld ben efit from ha in g an RM on dut y with them. eve n though I appreciate th e lac k of them in the Brig ade.

Finall y th e re is a very a lu ab le ro le to pla y for RM w ithin esco n work. be it by road ambu lance. train. or by the aeromed ical se rv ice. Very ofte n St. Jo hn w ill be ca ll ed upon to transport a per so n uffe rin gfrom so me type of mental hea lth problem. maybe that is as oc iated w ith so me physical co nditi o n. a nd I feel th a t if th e kill of a n RMN em be offe red when accept in g s uch a patient , it can o nl y be of benefit to the perso n. a nd to in c rea e eve n more the profe -ionali m of St. Jo hn RM s have a very va lu ab le role in educating Brigade member abo ut probl e m th a t may ar i e when e corting patient s wit h po s ible mental hea lth problem. 1 hope that through thi 311icle I have given membe r a Ii g ht ins ig ht int o the role of the RM . and how he or he ca n benefit a divi io n I feel th a t there is a na ti o na l hOl1age of Reg iste red Nul' es within th e Brigade. a nd I feel that we have to do a ll we ca n to rec ruit mo re. If any fellow RMN would lik e to v rite to me regard in g their role within St. John.] 'vvould be most int ere ted. or if wou ld lik e to co mm e nt on thi s an ic le. they wo uld be mo s t welcome.

J anua ry 1993 St John World 27

-:'omment by Michael McGivern RMN SEN(M) Nursing Officer, County Pool Cleveland.

Feeling a bit livery-ish

When

Peter E. Kirkham Divisional HQ Bletchley Division Milton Keynes

Something to show for quid pro quo

Regarding

We hold two public First Aid cla sses per year and an enrolment night. The group are reminded of the fee, what it covers and , as an incentive , are told that if they join the Divi s ion they get their money back. On our last course (Jan-March) we recruited fouroutof 15. On our present course we blOW of two who plan to join; perhaps a few other Divisions might like to try the idea.

At our annual inspection three week s ago om commissioner asked how we have so many Ambulance Members that 's my sec re t , not to be shared!!

Thelma Battersby SRN Officer in Charge Helston Q Division Cornwall

St. John, You're the one

St John you're th e one r h ave always found , Helping all th e s ick and ne e dy At the football gro und Cur or graze, bre a k or bruise, You re the one I would c hoose.

St. John you're the one I hav e always found, Marathon or gard e n fete

You're cool and ca lm , Never in a s tate

You know what to do When everyone e lse s irate. When everything falls a pal1

St.

St.

Lack

fighting

BS FRCP MRCPsych DRCOG l in g Co mm and er Edward Pe er Turk MB BChir MRCParh In 197 1, The Southport Ce ntre noated a ian a Da il ey Pope, Mrs. Burden Ce rtEd Aid (Invitation) Compe titi on, w hi c h Lea der Rob e lt Ga rdner Masterton following th a t increased for a number of),sc MB ChB MRCPath MB IM DipGUM with m a n y teams Cr om Indu s tr y, Scnleut enant Co lone l Pete r Cove LRCP I LRC SI&LM FDS RCS Brigades e tc., participating. luadron Lea der Cal1m Ann Beckwi th ARRC RM Th e Association - run eve nt. wa Culli an Trevo r Palm e r MBE FIDiagE AMITD th e prem i f' of SI. J o hn 's dictate to furth e:eorge Mutc h Cowie knowledge of First Aid within th e comlTIu,Ylll g Officer (W) Caro le Brenn an EDN DHE by way of compe titi on The knock-on e)sep h Carpenda le Dun can be in g more public inte res t and possible n;hn v.:alterTuI11 er bership. arga let Betty, Mr TUI11er Unfortunately , in recent years the fo leter William Cas tl e ing has declined a nd presently th e co mp etieo rge WIllIam Hopkins FCA IP FA which ha s bee n turn ed into a n open event. nn e Mar garet, Mr s. FlInt JP DL ce pe ndin g a n uptUIll in int e res t. In a n emar wood Jam es Whitehead asce rtain th e reaso n forthis si tu a tion r conl1n Watt' Pink e rton TD MB C hB FRCP various other sec re ta ri es a nd tea m s thr oll r geo n Captain John William Dav ie th e North Wes t. It would appearthat o ur proe rma n !fo hn Morgan Rees PhD BS c not s

Rid er Jo hn David Hemsworth Anna, Mrs. Farquhar Ernes t William Harri so n Jos iane. Mrs Everard

James Bennert Stancliffe MB BS Eve Stainton , Lady Jack son Kenneth Edward Da le

Joan Margaret, Mrs Cobb ledick - Call Sep

Robert William Dunnin g TD FCA

Mildred Florence, Mrs. Pu gs ley SR RNT STDip OND CTCert

Denn is Raymond Herbe rt Joy ne

vie nn e J oan, Mrs. Haworth

Revd Keith Kinn aird Jean ne Mar y. Mr.

0 on fln

(6)

At least that's what Dr. Johnson said

Minc

(6)

Tear fo r d is o lute perso n (3)

Actually, if you're tired of London, it' because you're not staying at the St. loh l House Club.

U nable to lean (4)

App le fOTmmg lary ngeal prominence (5)

Vital paranleter of res piratory fun ctio n (8)

Poi so nous carbo n co mpound prcxlu ced by ln effic ientl ybum ed fu el (8)

Founded in 1948 and currently situated al 50 Eaton Place, the Stjohn House Club your club in London. It offers: Regency terrace in the heart of Londo n Central Heating

Six with damaged sclera re lated to th e mtemal o rgans (8)

M etabo li c di sorder in which the a lkalin e reserve of th e bl ood is depleted (8)

Fonne rl y impud e nt pe rson w ith spec ia l know ledge (6)

U e afte r sod ium wit h a fee ling of ick nes (6)

A hundred with pain in hidin g pl ace (5)

Poor ca re for an e thni c g roup (4)

Aid

Ambu=*SPURFebruary1993

-thedisposableresuscitator withalltheessentialfeatures

More than thirty years have passed since Ambu ® introduced the f irst manual resuscitator to the field of emergency medicine.

Since then Ambu has upgraded ex isting resuscitators and developed n@w ones to ensure that a simple , safe and reliable product is available for use in respiratory emergencies , the most recent additi o ns to the Ambu family of resuscitators are the Ambu SPUR Adult and the Ambu SPUR Infant/ Child dispo£able resus c itators.

As with all Ambu resuscitators , c onformity to 8S / ISO specifi c ation s plus strict quality control ensure s effective o perat io n in every emergen cy s itu at io n Ambusafetyandsimplicityat yourfingertips

design

These singl e p atient use resus c itators eliminate th

of c ro ss infec tion due t o inadequ at e sterilisation p roc edures and offer prote ction to both th e patient and t o emergen c y c are st aff

The minim al numb er of part s use d in Ambu '" and Ambu"' ®are reg stered trademarks of Ambu nternational

Maxonnowproudlyannouncethelaunchoftheir SovereignSeriesofsynthesisedhand-portableand mobileradios.

Featuring:

•RUGGEDSTRENGTHINDESIGN

•PROGRAMMABLESYNTHESISEDFREQUENCYCONTROL

• 16 INDIVIDUAL CHANNELSCOMPLETEWITHCTCSSTONE LOCKSQUELCH

•POWERFULTRANSMITTEROUTPUT UPTO25WATTS-MOBILES

5WATTS-HANDPORTABLES

•EXCELLENTACCESSORYRANGE

•RENOWNEDTECHNICALSUPPORTANDBACKUPFOR SERVICING

•RELIABILITYBACKEDBYGUARANTEE

•CONFORMSTOALLBRIGADEDESIGNREQUIREMENTS

Call for reform of 999 emergency services Arise, Sir Robert fortnore

efficiency

The e m e rge ncy serv ice s in B ri tain are out of dat e, ineffici ent and in de sperate nee d of re f oml s ay s a controversial new report, " 999 Emerg ency " It calls for t he am a lgama tion of th e fire, poli c e and ambulance services into a s in g e body

The author Watch Comm a nder John G Jack s on , is a serving London f ire offi c er who draw s on his own e x peri e nce and knowledge to s ugge s t how the e mergency s ervi c es might be made more respon s ive no the ne <t d s of an incident and become mor <t efficient.

Thi s should be the way forward , e s peci all y in London h e s ay s, where the problems be in g faced by the ambulance s ervice reflect the fact that the system h as been unchanged s ince 194/.

Cdr. J'acl<.s on propos e s cre ating ajointemerg ency control centre to avoid th e pre s ent anomaly where 999 information about which service i s required i s retrieved by separate command centre s covering diffe rent are as This cau ses delay and mi s take s about which emergency s ervice i s needed and e ndangers people 's lives , he claims.

Extra efflciency and receptiveness could be adliev e d by closer co-operation and cro sstraining of emergency service s a s a preliminary to merger, say s the report publi shed by the Adam Smith In s titute , London

There w as wide agreement within the emergency service s that "bhere are literally acres of linkage" , e specially between ambulance and fire re s cu<t services

This would bring economie s of scale and make more resource s available by avoiding duplication of dutie s

Caroline Thoma s, D ivi s ional

Super inte nden t of N o .1 City of L @I:l (ji,(;n Divisi o n, p r@ du ce d his s trip She s a ys if someone giv es her inspirati on , she will draw more Meanwh

of the

inm e nt

nd

a

ng w ith R oya lty co mb ine d to ra ise a s p a rk lin g £70,000 for t he coffe rs o f S t J o hn A mbul ance a nd S t J o hn H os pita in J e ru sa le m

Th e P rin ces R oya l hea d e d th e g ues t li s t a nd th e ce le briti es in c lud e d Jimm y T a rbu c k , H e nry

Coo pe r, a nd a rti s t D av id Sh e phe rd.

T he e nthu s ias ti c M ar ke tin g a n d A pp ea ls D e p a rtm e nt taff w h ic h o rga ni se d th e ba ll p roved th a t ra s in g s uc h a large s um can be fun - as we ll as hard graft.

Ce rt a inl y th e 425 g ue ts w ho pa id £75 a hea d fo r th e eve nin g e nj oyed Jimm y T a rbu ck's a uc ti o nes pec ia ll y th e a ides w hi c h he co n fessed mi g ht have him "throw n in th e Towe r."

H ow c lose he ca m e, we' ll neve r k now. Bu t hi o ne- lin e r a bo ut th e R oya l Fa mil y h av in g to pay rn co m e T ax a nd th e Fire o f Wind sor eve n h Prin ce s A nn e, C onlln a n d an - in -C hi e f (Ambul a n ce a nd Nurs in g Ca d e ts) c hu cklin g. Th a nks to m a n y w ho d o na e d te mp t in g plu s Jimm y's qui c k- f ire re pa rtee, th e a uc ti o n ra ised £27, 000 fo r St J o hn

Th e re w a a m o vin g m o m e nt wh e n th e biddin g bega n fo r a bron ze d o nate d by sc ulpt o r J a m e O s bo rn e, w hi c h he has d o ne reg ula rl y for II yea rs. But thi s w as hi ast bron ze c rea te d pec a ll y for St John S adl y, J a m es di e d ju s 10 d ay befo re th e ba ll. A t a uc ti o n th e bro n ze m a d e a re m a rk a bl e £9, 500 a fittin g tribu te to m l!u k hi s pass in g Lo rd Wes tbury C ha inn a n o f th e G a la Co mmittee, th a nk e d Sir Ali ta irGra nt, C hainn a n al ld C hi ef

Exec uti ve of th e A rgy ll Gr o up ,

Abol e : P rin ce ss An n e e njoys a joke with (left to r ight) L o rd Wes tbury, wres tl e l; Mick McMa/1/.I s, Ji mmy

Ta rbu(;k , and hi s agent , P ete r Pri tc h a rd.

Fo rmer boxing champion, H e n ry

Coope r a n d his wife, A lb in a, wi h Pri ncess A nil e and Lo rd Westb1ll1

Ce ntre rig ht p icrll l"e: Th e w ith Mr a ll d M rs Co li n S mith

he h o ldin g co mp a ny fo r S afeway, fo r uppo rtin g t h e O VE R TO YO U JOHN ca mp a ig n in ce it began in F e bru ar y, 199 1. Th e ha nd over of a c he qu e fo r £5 0 ,000 to S J o hn d o n a te d by Mr Willi a m G a rtl a nd M an ag in g Direc tor, o f Th o m son Direc to ri es a l 0 bro ug

Specialists in Alnbulance Conversion.

tri a l in co pin g w ith in c id e n ts in th e co nges te d tr affi c o f C e ntral L o nd o n

In its fi rSl fe

e 0ppoltunity to m ee th e Cad e ts a th e P a l ac e eac h year T he C a d e ts w e re c ho sen a represe ntat ves o f St. John in th e ir c ounty in th

Frontieres Sans recruits

Mede G: ins Sa ns Frontieres, which claims to be the wor ld 's private organisation fo r em e rgency medical aid , emp loy in g over2 ,OOO vol untee rs each year, ha s ope ned a London office It is here to recruit doctors , nurse s , laboratory ec hniCiaJ1S and nut ritionists.

In its report, Population in Danger, ito utlin es themed ical need s of the wOT ld s lO most at ri sk populations. They are in the fOimer Yugoslavia Mozamb igu e, Somalia, Sudan, Sri Lanka, Kurds in Iraq, the Tuaregs in We s; t Africa and Azerbaijan is a nd Arnle ni an s in Nagorno-Karabakh. Fina ll y, the Rohingya Mu slim s in BUll11a and the Ashaninca Indians in Peru Say s Geoffrey Prescott , the medical coordinator: " There is a con s ta nt pressure for reouits. " Writing for the public

A nyone piarlI1ing to design a leaflet , a consent form or a ques tion-

naire s hould set as id e a lot of time. Irmay beonly 200 word s lon g but that doe s n't

over

coup

of dlink s, according to DrTon y Smith , Ass ociate Edito

B

jjl M edic a l Journal.

" Producing c le ar unambi g uou s ma terial that peopl e w ill us e is one of th e 1110 St hi g hly pa id jobs in journ a li sm - and for good rea on ," he say s. All too ofte n. peopl e think they can turn th e ir hand s to thi ort of work without training o r practice.

"My adv ice is .look a t th e information handouts produ ced by your lo ca l hea lth aut horit y, by loca l charities, and so on. Find om eone who see ms to produ ce attractive material

g iv e n in th e Briti sh Medical10urnal by DrTon y Smith , Associate Editor.

People

Pignatnes to YOU!

e s mall numb e r o fp a ti e nts w ith s us pected my oca rdi a l infarc ti o n ( heal:t a tt. ac k ) a pp ea re d to co mp a re favo ura bl y ag ain st se ndin g hos pit a l ambul a nce w ith a " fl y in g squ ad " doc to r a nd SUpp Ol1 tea m , hc says in th e J o urn a l of th e Roya l Soc i-

e ty o f Medi c in e

Hi g he t prop o rt io n o f in j uri es in vo lve d th e leg w ith 24 pe r ce nt fo ll owe d by th e hea d ( 17 pe r ce nt ) a nd a nkl e ( 14 pe r ce nt)

Mos t e me rge ncy ca ll s we re made at wee ke nd s, pa rti c ul a rl y in Aug us t. In j ury was know n o r s

in 3 1 pe r ce nt o f ca ll s, w hi Ie 24 pe r ce nt in vo lve d dr ow nin g o r poss ibl e imm e rs io n. Milit a ry o r c iv ili a n ex pe rie nce s ugges ted th a t fas t evac uati o nt o hos pit a l improved ur v ival ra te a nd may improve co mpli cation and le ng th o f th e pati e nt's s tay in hos pital.

AMBULANCES! WELFARE BUSES

d has so me useful obselvations on th e subj ec l.

Spokesman, Jim Crosby, said:

Th e cap i ta l' s riv e r is notorious for i ts b itin g v."inds, requ irin g spec ial proteCfil'e s uit s over un(fo rms.

The o l d music hall joke "w inter drawers o n! " might rai ed a titLer 1'01' co untl e co m edJan down the years: but t he problems ca used by co ld and harsh weather co ndition s are no aughing malleI'. Many a membe r find s thi s out from biller ex p eri ence. Wh en you ta k to St. Jo hn people around the co untry, one th in g em et:ges ve r y c l earl y - th e apparentl y impl e busin ess or keeping wa rm and d ry s a very ho top c. Given th e fact th at uniform re g ul ation mu s b e observed, s th ere littl e t he indi v i lu a memb er ca n do, beyond ufferin g, w hen faced

w ith lon g duties in reez in g w ind and drying rain ? Happil y, there are severa m ea ures th a w ill he p yo u keep wann and dry Apart from the co n id erabl e im provements over th e yea rs in Sr. Jo hn unifol111 s, m emb ers ca n foll ow so me simpl e g uid elin es in th e way th ey dress.

Extra woo lies, pyjamas, even tights for men are part of the undercover story of how members cope in brass monkey weather. Here, Gary Cooper talks to the experts as well as Sf. John members with their own tips on keeping a warm body and a 'coo l' head despite the rigors of winter.

10 St John World February 1993

Who beller to ask for adv ce , th an so m e in tho se St. Jo hn Divi s ons w ho face th e wea th er at its wo r st?

Po ss ibl y th e mo s ext r em e co ndition s found in this co untry, at eas t on sho re, are n Britain 's mountain s and dal es Ha v in g o cope w th tho se on a reg ul ar ba s s i s Neil Car ruth er s, w ho run s th e Buxton Mountain

Re sc ue Divi s on in D erb ys hire. Fo r th e co ndition s in w h ich t hey work, Buxton m emb ers, 3! no n- uniform Divi s o n , wea r th e bes t allweat her c ot hin g ca n obua in Neil exp l ain s: " Obviou sl y we need so mething th at's wate r proof and w in dproof, w hi c h ca n mean PVC -coaled ja c k ets. T hese are ve r y waterproof but ca n be ve r y heavy, wh i ch ca n a so be sa id of waxed cotton Polyureth ane-

Thou g h hal s un can c au se severe sunburn, me ss in g about in boats is more likely to r e quire prote c tive clo thin g or blankets for casualties - especia lly if one of them (second ji-om ri g ht) is th e former Prim e Minister, now L ord Ca lLa g han. P oliticians had been staging a Thames r egat ta vvhen S t j ohn came to the rescue

il y tran sm ill ed

'ou g h wate r. " Th e best natu ra fibre s silk coa Led ny on, w hi ch some or th e SI t c ho l orofibre, w hi c h we u e in a uniqu e coa ts are made or. is al so very good tty in The rm olacty l , has he hi g hes tth el111a l disadvantage w ith all or those thr ee Lanc e of any fabric ba r non e," he aid they don t "brea th e." "When you're ou t "Fo r protection aga in st the co ld the be st e tended period of time and get very b i s to have seve ral thin ayers tr app in g th e weat ca n t e cape and you slan gelli ri, rat her th an one. It a so important to we t feeling in sid e Some people don't11embe r the l os of heal el sew here - ove r to put th eir waterproors on because th c% of bod y hea l ca n be los t th rough the head." they ge t weller from th e co nd ensa ti on One DIY and c hea p so luti on to th e probth an th ey do from th e ra in o r m s On of co ld wea rin g a pair of ti g ht - ye o, T hi s ca n be a majo r probl m, particu w Tri c i a Ea rp , Sup erint end ent of th e conditions we are working in at lngbo urn e Divi on in B erk shire, exp l ai ned There ar e better fabric aro un O tt so me of their m ember al ong with m any Goretex and H yd rod r y, both of whine r m al e St. John m emb ers have found wa erp ro of but , by th e way th e ra bh s warm th e part s that othe r clo thin g do s produced ac tu al! y d r ayv o ut the swe. t reac h moisture from but stop s the m Pa ng bourn e's d uti es in c lu de a wide va rimi s ge ttin g in The biggest disadvalll! of equ est rian eve nts and motorcyc e sc ramth e initi al cost. Fo r a po y ur eth ane -t But her ex peri ence s ha f in ding suit ab e n y l o n jacket, yo u ma y pay, £50, bul)twear S o ne of t he major heache hes. Goretex one yo u are probab l y tal king a "At motorbik e sCI'a mble and horse tri al s double th e cos t , wh i c h mak es it prahe of the major probl em s i s that it ca n ge t for a divi si on LO suppl y. I'y muddy , butifiti seo ld andwe ,we ll ington " In ge nerall erm s, I think th e fi rstttO t aren t al ways th e answe r beca use yo ur do s keep w in dproof and dry. For war;l tend to ge t rat her co d Obviou sl y, noruse th e aye r sys tem und ernea th , sLariinti shoes aren str o ng enough , so ome of u th enll a s and buildin g up from th ere nve.go ne for spec a d uty boot s, m ore li ke o f th e materi a s used, that 's a mall eI' boots. One of our m emb er fo und a so nal c ho ce - so m e prefe r natur al pde :OI11 the range, t he ir ' hi g h but so m e of th e newe r mall'. publIc o rd er boot, and that has pr oved mat eri a s are ve r y good ind eed." y goo d. T1hey are eather, w i uh stee to eOf tho se man - mad e fabrics, o ne,)s and t!1ey'v e go brilliant o es w hi c h bes t known m an ufacturers or th ermal lP yo u slidin g abo ut in t he mud too much. wea r Dam art offe rs it s own unique "T he ot her thin g you nee d i s wa t. erproof ca ll ed Th ermolactyl. Damart has done,uh ng and th al"s a problem , beca use of th e of researc h in to th e subj ec t of keeping .t. A l o of u s have n o rm a l St. J oh n

rever sible jackets but so metime even [hat not enough if it' s rea ll y wet. The best way, of co urse, i s to stal1 wi th thennal und erwear and build up from th ere."As far as keep in g the head protected goes, mo st of our female membe rs find the s orm cap s quite good and in fact m ost of he men comp l ain because th ere i sn't an equ i va lent for them. The men' s caps can be a problem in that re spect."

Derek Fenton , ati ona Adviser for football and e i sure activit e introduced the reversible anorak weat herproof on both ide s - to help those on duty at football matche s "The m ajority of our peop e now wear the 'woolly pulley' and the revers ibl e anorak, w hi c h does keep th em wanTl," he sa id Even these unifol111 item may not confer th e ultim ate protection in ome condition s, and there co m e a tim e when one ha ro re so rt aga in to a DIY approach 'I a ways wore pyjama trou ers und el11eath my unifonll on ew Year Eve. Thennal underwear i s al so ve r y u eful. "

SPECIAL DUTY SUIT

This i s th e n ew one-piece spe c i a dut y suit ex clu si ve l y d es g n ed with ru gge d St. John dutie s in all weather in mind. Brigade a pproved it w ill fit a dults and Ca dets of both sexes The sp ecial dut y suit, which costs £38.99 p Iu s po stage fmm St. John Supplies, s hi g hl y functional with fi ve toucband - clo se patch pock ets, a twowa y zip front fastening, elastica ted waist, wide beltadjuster s and ve lcro cu ffs. The egs are unhemmed so yo u can adjust them to vour size - eve n tl;em atching thread for DIY stitching s included

PeopJe have to use their ingenuity, providi ng they look uniform according to regulation s It doesn't r eally matter how they protect themselve s "undel11eath."

On water, too, there are specia l p roblems. Tideway Di vis ion h as to face the el em ents on the River Thames, notoriously prone to biting , cha ngeab e winds.Eddie H emsley, Di viional Supelintendent of Tideway Waterbol11e Divi ion, explained "We find ourse l ves in ituation where we are caught out where there s no she lter. We tend to move away from St. John standard issue there, because we are in pecial circum stances 0 are in some ways rel eved from the n0l111a Bri gade c l othin g, What we do is wea r a n0l111al unif0l111 wit h wet wea th er gear over the top - an all-in-one garmen t, a bit like a ou'wester.

"G ett in g cold can happen to anyo ne anywhere. One thing I feel important. especially if you ve got a ong duty, i to make sure t here are plenty of hot refr es hm ent w ith sufficienr breaks during th e course of an event w here m emb er can take them.

"A noth er impol1 ant thing is to look at the wea th er foreca and be prepared for the un expecred. Waterproof c lothin g has got to be effective. It 's no good havi ng ome thin g which s goi ng to let water through th e eam , Eddie rai ed another point on wa terproo f g l oves. Although of particular concern to Tideway members, it a 0 appl i e to all members wo rkin g near wa ter. "If we are go in g to admi ni ste r First Aid. bearing in mind that we 'v e been handling dirty ropes and so on, we need o protec t OLU hand and keep them clean. " A so it ve ry im portant to g uard again t t he ri sk of Wei r s di ease, a eriou s infectio us waterbol11e disea e commonly pread by r ats. "Peop l e mu tn't forget th at ri k w ith an water. Thi mean wearing a wa terpr oof piatel' ove r c ut. G l ov are as much for protecti on aga in st abras ion as we ll as for keeping yo ur e l f WaI111," he ai d. It hard to ove r- tre th e imp or an ce of k eep in g Wa l111 and d ry for St. John and not , of co urse, sim p l y for per o nal comfo rt In a li fe-or-d ath em rgency, any thin g uc h a numbing co ld w hi c h th e abiliL Y to act qui ck l y and effic i en tl y can be v it a : Yo u might say, it a ca e of keeping a coo and a WaI111 body.

Feb ru ary 1993 St John World 11

'he growing number of Acid House" and other notticial pop-culture vents is posing risks to

attending them be-

auseofscantregardtoFirst

On October 3 1 I rece iv ed my lon g se rv ice medal for work within St John I fe lt ve ry proud for it not only meant a length of tim e in St John but fo r a person wit h hea rin g difficulties I had ac hi eved omet hin g wit hin the " h ear in g co mmun ity"

St Joh n has help ed me in Cadets and adults be it o n camp or duty by mi x in g with hearing people a nd experiencing major and minor in c id e nt s, and also he lpin g as a translator for deaf cas ual ti es. Although unable to hold certain certificates I have at least been a bl e to go on m a ny co ur ses. I have al so b een to other Divi s ion s to exp lain about communication with people who have th e same hearin g di sability as myself. As the lea din g First Aid g roup in th e UK I would like to thank St John for a ll its he lp and training and m ay be one day open the door s wider fo r tho se who are p art iall y or totally deaf. Gar y Orriss 311 Wandsworth & Southfield Divi s ion HU1110ur challenge

Being Engli s h and marri ed to a Scot, I ca n't let the oth er side win can I? I recall , ma ny years ago, in the day s when we splinted fractured knee-cap s, of an incid e nt involviIilg one of our members at he r first e ver competition.

The casualty was a painte r in overalls, lying on his haviIil.g fallen eft' a ladder. The competitor, very carefully, lifted the overalls, exposed the

Harold is a horror

may break OU/. co nt act C harles Butl e r (07 1 258 3456 )' /ow: Unexpected high jil1.l' ar the 1990 furth e r in fol111at ion. ' ading pop festil'O l. C harles Butler Co mp London ( Prince of Wales Di s tr; "I- - - ----.

Your help wanh

I am w rit ing to yo u see kin g yo ur he lpi po ss ibl e T he po s iti o n is thi s - pub li sh 1967 by Robert H a le was a book e nl Good Uniform" by J oa n Cliffo rd, Brigade).

My hu s band , now deceased, is tioned in thi s book. He comp le ted j yea rs w ith th e Bri ga de and wa s a Broth e r base d in Littl e ha mpt on. We co py of th e book, le nt it a nd unfo ruu co uld no t ge l it back. Thi is w he re I lik e yo ur he lp Ca n yo u throu g h th e ' Urace a co py I mi g ht have? I have va ri o us so urc es, libr a ri es e tc, to no a have bee n in to uc h with Ro be rt Hale book is no lo nge r printed.

Ifs part of the modem youth scene. They gatherint heirhundred ,so metime thousa.nd eage r faced young peop le inte nt on enjoying the mu s ic of dancing at an unofficial pop concert or "rave" party Often it is the illi c it pontane ty of it a ll that appeal. as cars converge late at night fo r an "Acid I-louse " party at a "secret" location. But these may become dance with danger.

St. John Ambulance is concerned at the increasing number or the e unofficial popcu lture even ts now taking place wit h poor or m in imal F rst Aid cover. They range from un li censed di cos and music events in disused facto ri es or other premises to open a ir mus ic and drugs gathe ring s and pop concerts. Frequently the organise rs are ignoran t of t he risk of inj ur ies and other accidents large excited gatherings can po e to those taking part. Little thoug ht is given to injuries that may a lso res ult from d rug abu e, fig ht s invo v in g weapons or bott les o r genera l unruliness.

Eve n a we ll behaved audience can become hyped up by a pe r former or group. causing mass hys ter ia. crowd pre ss ure ditress o r crush inju rie ' For instance. at one No rth ern pop co nce n 500 yo ung peop le were seen by SI. Joh n per onnel af ter being "squashed" in the crowd. Premise s may be

unsuitable. At Luton last month police broke up a 'rave party for up to 3.000 in an un licenced ware ho use on grounds of safety.

One St. John member with wide experience of such events is Derek Fenton, who ha served for a remarkab le 57 years in th e organisation and has been in charge of overall operational duties at event such as Trafalgar Squa re ra lli e , Royal Weddings Trooping the Colour demon trations and the otting Hill camival in London.

After reaching the rank of Commander of rhe London Distr ict, he ha now taken up hi po t at London HQ as ational Advi er covering footbal l and lei ure activities.

One of the issue rhat now concellls him is "pop" concerts and the burgeoning of open air mu s ic events and un li censed indoor gat he rings where severa l h undred young peop le may be dancing in un afe premi e " he told Sl. Jo hn Wor ld. T h is poses new problems. He fee ls it i time mo re steps were taken to a lert often yo ung o rganiser of these evenrs to the need ro th ink about First Aid as wel l a the safety or young peop le attend ng them.

At p roperly licenced concert held by major pop stars, he said, heal th ri ks were well taken care or. " Organisers of the 'vVembley concens. such a those for ladollI1'l, employ their own Fir t Aid cover. us uall y olTFebruary 1993 St Jo hn Wo rld l3

duty

doctors, nurses a nd first a id er:;;. At so me conceIts they may have 200 of em stand by "

At co nce rt s g ive n e lsew he re by Madonna and other pop stars and g roup s, in th e maJority of cases St. John provide s cover for which they receive a donation to he lp defray expenses of vehicles and medical s uppli es.

Often though , hastily a'r ra nged " Acid House " partie s invol vi ng se veral hundred young people make no such concessions to safety. " Young people - and their parentsare often unaware of the real ri s ks run at these uno fficia l pop events," he declared.

Derek recalls an attempt to ho ld a pop concert in the open air in London which the organiser thought wou ld attract 10 ,000 young people E timating that the adva nce publicity would lik ely attract nea rer five tim es that numb er, Derek advised cove r sho uld be 8-12

St. John ambulance s, four mobile First Aid treatment vehicles, and a total of 80-100 personnel , includin g doctors ,md profess ion al nurses

Thou gh this recommendation was qu estioned by the organiser, it was fully s upp orted by the licencin g authOTity. The concert went ahead - and the attendance was about 50 000 as foreca s t. " Rare ly have licencin g a uthorities in London di sag reed wit h St. John reco mmendations ," he sa ia

The Health and Safe ty Executive, also aware of the problem , i s expected shortly to issue safety gu id elines for pop concerts. St. John is a major contributor to the sec tion dealing with medicine and First Aid provi s ion

Even so, the problem is gett in g organisers of eve nts unlice nsed b y loc al a uthoriti es to understand the ri sks. He has now drawn up a few s imple rules fo r St. John World readers which can be co pied and hand ed to any popcu ltu re organise r planning a concert or "Ac id House " paIty.

Advice St. John re g ul a rly g iv es to licencin g a uthoriti es in clud es taking ca re not to a ll ow people attending th e events to tak e in

sexes, from chi ldre n and teenagers to in tlhe ir ear ly twenllies " So me g roLlps or gers may a lso have a n emotiona l effect on om en Nor co uld the peo pl e be blam ed a re hones t- lo- goo dn ess youngsters ho go to pop concerts but don 't know the ffec ts it may hav e on them "

At one London co ncert he atte nd ed on ty, hy steria broke out in which a numbe r of s a.ge d 1O-12 bega n so bDerek a nd hi s St. John team found that iding a gent le do se of warmth a nd co mrt was ofte n a ll that was needed " Thi s was maternal fi g ure or a St. John nurse puttin g aIlllS around a so bbin g c hild T hi s need ue ntly goes back to fami ly li fe and the for more tender loving ca re (T LC) in ringing ."

One s uch pat ie nt age d 12 had been g iv en by her pa re nts to travel from he r Brighton e to a pop concert in nmt h London. "S he so bbin g beca use s he did not ge t a so uvefrom th e stage - and because she had los t re turn ti c ket a nd had no mon ey."

St. John a nd th e poli ce anan ged for he r to trave l to London to co ll ect their g lasscs, bo tti cs or metal laug hter - meanwhile she was admi ni stered and forks whi ch cou ld be standard presc ription of TLC! as wcapons. II a lso COV l'" As a resu lt of s uch ex peri e nces pel-fo Illlsafc ty from c lcc lr oc ut rs or events are now graded by St. John e lec tri ca l umr lifi e r leadcco rding to First Aid prob le ms th ey may eq uipm e nt. Ju s t as itnJll reate. The hi g h risk category i 'A'. ExSl. John may g ive adv l.lain ed De rek: "Th ese are perf0Il11erS who ways or preven tin g pose bodil y act ion s aIld wriggles which have mass hystcria breaking pn emotive effect on a very yo un g a udi ence Derek exp lained: \\ft us in g th e m to sc rea m , jump abo ut a nd adv ise o rganisers to asl ance on seats." In B ' category, says Derek, formcrs to usc th e re perfoIl11 e rs or gro up s who use Ie "body ri g ht at th e front of th e mg uage" in the ir act , w hil e ca tegory 'C'

The nearer the rerronn e·Jvers mo s other eve nts to the audience th e mo re Th e use of knives in fights a nd di lurtional people may beCOIlltanc es also means first aiders in c reas in g ly can result in the pressureave to be prepared to deaJ with major injuc rowu at the back pu hes. "Stab wounds, part ic ularl y, can ca u e ge t nearer to the s tage and jamming pe netra tion , 0 the be nefits of havagains t a rail caus il H! cru h injuries odg doctors and trallled nurses at uc h eve nt He reca ll ed one a t a obvious." At one Bay City Roll ers London th ea tr e w hi c h had to be sti)(1 ce rt 111 London th e St. John tea m were beca use there werc so many c ru sh ir erted that a yo un g maIl had bee n sta bbed rrom exc ited, pushing rans. t. John a doctor prese nt and a n ambuMany young peop le and th e ir parer-nee st.andll1g.by. " We were a ble to save that un aware th at in a highly c ha rged ell10lan 's hfe," sa Id Derek In recog nition of thi s atm osphere, many of the au tle t?eat.re's ow.ners provided the bas is of St. may sta rt screaming o r crying if they? hn s f Irst radlO commun ications syste m c lutc h a thr ow n nower or memen to or Drug s are a common hazard to those at to uch th ei r id o l. op events. Member s have already bee n This is nOl th e on ly erfec t. The tl:e sy mptom s a nd to s uspect Ecstacy log ica l exper ie nce may a lso bring m who me un co nsc ious r havll1g a f It (" St John Wo 'Id " 0 t· b . ma LI C a tt acks or cr ri ep tl c symp toms In I , co el, :)92) late at night or foUow'1 a "A 'd H " who preVIously were suscept lbl c to u b cl ouse . . co ndItI ons, o r th ey may lose con tr o l 01 S'd R fu nc li o ns and soi l their c lo th es. a1 owena Hopkll1 s, St. John Ambunce County Pool Officer ' H b ·'d' "We are not ta lkIn g Just abo ut gIrl s. 111 um e lSI e. '- rhere have bee n deat hs reco 'ded f 1 Derek "These emO LI o na l reactIo ns can 1 0 peo p e __________________ ho have bee n known to take Ecstacy." A ll 11/ 110Celll.till1 for Illese dal/cers (lop) (tad dev e loped sy mp to ms which includ e d tllm {o sudden dange/: Centre: SI J oil tla te d pupils, increased hea rtt rate, low blood carry off' a Io n in I/ eed of' {realmel/f. B(ess ure, very hi gh temperatwre and co nvu laI/ e en S hCll 'e St. } o l!l/.!i r sl oielers on s." Deat h m ight be caused by a co ndition sland in g hy. BO{fom: A St :'0 1111 Am171111 ?W n as di sseminated intravasc ul a r coag ul o llint ee r trea ts a yo un g gi rl who a blood c lotting disorder ca us in o reswo rk ed h erself' int o 0 potential/y dOIlSrratory fa ilure. b slale af a Bay City R o ll er s concer l. A typica l casua ty al a public even t r ece il'in g attenlion 1i'OI17 SI. J o hn l'o lullf eer s.

There re ma in s sco pe for furt he r act ion on red uc in g risks of injury Following concem over unl ice nced eve nt s, St. John has been ho lding discus ions with ome London local a uthorities to ee whether "Acid Hou se" parties could be a llow ed officialJy provided no dru gs were used. If so, St. John may be prep a red to atte nd , but only on the basis of th e re being a poli ce presence, said Derek. In th e meanti me, he says, it would e nhanc e St. John 's reputation when coming into co nt act with pote nti a l orga ni sers of maverick pop eve nt s that members point out th at it is in the organi se r inte rests to discuss Fir t Aid,

safety and fire precautions with licencin g aut hori ti es They could also point out th e risksnot least of being sued by the victim or th eir family if an injury requiring First Aid should occur Derek sa id: " We don't want to inhibit yo un g people's pleasure in going to these co ncerts and even ts. We want th em to know we are lookin g after th e ir safety and want to prevent th em from be co ming casualties." A pop event organised w ith St. John's expert advice that does not have a s in g le casualty on the day does not mean that the First Aid input was a wa te of time. "For us, that spell s total s uc cess in pre venting injurie s," sai d Derek

Safety tips for pop concert organisers

4. Make s ur e t h at t h e r e a r e n o tra ilin g wir es o r a mpli fie r co nn ect io ns in pl aces w h e r e p eo pl e ca n t rip ove r t h e m

5. Ex it p o in ts s h o uld b e s u fficie n t fo r t h e num bers prese n t, cl ea rl y m ar k ed at a ll t im es a nd n ot obst m cted , in case of fi r e o r ot h er e m e r ge n cies

6. T h e r e s ho uld b e accesses a nd ex its to a nd fr o m t h e pre mi ses o r eve n t a r ea fo r a mbul a n ces I d ea ll y, t h e r e s ho uld a lso be h ar d sta ndin g fo r a mbula n ces in o p e n a ir sites

7 No pu b li c po p co n ce r t o r s imil a r eve nt s ho uld be he ld w it ho ut t h e a pprova l of t h e ap pro pri ate li ce n ci ng a u t ho ri ty w hi c h , wit h t h e advice of t h e statu to r y services a n d St. Jo hn A m b u la n ce or ot he r a pprove d orga ni sat io n , has t h e overa ll r espo nsi b ili ty fo r iss uin g o r refus in g li ce nces FebruaI'y 1993 Sf John World 15

Forget Sonic the Hedgehog, Super Mario al lthe latest epidemic to sweep the nation's _______---.:.high street stores is "OVER TO YOU JOHlCJarbara Rayner.

'DIY] Mania'

Youofde nce of th e ex tre me ly co ntag io u na ture pI e in th e 6- 10 yea r o ld ' B ad ge r agt he co nditi on wh e n a ll 36 5 sto res a nd th e ir have proved

be pa rti c ul a rl y u s ucc umb

to th e a ppea l durin g M ay, n ra is in g a lotal of £ I A milli o n Huge following ma nia pro ved to be s imil arl y in fec ti o us Psyc ho log i have ugge s ted th at on g S t Jo hn Di v s io ns w ith hundr ed regame' dive r it y th a t ha c reated tndin g to th e va ri o us Safeway C ha ll e nges fo ll ow in g. T hey c la im th a t o ne g lanc lold an OTYJ eve nt a nd do ubl e th e ir mo ney. boa rd how th e in d isc rimin a te targe thi ga me .a t ?f a ll age and I Biggest autograph book wa lk of life. P o liti Cia n , po p fa n " co n um e r , ad ve nture r , fin a nc ia l peJohn nationwid e ex pe ri e nced a ras h of gambl e rs , s po n fa n , te ll y addi cts (dl a fo llo w in g th e la un c h of th e me nt a li s ts a nd ga rd e ne rs have a ll hOn Direc tory as th e larges t aut og ra ph book o f " OV ER TO YO U JOHN " ma ni a. h e world on th e app eal 's a nni ve r a ry

£4.2 million raised

It h as bee n ugges te d th a t th e prim e m o tiv ation for s uffe re rs h as bee n m o ne y with pla ye rs h av in g co ll ec ted £4.2 million s in ce th e o utbr ea k fir s t ca m e to lig ht in Fe bru a ry

199 1, but it is kn ow n th a t m an y cases go unr e p o rt e d m a kin g eve n thi fi g ur e a co nse rva ti ve o ne. S eve ra l s tr ain s of " OTYJ

m a ni a" h ave p rove d pa rti c ul a rl y v irul e nt includin g t he St J o hn F oo tb a ll d ays ( to tal

£8 0 ,000 ) , th e S afeway C h a ll e nges ge ne ra tin g ove r £ 150 ,000 loca ll y a nd th e g ra nd raffl e whi c h ra ise d £336, 045. over t wo yea r

Whil e hav in g ra ise d £4.2 m i llion h as he lp e d to a ll ev i ate y mp to m in th e m ajo rit y of uffe re rs, S afeway e mpl oyee a re unli ke ly to recove r until afte r £ 5 milli o n h a bee n reac h e d An y unr e p o rt e d cases o f " OTYJ

m a ni a" a nd a tt e nd a nt re mun e ra tiv e rewa rd s hould b e re p o rt e d to : B a rbara R ay n e r o n 071 235 5 23 1

BONUS SQUARE

CDl-LECT €.250

acczdent

of zts young

they called 'B luey'

David Jeffries, their

Transport O.fhcer

the

ht of what had happe ned, it was vi ew bodi es in th e co ur e of co n tru clll1 Sld ered m os ap prop nate to ask the v i ca r of modified m y preco nce i ved id ea

Stephen 's parents and hi s yo un ge r brother, Andrew, aSa ford divi sion Cadet, and Stephen 's g irlfri end , a so a Sal o rd m ember, we re present. A s Steph en was known to hi s

dri vre new ambulance or th e SOlllh West A rea 0/ It power stee nn g and automatic trail' eater Manchester witli (li'om lefi) Dil '. S lIpt on. ? .1ohn son ofSa lro rd Dil'isioll.A IAreuCol1lThe nex t co ns id eration wa th e Mrs. Lili({n /-I odc rotf: ({lid DCIl id tion ce r emony. Enquiries were mad ertin es A.S.O. Transport.

Leyton and Leytonstone is not your typical Stjohn Division by any stretch of the imagination. Fully equipped with three front line ambulances, a lnodern HQ and hundreds of ideas for improvement, they are a rather impressive bunch, as Anne Reilly discovered.

Opened in 1982 b y Princess Margaret, L ey ton a nd Le y ton s ton e hav e come a lon g way in the 10 year s s ince their inc e ption. With 42 members (average ag€ of35) they are one of the larger St John Division s, covering events as diver se as cycle tracks, ice rinks, football matches, the London Marathon and rave parties. It is quite clear that the reces sion hasn 't brou g ht doom and gloom to the fundraising activities of this Division with recent renovation s and purcha ses including a new roof.

The hire of the hall for First Ai:d courses seems to bring in enol!lgh revenu€ to keep the Division afloat during time s of economic crisis. Recruitment and retention doesn 't po se a proble m either, as Richard Webber, Sergeant and member in charge explained. During the 18 month s since he took over the runnin g of the division they boast a further 25 members. So is there anythin g that one can fault with in thi s Division ?

Since the imposition of restrictions and cutbacks on the NHS transport scheme, the Division 's community care transp0rtation workload has increased by 20% and Richard, an LAS member rumse[f, feels th at altfuQl.!\gh necessary, this is a great wmmitment for the Divi sion. The Divi s ion completed over 9,000 hours on public duty in 1990 and with comparable statist ic s expected for 20 St John World February 199 3

Sir Rex Hunt ,,\lith Cadet. Philip Elli s. Ha:el E lli s, County Depury PRO and Jim Im eson. Coun ty Commissioner.

1992, Richard feels the Di vi ion's reso ur ces co uld become ove r stretc hed as the com munity care packa ge takes off. He cannot s in g the prai es of the Energy programm e loudl y e nou g h Ley ton a nd Ley tons ton e, he feels, hav e be nefi ted e no rmou s ly from this programme a nd believe s that only by look in g at it as a mean s of stru ct urin g the divis ion a l training pro g ramm e can the long term benef its beobtained. thri v in g ocia l c lub Richard ay that at Ley ton a nd Ley tons tone Division " we try toengendermore of a comm un a l atmosp here. After training mo t people tay for a drink (so met im es coffee!) a nd we host a va ri ety of soc ial eve nt s throughout th e year" Rum o ur has it th a t the highlight of 1992 was the Divi s io n 's Chri s tm as party - St John World anxious ly awa it photograph from lhi eve nt !

In 1991 theDivisionprovided First Aid cover at one of their large st events ever (excl udin g th e London Marathon ). Over 10,000 people were expected at a rave party, a duty that was to last 10 hours . L ey ton and Leytonstone provid ed three ambulances, a First Aid pos t and mo st of their me mbers. Over 40 casualties s uffe rin g from drug related illn esses were treated. The majority were s uffe ring from hyperv e ntilation a nd exposure.

As part of its ri go rou s training exe rci ses the Divi s ion took part in a hu ge train di saste r re sc ue Fifteen divi s ions too.k part in the exercise which centred around a mock train crash at 1'emple Hill. Th ey had to c®p>e with over 250 casualties s uffering from a variety of injuries, including brok e n bones, laceration s, exte ns iv e bl eed in g, hea d and ba ck injuri es and s ho ck. Within the divi s ion there is a

OURAGE OF AMEN

FALKLAND lARI( HERO VISIT

tLie thing lik e a major operawas not go in g to s tand in the of Darren Clark launc hin g on a s pon so red cyc le rid e to e money for Norton Rad stock ldril 21 le ral Divi s io n Spare hi s ihes, but hi s story of courage it be told. Ju s t thr e month s I' Darre n 18. had a below e ampu tation following a bone :a e. he se t out on th e 30-m il e Sir Rex Hunt , fOll1lerGove From Midsomer Nolton. Bath the Falkland I land, to ollVes ton -S uper-Mar e. be l'Sof StJohn inLO the thi e Accompanied by a fri e nd Danbattle for th e i la nd -3e lm e n, so n of a St John memneve r a wo rry th at tile) he successfull y completed Lh e have to dip into their white n ey wi th out mi s h ap In additreal ca ualtie. to being spo nso red, the pair The fonner diplom at found tim e-and ene rgy - to to talk to North Yorks hire ect donations a long the way. after hearing about th e GWh e n th e fea t of e nduranc e You John appea l. No over th ey were able to present thou g ht s tUll1ed to First Ai lequ e fo r no less than £600 [0 h describ ed how th e gOlra Meredith, Eastern Area man io n was bombed and Philip Easley, follow ed by hi s bein g dec isio nal Superin te nd e nl. What pri oner of war and trip ]XI we ai' We doff o ur caps to regalia. , Darre n! He de sc rib ed how cent the Briti h o ldi e I' hltNE IN' and how th e i lander cope they fou nd them e lves at HE EYE

LORENCE!

ROCK CLIMBING RESCUI

St. John members w un g into action to rescue a man w ho lost hi g rip a nd fe ll 60 ft. down the West Cliff at Ha tings last umm e r. Adults from AddiscombeDivi ion were escoruing Cadets from th e Shirley Cadet Divi sion s, London Di s tric t, on a n outing f rom the National Cadet R e union Camp a t Bexhill , at th e time. Ambulance mem be r , J ames K e nnin g a nd Colin Weller , climbed down the c liff to giv e First Aid fio 28 year old Richard Perkin s who had s uffe red a fracliured a n.kl e, two fractured wrists, cuts and co n c u ss ion. Cadet s phoned th e em e rge ncy se rvi ces

a nd kept ba ck by s tande rs. The coastg uard, fire a nd ambulance crews were soo n o n th e

added note of rea lism crep t ceneand a ll owed J amesan) a Cade t training week-end to co ntinu e treatment un dh the them e "Cas ualty Simuupervi ion.Some30min u'J n" he ld by Camb rid ges hir e Ri c hard wa ab e il ed doJet s a t Burwell Ho use nea r

said that dl ey didn t abo ut the danger, we re shoutin g for them f ul. Jame a id that the lu cky to have land ed on few feet to dl e s id e was drop of anolh e r 60 ft. Colif dl at the ambulance crew the injured man EnLonox. Having ret ull1 ed to at Bexhill they had tempo ra ril y removed wilt, were told off for being pby C0I'l171e turns pale at the dinner But th ey boundei1ds of a mak e-up artist. w he n th ey re la ted th e

Newma rk e t, w he n one of th e first a id e rs had to be tr ea ted for a black eye.

L o rr a i ne C h apman a nd a team of he lp ers led th e Cadets throu g h sess ion s on how to apply mak e- up. lots of blood and go re. how to ac t a nd how to si mulate acc id e llls and Firs t Aid in c ident.

O n th e fina l day th e Cadets weredivided intotea msa ndm e m-

Darrell Clork (right) IlOldillg (I presented photograph of' himself C/I the stort ()f' his sponsored ride o/ier a leg (lmplItal iOIl. wit Ii

DOlliel Belmen (left) Myra Meredith ond Philip Easley(ll1d a hig cheque.

a nd 27 a mbulan ces to co pe w ith reve ll e rs a t th e ew Yea r cele bration s in Trafal ga r Squa re. They began th e ir s tint during th e last evening of 199 2 a nd finished at5.30amonJanuary,I. 1993.The First Aiders tr ea ted 130 people, mo s tl y for minor in juries often re lated to drink re lat ed falls a nd mishaps. Twe nt y seve n or th e m we re refe rr ed to hospital. Ear lie r, Lond on Di s tri c t prov id ed 85 ambulances w ith c rews to ca rr y ou t non-urgelll journeys transponing a tota l of 373 patients in the 7-day run up to December 23. Thi a ll owed

OUTAND ABOUT ROUND-UP

Pupil s and staff recently took th e Thr ee Cross Award at Herita ge School Clowne, Derb ys hire, Teache rs and dinner lad ie s h ave also taken Public Fir tAid ce rtifi cates thr oug h SI J ohn. Cadet Leader H elen

bel'S were made up acco rdin g ly from a range of acc id en ts o r injury s imulation s picked from a hat a t random.

BIRTHDAY IN'SPECTION

Richard Brain. Di v i ' ional

Sup e rint e nd e nt, tak e up th e story: "Fi rs Aid trea tm e nt - or wo rs t aid treatment - wa s uppli ed by a tea m of he lp e rs. Ho w not to tr eat yo ur os ualty was show n by th ese diabolical Flore nce Nig htin ga les, so much so th m one ac tu a ll y rece iv ed a black eye from one o f th e casualties'"

After wa tc hing a v ideo or th e ir " ha nd y work" overthe 'vveeke nd. the Cadets pa ssed a s hon test paper on cas ua lt y s imulation w ith flying co lo ur

NEW YEAR

DUTY 92-93

London Di lTict fi e lded 200 personne l 13 mobil e treatment stations

S5. th ey were delig hted to hav e th

ir first in s pect ionfrom Jim Bond. National Director of Cade T raining. who came with A s i tant Commissioner. Steve Nicholson. and County Staff Officers. Phyl Burton and De ni

th e b es t dre sse d Cade t. Dawn-Marie Turner, Memb 1'in-Ch a rge. wo n a pr s ti g ious Youth Training ce rri ficate.

County alild Divisional News

COJ/cenliUlrike Prellss

Age

The C o mmuni ty Care Sta rt -U p pac kage w as di stribut ed ove r a 2 -wee k period in ate N ove mb er of l as t year o eve r y Count y, Ar ea and Di v s o nal officearound .2, SOO of y ou! Ob v o usl y, in a m ail- o ut of thi s s ze th er e we re th o e w ho did not receiv e it. I f y our Di v s o n h as no ye t rece ve d a cop y, or you are interes ted in deve o pin g Communit y C are and wo uld lik e o ne, th en ple ase c o nt ac t eith er m e or Jea n Judd at St. H ea dqu arter s

Th e res pon se to th e pac k age so fa r has bee n exce ll ent. It ce rt ainl y see m s to have stimul ated m any o y ou to m ak e comm ents o r di sc uss th e whol e i ss ue o Co mmuni ty C are F eedback f rom th e m emb ership o SL. John Ambulanc e s vital to us on th e team to he lp us get it ri g ht and to w o rk o n th ose areas w hi c h you f ee are of importance. Work i s c urrentl y bein g und ert ak en o n he deve lopm ent of publ c rel at o ns g u id e in es fo r use durin g th e nati o nal l aun c h as a direc t res ult of on e ;l1 emb er 's comm ents. We do li sten and act upon wh at you hav e to say but we need to know your tnou g blts and con ce rn so, pl ease, do contac t us Sadly , how ev er, the resp on se o t he qu est ionnai re and sel f - audit f orm w hi ch were includ ed with t he p ac k age h as bee n poo r. So f ar only 99 repli es hav e been rece iv ed (Ca n yo u be he person to m ak e it 100?) It s v itq th a w e, as an orga ni sa tio n , know wh at C ommu24 St John W(i)rld F ebrt!l ar y 199 3

SURVE WE CARE

the

ni ty Care se r v ce we are offe rin g i n our va ri o us div i si o n s. Thi s w ill he p us in thc fO llllul at i o n o f ut ure po li cy. in the p ann in g of rai ni ng co ur es and nfo I11la t io n \ pda tcs and in all y, b ut v it all y, in o ur pub li c re ati o ns and un d- r a sin g str ateg i es. If yo u have no re-

tUlll ed yo ur fO llllS ye t th en pl ease do so at th e ea rl i es t o pp o rtunit y. lL doe no m all eI' w heth er yo u pr ov de o nl y unifi ed Co m m unit y Ca reo r eve n f yo u are no at all n vo l ved in th s area - we need to k now.

T o th o e w ho have re po nded r wo ul d li ke o offe r m y hea rt fe t han ks. Many have take n a g rea t dea l of ti me ove r he ir repli es and f uture pl an So m e are no t yet in vo l ved and a ve r y few d o no see th e way fo r wa rd in Co mmunit y Ca re ye t. Yo ur res po nses are al so m os va lu abl e Of those w ho res po nd ed, wo- third s are alrea d y prov i d in g th e e se r v i ces o f va ry in g types and to va r y ng deg rees. A f ull repo rt o n th e c urren Co mmunity Care p rov si o n by Sl.

Jo hn Ambul ance w ill be pro du ced w hen m o re repli es have bee n rece i ved. Fo r now, J w ill g ve a few of th e k ey po ints Si x t y-nhree per ce l1t of; d ivi si o ns pr ov clin g Co mmuni ty Ca re se rv i ces do so in co njun cti o n w ith anot her c hariL y o r vo lunt ar y o rga nisat o n in pl aces a di ve r se as Bri slin g o n, A v on and Strea th am , Lo nd o n A g rea t m an y wo rk w ith A rthriti s Ca re prov idin g tr anspo rt fo r peo pl e o and f ro

ed a soo n as iti avail abl e. Th ere are ce rr ain k ey facto r w hi c h w ill a id yo u a ll in yo ur p ubli c it y. A T have m e nti o ned earli er, here are m any of yo u w ho are already in vo ved in he lpin g in day cent res and vari o us c lub s, as we ll as a vari ety of w ho are e ld erl y o r d sa bl ed. W o ul d any of th o e w ilh 'vv ho m yo u are in vo ve d be w illin g to g i ve a publi c vo te of thanks fo r yo ur help thr o ug h inter v i ew w t h th e oca l m edi a (o r ev n " Sr. Jo hn W o rld " - E d .)? Co uld yo u o r yo ur m emb ers be ph otog r aph ed durin g o me o f yo ur duti e ?

W e mu t o b v i o u y al w ays co nsider ssues of co nf de nti a li ty pri o r to arr ang in g an y suc h co v e r age and ga in th e f ull and Th er e i alr ea d y an eno rm o u amo un t of in vo l ve m en t in . and enthu a m fo r Co mmunit y Ca r e w i t hin St. Jo hn A mbul ance and it s w id e y accept ed as a va lu abl e step fo r wa r d fo r th e o rga ni sa ti o n. W e mu now k ee p th e m o m en t um go in g and b uil d upo n t he o li d f ramewo rk w hi

Micha e l Jeffries reviews some of the problems associated with medical staffing at the scene of the disaster Bird's eye view (top) of exerc ise to s imulate a major rail crash organised by the

e medi c al incid e nt office r fo un d s o many medica l pers onne l at the sce ne that he de spatched a n umber of t he m b ac k to t heir ho s pita ls Now a ne w repor t q ues tion s w he ther h ere need s to be a re-think ov e r th e way s uc h major i nc iden ts ar e h a nd le d in f u t u re

When a di s a s ter o c c u rs e veryon e res pond s im med ately to t he eme rg e ncy - fir s t-a id e rs, nurse s a nd doctor s, a mb u lancem e n , fir e m en and po lice B ut the new report , wh ic h is now bei n g co n s idered by h e Department of H e al t h , s uggest s that th o ug h everyo ne m ay be enth usias tic to he l p ofte n t here is confus io n over the num ber and ro e of re scuers at he s c e ne Not s urprisingly, the re port is e n tit le d " Too Malil Y Cooks?"

D oc to rs leave t heir h o sp itals to he lpw he n some might be far better to pa ss th e wo rk to trained paramed c s and vo lunte e r

B ASICS doctors , th e re port s ugge s ts At th e 1989 P ur ley, S UlliFey Ta ' l cras h w h ic h le d to 88 h osp tal ca s u al ties p lu s five dead, for in -

n-m ed ica ll y q u a li f ie d p e rso nn e l we r e capa ble of pe r formin g ce rt a in m e di ca l pr oce dur es as co mp ete ntl y as qu a ifi e d ph ys ic ians.

U K s c u rr e ntl y d eve l o pin g a p a r a m e di c sys te m al o ng t he lin es of th e system w hi c h o pe r a tes in the U S ," th e re p o rt says. It s ugges ts h a t fo r L o nd o n c rea tin g o ne h e alth regi o n fo r th e w h o e of h e capita l ins tea d of d v idin g it i n to fo ur as a prese nt , wo u ld g rea tl y improve th e co-o rdin a ti o n w ith a mbulan ce serv ices.

e re are

" Too M an y C ooks ? Th e response of t h e hea th -re lated serv ices to majo r incidents in L ondo n B i ll New ( Ki ng's Fu n d Institute, £9 .95.)

When Sandra Every , my Swindon co lleague and I , both tutor train e rs in Wiltshire St John Association, were taken to the Chinese Snake Templ e in Penang , it appeared like any other of the man y visits to Buddhi st and Hindu reli g iou s shrin es organised to fill our limi ted leis ur e breaks from teachin g in Malay s ia Noon e had wamed us that the other occupants of the temple would be mainly liv e snake s - vipers, in fact, with th eir lethal venom reputedly re mov edand tha ll we 'd be expected to have them draped around our neck s a nd bodie s to bring us goo d luck in th e future!

But then thi s wa s ju st one of a my ri ad of aspects of our M alay s ian odyssey rece ntly fo r whichourpre-trip briefin gs and readin g failed to prepare us.

We had volwltee red to spe nd nea rly fo ur week s in structing some 60 qu a li f ied trainers. The team's arduous emdeav®urs in three centre s Ktlala LUlmp WlIi, Penan g and Kelant a n resulted in tr heir is s uin g 48 cert if icalles of coJ1iJpenence and served to strengthen th e' twinnin g' pmtnership bet ween Wilts hire a nd Malaysia establi shed as part of the St. John Ov e rseas ' Helpin g Hand s' sc hem e ini tiated in 1990

Travelling extensively and often un co m28 St JQhn W@rld Febn!lary 1993

fortably in un se ttl ed c lim at ic co nditi o ns, mixin g with a va ri e ty of na ti o na liti es, la ng uages and re li g io ns, a nd being acco mm oda ted with Local families, gave th e tw o tutors a fascinatin g in s ig ht to the co untry that no ho lid ay v is it co uld re pli cate. It proved a kaleidoscopic expe ri e nce of a life tim e, with more than it s hare of culture shocks.

Throu g ho ut o ur stay we were to be constantly stagge red by th e co nt rasts a nd iro ni es of a totally different lifes tyl e. There was the beauty of a CiLY lik e Kual a Lumpur despite its open sewe rs. Th e ri c hly o pul e nt in teriors o f the te mpl es co nll ra sled with the sta rk pove rty of many of their worshippers. There was a n apparent tol e ra nce of s uffe rin g that led to ca lm accept ance of fiv e c hildre n dro w nin g in fl oo d water while we were in Ke lant a n.

Even the in stru c tin g had its quota o f urpri ses, although knowing that our SLud e nt s numb e red M alays, Chinese a nd Indi a ns, no t to men ui® n two from Si ng. po re, we ' d a nti c ipated so me difficu lties. Mo st und e rstoo d Ellgli sh and our imp o rt ed Leac hin g a id s, apa rl fro m the rural Ke la nt a n c la ss which need ed inte rprete rs. Thi s led to ext ra lo ng working days to complete our four-day co ur se pro g ra mm es. Tot a ll y un ex pected were the obligatory inle r-

When two 1-110men tutor train from St John agreed to "" 11 .,.·,; bargainfor/loods , days - nor snakes alive Grist ofDevi:es, reports on e.xperzences.

Classified rossW"ord No 2-93

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Please SUppOlt our advertisers whenever you can - and mention where you saw their advertisement. Thi s help s th e m - and help s you by helping to keep "S t. John World 's" costs down.

read

John World ?" If yo u want to be "first with th e new s" each lTIonth , instead of borrowin g, order your own copy now! There are s ome great i ss u es ahead

"When a man is tired of London he is tired of life"

Cardiac arrest! Immediate CPR can reduce the risk of severe damage and increase the patient's chance of survival. Now, new scientific research on the Active TCompression-Oecompression.A. (AC O) CPR method shows improved cardiopulmonary blood circulation compared to standard CPR

When the rescuer pulls the device, the chest is actively lifte;d and expal1lded by a vacuum cup, This lift - the dE9compression - increases the venous return flow, giving improved filling of the heart,

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C0I77 I171

a lso a tt ended th e b ig eve nt ce ntres, re po rt s Mr Tim Eve ra rd , Sec re ta ry-G e n e ra l Durin g th e v is it St. J o hn was aga in prese nt

FellowshiJ

Division Suffer

Investitures in the

ame nta r y leve to improve th e lega l s ta tu s of peo pl e s uc h as S t. J o hn me mb e rs aga in s t liti ga ti o n res ult i ng fr o m a ny Firs t A id re nde red o n a " G oo d S a m a rit a n" bas is. Th e St. J o hn Pa rli a m e nt a ry G ro up und e r it s C h a irm a n , S ir J o hn Wh ee le r a re now di sc uss in g th e iss u e with a v iew to c ha ngi ng th e law.

ut of h av ing a hea rt at ack. Th e Amer ca n Hea rt Assoc ia t io n mee tin g in N ew O rl ea ns was to d r ece ntl y th a t a n ew s tud y q ues ti o ns the s ugges t io n th a t a lco ho l p rotec ts me n aga in s t hea rt d isease. T he good news - fo r wome n - was t ha a m odera te amo u n t of red, and especia ll y white, wi ne offered so m e protec t ion But fo r m e n , ne ith e r w in e. pir it · no r bee r offe red a ny pro tec ti o n , acco rdin g to a re po rt in " Hosp ita l Doc to r "

Researc hers a t th e Pe rm a ne nte

M ed ica Ce nt re i n Oak and, Ca li fo rni a, had carried o ut st

Have you recycled your nose

C o m e di a n L e nn y H e nr y was urg ing a mbul a nce perso nn e l - bo th vo lunt ee r a nd pro fess io na l - to ra se " d os h" fo r th e Co mi c Re li ef Red N ose D ay 4 sc he dul e d fo r M a rc h 12 " Sp o nso red a m b ula nce c ra m s, Two's a nd B lu es sy mph o ni es It 's a Kn oc ko ut co mp e titi o n s, c r ea tive b a nd age wea rin g - what eve r yo u d o, b e s ure to we ar yo ur rec yc la bl e re d nose w hil e yo u re d o in

Palm as Dn th e St. Alban s Ro a d East Hou s ton , Te xas 7111 for a trainin g lec tur e on USA )nd ay ni g ht , sa id : " It will b e t of a c ti o n fo r a t leas t two '-______ - eks."

Po li ce h ave co nd e mn e d th e r a id e r s as " mindl ess" D e tectiv e In s p ec to r Adri a n Ta pp sa id : " Thi s c rim e toge th e r w ith brea k-in s a t H a tfi e ld c h a rit y s h o p s r ece ntl y d oes nothin g but di sa d va n tage th e co mmunity."

Th e intrud e r s a r e th o u g ht to h ave b ro k e n in e arli e r th a t

d ay. Th ey ripp e d off a prot ec tiv e wir e me s h cove rin g

a kit c h e n wind o w to s m as h it a nd ga in e ntr y.

Ju s t m o nth s ago th e H a -

fi e ld di v is io n w as ro c k e d by a

burg la r y a t it s n ea rby ga r age

whi c h h o u ses two ambul a n ces

a nd a m o bil e unit. Th e m o bil e unit

w as b a dl y d a m age d a nd e quipm e nt s o le n It s m e mb e r s provid e Firs t

Aid cove r a t l oca l eve nt s , r a ng ing fro m fe tes to g a nt ro c k

co n ce rt s a t Kn e bwo rth P a rk a nd h e lp o ut o n n a tion a l occa-

s i o n s in c ludin g th e L o rd

M ay or 's Sh o w in L o nd o n , Th e eff ec ts o f th e r a id h a v e

b ee n d e mor a l is in g to m e mb e r s wh ose hum a nit a ri a n w o rk is

fo r th e b e n efit o f th e publi c a nd was promin e ntl y r e p o rt e d in

attack r'"

th e a r ea. S a id Bre nda : " I ga th e r w e mad e An g li a TV a nd lo ca l r a dio , but probably not a ny w ider, du e to th e Sh e tl a nd ta nk e r di s a s ter. "

Transfer Of Patients

Wilt s hir e St. John Ambul a n ce S o uth Area pl aye d a m aj o r rol e las m o nth in the pl a n to tra n sfe r h os pital p a ti e nts to th e n ew 23 5-b e d S a li s bur y Di s tr ic t H os pita l a t Od s toc k During four d ays in J a nu a r y St.

J o hn vo lunt ee r s e mpl oyed fi ve a mbul a n ces fr o m S a li s bur y a nd W a rmin s e r to w o rk fr o m d a wn to du s k co n vey ing so m e 140 p a ti e nt s from N ew brid ge H os pita l a nd S a li s bur y Infirm a r y, b o th du e f o r cl os ur e, to th e c it y's n

HSA DONATES AMBULANCE

LORD WESTBURY'S 25 YEARS OF ACTION

Lord Westbury gets things done, though not always by the book. He has raised millions of pounds for St. John in over 25 years. Michael Jeffries interviewed him.

People phone Lord We stbury at St. John Headqu a rters when th ey want to get something done Th ey phone him with idea s; with complaints or injustices they want him to put right. Sometimes they even phone to offer him money to s pon sor a St. John e vent he ha s persuaded them is worthwhile. It wa s not surprising then that when 1 went to s ee him in his office - he was on the phone.

A Bailiff Grand Cross , a nd until la s t December also Bailiff of Egle , he wa s gently coaxing a potential sponsor to part with hard cash for another good cause Lord Westbury has been workin g for St. John for so long that he ha d to be reminded he has now logged 25 years' s €rvice It has al s o earned him a reputation as a sort of " Lord Fi x it " as well as a senior offi c er who make s time for everyone , whether a Badger or a Commander.

People recount typical anecdotes. One lunchtime he spotted a couple of Cadet s looking a bit lo st at St. John Headquarters and began chatting with them They told him they were killing time until 4 pm when they were due to attend the Cadet Reception at Buckingham Palace. " Here' s £5 , go and get something to eat at McDonald s" he told them and strode off

"If anyone has a problem whether they are the most junior or the most senior, he will sort it out - and not always by the book."

He is liked by people becau se he

The latest GRP Ambulance from Wad ham Stringer developed from the highly-successful MIAB concept. The MIABIW offers all the advantages of GRP and remountable bodies plus the extra width needed in today 's Ambulance service for full facilities to the primary stretcher whilst maintaining easy provision of a second stretcher trolley

not form a lly laid down a s po li cy, he ha s found him self troubl es hootin g a ny pro blem s that have a ris e n and endor s ing th e powe r s he ld by th e Chairmen ofCoun c i!.

" Pe opl e h ave appr ec i a ted it wh e n I h ave tried to po ur oil o n troubl e d wate rs," L o rd Westbur y c omm e nted Thi s ha s bee n an impo rtant task a t th e cutting e dg e of St. John 's Firs t Aid wo rk up and down the c ountry " Th e grea tn ess of St. John ", he co ntinu es, " li es in its ind ividual member s - th e peopl e wh o actually d o th e volun ta ry duti es."

The phone rin gs aga in Hi s p e rso na l a ss i s tant Mr s Vivi e n Ruddo c k , m

uth s a name Lord We stbury ap o log i ses; " Do you mind ? Thi s mi g ht b e a wo rth whil e ca ll ," a nd ta kes ov e r th e r ece ive r.

There

want something done , g o to a bu sy m a n Lord We stbur y's ac tivities c e rtainly belie hi s 70 yea r s. He is a fo rmer St. J o hn C o mm iss ioner for the Ea st Ridin g of York s hire , Comm a nd e r o f Humber s ide , Ch a irm a n of Council for Humbers ide and Chairman of the Special E ve nt s Committee s in ce 1977 H e ha s recently becom e Patron of the new St. John Wate r Win g in Nottinghamshire Lord We stbury has been a Knight of the Order of St. John s ince 1977 He's off the phone again " I sa id I would continue a s Bailiff of Egle o nly until I wa s 70." In relinqui s hing the post he will s till have more than enough on hi s plate He will continue a s Chairman of the Special Events Committee. Lo

County and Divisional News

BEAR ATTACKS, ARROW WOUNDS - ALI IN A DAY'S WORK FOR DR McPHIE

THE DAY HAYLEY

If it's action you want, join the Army, say the advertisements. Dr Duncan Macphie St. John Ambulance's first Medical Director - at the time a newly qualified doctor from Glasgow University - took them at their word. His service duties , begun in 1958, eventually spanned both hi-tech NATO bases and the "time warp" of life in remote Nepal doing battle with medical scenarios that stretched both coping skills and the imagination.

How many British GPs (which he once was) are there whc.> have been faced with cases of human rabies or cholera?

While his counterparts here were perhaps dealing with influenza , rheumatism or other ailments , he was c oping with patients with leprosy or who had been mauled by a tiger or bear. Said Dr Macphie : " One man even walked into my surg er y with an arrow sticking out of his side after he had been attacked by bandits."

There were high dramas of another kind In his military role as Head of a Ministry of Defence Department , he was among a team responsible for drawing up and organising the "shopping li s t" for both the Falklands and in his last post , the Gulf Wars.

Though St John is unlikely to offer such adrenaline charged scenarios , what were his early thoughts as he was settling in? They were , he said of " a great sense of honour " at joining St. John . ' 'I'm coming into an organisation which is a widely respected institution. I hope eventually to meet people at the coal face. " Coal face? It became clear early in my interview that the new Medical Director s distinguished military career was not s imply driving a desk. The whiff of antiseptic was never far away Throughout his career he found himself alternating between administrative duties and clinical work

Many are the tales of the unexpected One of the most unusual , he recalls , was having to deal with a young woman attacked by a bear while he was serving in Nepal as Officer Commanding the British Military Hospital in Dharan

She had gone to retrieve a straying goat. Eventually , she spotted it under a bush and prodded it with her stickexcept her goat turned out to be a bear!

It attacked her with razor sharp claws and tore half her face away and destroyed her left eye Said Dr Macphie: "We treated her wounds and, luckily , we had a good plastic surgeon who began a series of about 14 operations which eventually restored her face. " He even obtained a prosthetic eye for the woman. "But before we could fit it she ran off to get married

U St. John World March 1993

- which we took as a c ompliment to our s urgery! "

"One man even walked into my surgery with an arrow sticking out of his side after he had been attacked by bandits."

Although he ha s seen service in man y other countrie s s uc h a s Ke ny a, Libya, Australia and Jam a ica , nothing co uld have prepared him for Nepal Hi s tw o year tour of duty ther e tran s ported him to another world. " It wa s like going into a time warp I was continually treatin g things I had never seen before. "

Working a s one of a team of thr ee doctors , he sometimes treated 90 patients in one day , including local inhabitants who relied on the Army (and witc h doctor s) for medical care Th e cases ranged from the us ual run of illne ss e s and injuries, including the man with the arrow (who survived) , to gangrene , s nake and tiger bites and wound s from other animal attacks Gangrene often developed when some patients had to tr e k for two weeks on foot to reach hi s clinic

After hi s tour of duty ther e wa s finished, the time machine spun him forward again into the sci-fi technology of guided missiles and laser bomb s that have become the weaponry of modern warfare At variou s interval s over tihe year s he became involved in major operational duties In the 1980 s he found him s elf in the MOD responsible for medical es tablishments manpower, hospital and

op e r a tional planning fo r th e Arm y Me c al

MILLS ACTED IN EARNEST

Few people outside the organisation know that actress, Hayley Mills, is a trained St. John first aider and Divisional President. Michael Jeffries talked to her.

It was nearly midnight. The woman was driving along the snaking narrow road that follows the river near her home at Hampton-on-Thames , Middlesex Suddenly, her headlights picked out the figure of a motor cyclist spreadeagled in the road. Seconds earlier, a collision with a car had sent him cartwheeling into the air, breaking one of his legs .

The driver pulled up , nipped smartly out o! her car and immediately began carrymg out checks according to the First Aid Manual. Another motorist (also a first aider) checked for any further dangers, then he called an ambulance. The woman placed the young man in the recovery position and then repeatedly reassured him while they waited Neither men recognised her.

But then how many people know that and stage star Hay ley Mills , is a tramed first-aider? After all , she has never sought publicity for her work as President of Ealing and Southall St. John Ambulance Division.

Ha yley learning how to apply a head bandage Is sh e doing it correc tl y?

Few who have enjoyed her roles in plays such as "The Importance of Being or the films "The Family Way" or WhIstle Down the Wind", know the real Hayley Mills. They are unaware that when she stumbles on illness or an accident drama scripted in the real world , she grabs her First Aid bag and rushes to help the victim

Rarely do the casualties she treats recognise her - though some undoubtedly ponder where they have seen those sapphire-blue eyes and blonde hair

Next autumn , though , Hayley wdl swap her uniform for a glamorous ballgown and glide into the polka "Shall we Dance? " with the King of Siam in the " The King and I" on Broadway 10 the US It will be her second time playing "Mrs Anna" following the show ' s success in Australia in 1991. Before that she will be starring in a completely different role , also in Australia, when she leaves this month to appear there with her actress sister, Juliet

Sh e d ec ided to learn First Aid after confessing that she felt a bit of a fraud

Mills, in

Angel" in a threemonths tour starting in Perth , and maybe taking it on to New Zealand.

'Rarely do the she treats recognise herthough some undoubtedly ponder where they have seen those sapphire-blue eyes and blonde hair before.'

St. J o hn H ea dqu a in January. Dr Macphie and hi s wife, Mo l have two daughter s and one s on , andl in Blackheath , London Off-duty, former school cricket and rugby cap· be found watching Blackheath ru , team. One se nses the genial Dr Ma G I ha s thoroughly enjoyed hi s di s tinguil Service career Yet a s one door ell another has op e n e d into ser vice another kind - in St. John

So how did the actress become involved in St. John? "It began when a splendid man named Supt. Barry Holloway asked me to open fetes in a rather dilapidated Brigade HQ in Southall several years ago ," she said. We were sitting.in the study of Hayley s rambling GeorgIan house looking out on to a lawn with a rose pergola and an orchard "After that he asked me to be the Vice-President -I was so flattered I accepted ." I aske? whether there had been any prevIOUS lmks with St. John If this were a film, at this point you might see a flashback of the young"Hayley, not many years before launching her international acting career in the Walt Disney film " Pollyanna " which won her a British Film Academy Award and an American Oscar at the age of 12 . Round about this time she had been impressed by the white starched apron with its black St. John Cross ?n the uniform of her grandmother, an actlve St. John nurse for many years. Her mother, Mary, a playwright and wife of the actor, Sir John Mills , had also served in the Red Cross during World War 2.

" I s uppose this all made a deep ImpreSSIOn on me. " In her St. John work Hayley has shared ·some of the more arduous , unglamorous activities including raising funds for essential medical supplies and equipment.

March 1993 St. John World 13

"Fallen

In due course the Vice-President became President of the Division , finding herself taking part in important St. John meetings. But then something happened Coming out of a conference at Church Hall, Westminster, four years ago, an event took place which convinced her she was, in her words, "a bit of a fraud"

' Suddenly a woman collapsed in a corridor. What should she do? "Here was I wearing this very smart President's uniform - without even having done a First Aid course." To make matters worse, a bystander beckoned : "Quick, nurse" Not for nothing was Hayley named by TV Times in 1982 as Best Actress on television for her role in "The Flame Trees of Thika." Hayley took a deep breath and projected "an air of quiet authority " , as she had witnessed many times at St. John training meetings, and tried to help

'Suddenly a woman collapsed in a corridor. What should she do?' "Here was I wearing this very smart President's uniform without even having done a First Aid course."

But afterwards, she knew that this sort of acting had to stop. "I realised the writing was on the wall - 1 had to learn First Aid." Because of the problems of fitting in a weekly course with her professional engagements, Hayley arranged a full-time course lasting nearly a week of First Aid training and lectures. She knows what it feels like to grovel on her knees struggling to perfect her resuscitation technique on a torpid , unblinking manikin.

"It was hard work , but I found the course fascinating and wished I had done it earlier. 1 have never been the sort of person who stands by with their mouth open when something happens - 1 have always been one who always wants to rush in and help."

Many's the time in plays or films Hayley had bent dramatically over stricken "bodies". Now, with a St. John First Aid qualification under her belt, she was ready for the real thing

She did not have to wait very long . One day, aga in at the wheel she passed a figure lying on the pavement. "I thought: people don't lie down in the road in JaNuary." Hayley tumed 14 St. John World March 1993

round and drove back She found an eldedy man uncolilscious , turning blue in the face with vomit around his mouth , who had app arently had an epileptic fit.

"As I touched him he came round . While other people phoned for an ambulance , I put him in the recovery position and wiped his face clean " She prepared to carry out breath-of-life resuscitation if he stopped breathing " I thought: am I going to be able to do this?

This is going to be a real test of my humanity. But St. John training gives you the confidence to do such things ." Having resolved she would she didn ' t have to The man regained consciousness.

Dressed comfortably in black sweater and jeans Hayley set down two coffees and we talked about today's challenges. She feels strongly that First Aid should be widely taught so that in such cases more members of the public could help the sick or injured and save more lives

The Breath of Life campaign will help l improve the situation. "I'd like to someone would be able to go to my ai d I collapsed "

But Hay ley wants more. " I thi r learning First Aid should be part of (i school curriculum. People should I taught as children to help in distress kind , rather than be just a gaw pil onlooker. First Aid training makeS )1 feel a much more useful member oH community.

"Although we live in a d es peratf overcrowded world , communites tod are much more isolated Once yo u done

ourtesl'

The Breath of Life Campaign with its nC)w familiar red ballmm logo is ready for liftoft: All our preparations and hopes will come to frui tion this month. The Campaign Week of March 24 - 31 promises to be a memorable time for St. John writes Ian Walden , Breath of Life Campaign Manager. We have been amazed at the public response to our preliminary publicity. We wrote to more than 70 national organisations and targeted more than 3,000 magazl nes and journals. So many people

LIFT OFF!

Hold your breath! From the world of television and showbusiness, politics and sport; from chief constables and the caring professions to cartoonists, support is flowing in for St. John's remarkable Breath of Life Campaign. ./ have asked

CELEBRITIES SALUTE US

SIR HARRY SECOMBE, CBE - "I just wanted to let you know that I think you all do a marvellous job, and if it wasn't for your wonderful work many people wouldn't be here today."

Sean Macquire, Actor who plays Aidan in Eastenders "Let the Breath of Life Campaign teach you to give someone a second chance to live."

ED STEWART, Radio 2 presenter - "Good luck to all of you starting the coursewhere would we be without St. John Ambulance."

NEIL KINNOCK, MP" Breath of Life is an excellent initiative. I hope that many people will take the opportunity it provides - it could help them to save lives and it will certainly give them confidence in a crisis." *

NERYS HUGHES, star of BBC television s "District Nurse" series - "We all need to know the basics of First Aid, and many of us are, sadly, ver y ignorant when faced with an emergency. Breath of Life Campaign is a brilliant idea, and I urge everyone to attend the course organised by St. John Ambulance "

GREN - Cartoonist of the "South Wales Echo" which has kindly allowed us to reproduce his cartoon - "When I collapsed with a heart attack several years ago - thank God there was someone around who knew what to do."

neighbour s le} - month -old son, Liam Tu m er, at hi s home in Brr igmton after me began choking on a crisp packet. An instructor wno teaches life16 St. John World March 1993 saving to th e publi c, Yann qui c kl

bag - and wa s s milin g! And yet another. .. The quick acti o ns of solicitor, Tim Ledger , saved the life of hi s son , Jamie, 3, when he wa s found lying uncon scious face down in the bath at their home in Warwick. Tim , whose company had sent him on a Firs t Aid course two years ealier, says he cont rrolled feeling s of panic and performed mouth-tomouth resuscitation on hi s son and revived him

Bus driver, Joe Grant, s pra ng into ac ti o n w he n passe nge rs sc reamed as a ma n co ll apsed f rom a hea rt a ttac k in hi s No 86 Me rsey bu s. He le a ped o ut a nd gave the cas ua lt y First Aid Th e n he jumped bac k in a nd sped ac ross th e c it y to th e Roya l Li ve rpoo l Uni vers ity Ho spital 's cas ualty unit ju st as th

breat h ing. Doc to rs th e re rev ived him

Pub licensee, Hilary Wilson, was prai sed by do c tors wh e n she went to the a id of o ne of he r regl!llar cu stom e rs wh

co llaps ed in the bar. Hilary da shed from the bar, c hecked th e woma n's pul se but found it " fading away ". While her ba rm a n ca lled a n ambulan ce Hilary gave her mouth-to-mouth re s\ll scitation " The ambulan ce took only about 10 minutes to get here In th at time I had revived her, after the t hird or fourth try ."

To ny Ada m s, Arse n a 's ce/llaye

HUGHES NORRIS , England and Glamorgan cricketer" I am delighted to support the essential service that St. John Ambulance provides. The Breath of Life Campaign will ensure that the general public are well educated in First Aid procedures and consequentl y man y lives saved. Glamorgan Count y Cricket Club are looking forward to having a close relation s hip with St. John Ambulance in Wales and wish you ever y s ucces s in your campaign."

Nerys H ugh es

SARAH GREENE , presenter of BBC's " Going Live"" Your Breath of Life ma y save

LYNN FAULDS WOOD AND JOHN STAPLETON , presenters of BBC's " Watchdog "" Congratulations on the Breath of Life Campaign. We hope everyone will take part in your courses. Hundreds of lives could be saved every year if onl y more people knew more about resuscitation and the treatment of heart attacks."

Delicate eye surgery at the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital, Jerusalem

Patients are too poor to pay for a 20-minute operation that enables the blind to see. let the St. John eye hospital in Jerusalem offers such miracles of medical science free to all. In readiness for Hospital Awareness Week on April 7-14, surgeon, Mr Mark Elder tells a modern success .story.

18 St. John World Man;h 1993

ST. JOHN'S GIFl OF SIGHT. ..

My wife and I arrived in Jerusalem in June, 1991 so that I could work as an ophthalmologist at one of the oldest and most famous eye hospitals in the world. We had left New Zealand just after the Gulf War and entered a very different world. It was a world of contrast and conflict and it was to be a year that neither of us would ever forget.

The Order of St. John set up the Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem in 1882 because of the tremendous number of eye problems present in the Holy Land. Little has changed in 100 years. The patients have remained mainly the Palestinian Arabs of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, though the hospital is open to all. I treated Christian, Moslem and Jewish patients over the course of my year there. Patients are patients after all.

However, I was immediately by the poverty of these peop,Je. With the current political climate and economic circumstances the average income of the Palestinians is currently approximately £1,200 a year but the cost ofliving is very

problerns, are not. Never before have I em 0o l!lDltered so much blindne s s or disease. Every day ] see mew patients almost totally blind from their cataracts. They would wait until their vision was so poor that they could no longer see to get about or work Only then would they come to St. John and ask that, if God willed it, they would like to have their cataracts removed.

It is an operation that takes about 20 O'linwtes under local anaesthesia For me the post-operative ward round was constantly an embarrassment. Once the eye dressing was removed, the patients could see and would often call out loudly : "Thanks to God!" and would kiss your hand and press it to their forehead. This was not like operating in England , where your surgery often means that someone can once more read the telephone directory. This was the stuff that changed people's lives. It certainly changed mine In all my career, I doubt I will ever gGt the same personal rewards as working at St. John

And what of living in Jerusalem? In my travels over five continents I have not found a more interesting city to live in The city is central to three of the world's major religions and this, combined with its enormous history and modern day conflict, make it constantly exciting The "old city " of Jerusalem is about one square mile in size and is located in the middle of the modern day city, separating East from West. It is home to 100000 people who live in the various Christian, Moslem , Jewish and Armenian

similar to that of London Nor is thera state health system like the NHS Su denly, one became very aware of h i crucial the St. John Ophthalmic Ho spr is to these people and one of my was to learn the prices of all the medic ir, so that I could provide the cheapest a best care for my patients.

Ophthalmology can be a sophistical and highly technical surgical special and here the hospital was a real It was fantastic and went beyond an) ' my expectations The current hospital designed by a previous Hospitaller ! Stewart Duke-Elder, Consultant mologist at Moorfields Eye Hospi t London. Therefore, it is not surprisi there are many similarities between I two hospitals. Even the surgical in s ments are sterilised and stored in the sa type of boxes as at Moorfields, wh en am mow working. The eqwipment is h rate and allows the patients the JDortunity to benefit from their surge0 medical treatment.

While the equipment is easy describe, the range and severity ofl

Almost in the centre is the Holy Sepulchre where Christ is said to have been laid in his tomb. Less than 100 yards away is the site of the original St. John Hospital. It was established in the early 12th Century by the pilgrims to tend to those who had made long journeys to Jerusalem Very little has changed in those 800 years The hospital remains what it always was to the patients -a godsend. Many have nowhere else to go. Yet somehow the hospital is able to operate on a shoestring

Si.r Stephen Miller, a previous Hospltaller and Ophthalmologist to the Queen, once said that our hospital runs OIl only 20 % of the budget of an NHS hospital. Yet the type and quahty of the surgery is the same. This is a real credit to the staff. Every effort is constantly being made to be as cost effective as possible. I certainly learnt a lot about efficiency that I shall be taking home to New Zealand when I eventually return tlilere.

fu. Work at the nospital, though , is Iilot all Igh technology. Indeed all of the so h' , Ii> IstJcation of the modern era means nothing if th h e patIents cannot get to the OSpltal for treatment. This is often the

Samar, 6, be came blind in her left ey e and has poor vision in the other, when she was hit by debris as two Israeli fighters collided above her while she was tending sheep with her father.

case for political , economic or social reasons. For me the hospital's " Outreach " Programme is the answer to these people's prayers. It brings eye care to those who need it most - typically to a mother with five young children and a husband at work, to an old man too frail to travel and to a young man refused permission to travel to the hospital.

Often it is the simple things that do the most good: the bottle of eye drops that cures the infection , or the lOp eye patch that means a child might now be cured of their "lazy eye". Ifpatients do need treatment or surgery in Jerusalem , then it is organised on the spot. For me it was all so impressively efficient and cost almost nothing , except a tank of petrol and a supply of eye drops.

In some ways my return to work in the UK was a shock when I discovered how much bureaucracy invades our lives here There was no time for such nonsense in Jerusalem. Medically speaking , in Jerusalem you had lots of patients to see and youjust got on with it and made the best of what you had. And we did!

The other fact of life that I could not escape was the number of children in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Supposedly half of the 1.7 million population is under the age of 15 and , judging by the clinics, I could believe it For me, dealing with the children was the most rewarding In half an hour I could remove the cataracts from a two-week-old baby and ensure they could lead a normal life instead of being permanently blind. Similarly, in the same

Operating Theatre staff prepare a young boy for a sight-saving operation

time you could maybe cure a baby with a squint, reposition a congenitally closed eyelid or treat a child for glaucoma Even so there was also time for things other than work Jerusalem and the Holy Land have more than 5,000 years of history. My wife and I spent much of our spare time travelling and exploring There were afways places to go. Relics of the Roman Empire, Crusader castles and famous places in the Bible exist often "just down the road" In retrospect, it seems almost surreal to treat patients in the Outreach Clinic in Gaza less than a mile from where Samson finally brought down the temple, or to have been to a school for the blind located in Bethlehem.

My time in Jerusalem has come and gone , but it is impossible to forget the good work the hospital does and the warmth and gratitude of the people that it cares for The Order of St. John has every reason to be proud of its Ophthalmic Hospital. And those whose donations help fund it can be confident their money is spent extremely costeffectively in treating the sick, irrespective of race or religion. As I said, patients are tients the world over.

TEETH FOR ST. JOHN

Other

Deputy Mayor of Croydon , and who

SW Area President, Colonel ber of the Division.

Mclelland The service was con- The interior was fitted

ducted by St. John Sgt, Paul with

Elliot, a steward of the church. offside, upholstered to match the vehicle to their exact specification munity is aware of the vi lal l pressed were they tha t St. John Supt. Brenda Davis, who York stretcher fitted on the near- and had secured the business on played by the organisation Ambulance members attended carried out the official handover

of the vehicle, was also respon- accommodate

sible

with

contribution by Safeway

For Those Who Care.

Bruce Lee delivering a blow with the utmost force 12 female div is ional members took to the floor.

Fi rst of all they learned th e basic - p osture , sta nce a nd breathing. Next ca m e b as ic ste p s and finally punching and kicking techniques After a co upl e of knocks and tumble s, their humiliation wa se t to o ne side and grit determination took its pl ace. The road to the black belt is a lo ng arduous a nd ine v itab y p ai nfu l one, and one the B og no r Regis St John members c ho se nor to travel.

As th e 12 member s turned for home each of them oo k a little omething with them to remember the occa ion - a bruise or two

A LITTLE EXTRA HELP

Volunteers a re the heart a nd life lin e of St. John Ambulance an d a t H ead quarters we are lu cky to h ave a g ro up of hard working high profile Senior Volunteers who devote their tim e to th e work and co ntinued s u ccess of the organisation. Few may be awa re ho wever of a nother group of not quite so well known volunteers , working away b eave ri s hl y in the background , a t St. John He a dqu a rter s doing their bit for St. John Steve Stephens is as much part of th e furniture a He adquarter as anyone could ever be He can b e seen (and heard) three days a week complaining about the overuse and price of fi rst class parcels But few reali se that for over 28 years Steve ha s worked for St. John Ambulance (most of which ha s bee n voluntarily) and

ha s been a Brigade member for over 57 years. Working in the po s t room he ha s undoubtedly devoted as much ( if not more ) time than any other volunteer to St. J o hn Ambulance He is not alone. Paul Bum s tead , raffle organiser ex traordinaire ha s d evo ted yea r s to the work of the Marketing Department at Headquarters. Among other thing s he ha s the unenviable task of so rtin g out and logging the tickets so ld as part of the National R affle.

In the PR Department help give n by three Fellowship vol unteers, H arry Cording , Harry and Grace Fitt , ha s been invaluable. Grace and Harry work o ne o r two days per week free of c harge and have also offered their services to o ther departments when required

Just as the familiar black and white unifo rm of the St. John Ambulance member at publ ic duties does not go unnoticedneither does the dedication of our unsung heroes' at Headquarters

ROLL UP, ROLL UP

In order to co p e with the growing number of new rec ruits, St. John Hamp s hire ha s launched an appeal to rai se £40 ,000 to demolish their old dilapidate d hall and build a new multi-facility one. It will be one-and-a-half times the s ize of the present building in Little Shore Lane, adding toilets , a kitchen and di sa bled access. Large numbers of adults as well as children are s ig ning up to join the St. John Divi s ion , which covers

MAPPING IT OUT

OH, DEAR COLOGNE!

Eight of us, all from the Torfaen area of South Wales recently arrived In Cologne after a tiring dnve. On the Saturday morning we met the two other Briti s h team s, from Belfa s t , Northern Ireland and Glynneath South Wale s.

A s hort walk took us to th e competitIOn venue. The competition is s plit into thre e sec tion s, under-16 , B sectio n , over16, section and professional (para:nedlcs etc. S section) We had been put

In the " profe ssio nal " sec tion We waved ?ur fax s howing we were supposed to be In the over-16 sec tion and were told not to worry, thing s would be sorted out

All team s assembled in a hall where the " top man " in the Johanniter briefed everyone with a s pecial welcome in English for tlie three British teams and a church service was held. By this time we had met Harold our man for the day He had been allocated to look after us and help with any problems throughout the day. Harold was most friendly and went to try to sort out our sec tion problem. He saId we had been placed in the S section but our marks and the test s would be that of the A section.

Our first competition was CPR on a skill meter One minute of practice and then two minutes of the test. The two fittest of us took on thi s task and performed w.el!. In the next part of the competItIOn SIX of us were given theory, multiple choice questions and a lO-minute test still with the S section teams Back the

canteen a fter what was in effect a quite easy sess ion By thi s time a band was playing for our entertainment.

Then followed three pair s tests. "We had just two minutes to assess and diagno se what treatment needed to be given to casualties with a ruptured spleen a perforated s tomach ulcer and a heart attack victim." Next we took part in a stretcher race , over various obstacles carrying eight stones in weight over yards. Two of our team member s took part in the skillmeter te s t and when we had completed our written 10-minute test we faced only the four-man test.

" We had just two minutes to assess and diagnose what treatment needed to be given to casualties with a ruptured spleen, a perforated stomach ulcer and a heart attack victim."

We were asked to diagnose , treat and dispose of an open fractured leg , a head wound ,:"ith concussion , vomiting and unconSClOusness. Harold informed us that the judges were most impressed and had only deducted one or two marks This turned out to be two separate pairs tests But for the first and only time bandages were apphed to injuries and a casualty put on a stretcher.

Later in the day came the climax the announcement of the results. They announced for the A section , 15th place , 14th etc., 7th Glynneath 5th Belfast 4th , 3rd , 2nd. We must have won it! No , 1st was a team from Germany. Where was Torfaen ? Then on to the S section. The chairman changed to English and sai d : " Second by 0.15 marks , Torfaen St John ". We had been put in the S section after all.

Anyway, congratulations all around. There were spec ial prize for the British teams. Glynneath in third place had leather First Aid kits and so me German beer Second placed Belfast received an extended skills box with oxygen airways and suction equipment and space for infusion sets etc For first place there was a ski.llmeter complete with printer (in EnglJsh) worth £1 ,700. We all received Eau de Cologne and a replica of Cologne It was a very enjoyable trip If a tnfle tmng , but well worthwhile. Roll on the next event. "A uf Wiedersehen!" March 1993 ST. John World 23

Bargain basement

Park

SHOCK TACTICS CAN MEAN SURVIVAL

Studies show that if a defibrillator is

arrest there

higher chance of survival. Following interest generated by our feature on them last year, here is an update. First, Dr Geraldine Walters, PhD BSc RGN, discusses their use. In the 2nd part of this feature John Newman, Assistant Training Manager to The St. John /\nlbuJa

Sten minutes of collapse.

Ba s ic life s upport alone will not " re sta rt " a heart in cardiac arrest. Advanced life support , technique s are required to do this. However, I notI ced that St. John bas ic life support is u seful to keep the brain

SpeCIals are h eld at Che Worl d and other vital organs alive during cardiac of Adventure s I wa s arrest until advanced life support can be about the pOS SIbIlIty of ho s tIng such a provided.

day at London Obviously we wanl There are seve ra l causes of cardiac arrest. to increa se our vIs Itor fi g ure, but I am The most common , and the easiest to treat , is sure that the day ",:,ou ld have equa l an abnormality of the heart rhythm called benefits for SId es. ventncular fibrillation, in which the main We would lIk e to the days pumping chambers of the heart beat very fast, through PR and advert l In g In yo ur In· Irregularly and inefficiently This rhythm can house magazIne s, perhaps , by be converted to normal by giving the heart an contactIng members dIre c t. electnc shock, a treatment known as defibrildd I This technique alone (without drugs or A ta Wa e sp · Dl eCla aIrway protectIon) IS a very effective Group ExecutJ\\ for this condition but , only if adZoological SOCiety of Londol mInIstered rapidly after the onset of ca rdiac Regents the potential for successful London esuSCltatlOn Iii! a community is detellil1ined by

Editor: Write to the Zoo if you are interested in this idea.

tm e numbe f· fi r 0 cardIac arrest vIctIms who are In ventricular fibrillation by people eql!llpped and able to defibrillate way of improving survival rate s from pre- ospital cardiac arrest would be to find ways f o movIng defibrillation capabilities

closer to potential victims , in order to minimise the length of time between cardiac arrest and arrival of the defibrillator operator. This co uld be achieved by pl aci ng defibrillators at strategic points in the community where there are large gatherings of people, and in the home s of patients at risk

In the past s uch strategies have not been po ssi ble because relatively few health care professional s have the necessary skills to defibrillate. However, in the last 10 years automated external defibrillators have become available. These device s are able to recognise ventricular fibrillation when attached to patients with heart arrest and advise the operator whether or not to administer a shock.

Little training and no specialised medical knowledge is required to use an automated defibrillator. Therefore, the provision of defibrillation in the community can now be maximised , because there is a much larger pool of potential defibrillator operators This includes lay people and relatively inexperienced health care workers.

St. John Ambulance is an appropriate organisation to train in the use of automated defibrillators. Firs t , volunteers include both professional health care workers and lay people with prior knowledge of basic life support

Dr Geraldine Walters is the former Automated Defibrillation Course and Project Co-ordinator of St. John Ambul a nce London (Prince of Wales District)

techniques I will leave it to John Newman to elaborate on so me of these points in the following article

Second , St. John Ambulance provides a First Aid service at many large scale events. Epidemiological studies of cardiac arrest and reports from such events s uggest that there is one arrest for every one mill ion people who attend.

Cardiac arrests at such events are likely to be witnessed by people, and there is an increased likelihood of somebody administering early basic life support. First aiders also have the advantage of being present at the scene and are therefore able to respond quickly. If a defibrillator were available , the likelihood of survival may be in excess of 50 % for a patient who sustains a witnessed cardiac arrest due to ventricular fibrillation.

Since the Hillsborough football disaster questions have been asked about the adequacy of First Aid facilities. The advantage of being on the scene is not fully exploited if first aiders do not have the skills and equipment to provide definitive treatment. Studies in the US have s hown that lay people can be taught to operate an automated defibrillator and use it effectively in simulated cardiac arrest situations. We have confirmed this finding in a study involving St. John Ambulance volunteers in London

Use of automated defibrillators by St. John Ambulance is an exciting development which represents a further increase in the ability of St. John volunteers to provide an effective First Aid service to the general public.

March 1993 St. John World 25

SHOCK

Heartstart 3000 QR

ARE YO U READY FOR DEFIBRILLATOR TRAINING?

Up to a few years ago, the defibrillator could only be used by a doctor, writes John Newman. This has now changed An increasing number of St. John personnel are being trained to use it. The defibrillation machine itself has a monitor to which the patient is connected by attaching three electrodes to the chest. Wires from the electrodes carry information to the monitor which displays this in the form of a wave of light on a screen. In this way, the electrical shape' of the heart rhythm can be seen. The doctor can interpret this image and decide if an electric shock to defibrillate is appropriate.

Modern technology has led to the development of defibrillators that have the ability to interpret the heart rhythm, and if the rhythm is one of ventricular fibrillation, to charge themselves up and even advise the operator to gi ve an electrical shock. While the original manually operated machine is more versatile in the hands of those trained to deal with specific problems, such as correcting very fast or slow heartbeats , the automatic one is just as effective for dealing with cardiac arrest caused by ventricular fibrillation. With this machine , called an Automated External Defibrillator or AED for short , the shock is administered to the casualty through two pads fixed externally on the chest.

The AED is absolutely foolproof in that it is preset by the manufacturer to charge itself up only if it senses true ventricular fibrillation. It cannot be charged up by the operator manually and it therefore cannot administer a shock by mistake. It even tells the operator if the pads are not attached properly or if the patient is moving. It gives prompts and reminders to the operator to press the buttons to analyse the patient and to check pulse. It tells the operator if its battery IS low and keeps an accurate record of action that has been taken , storing thiS Information so that it can be played back.

lIhe electrical defibrillator works best if there is good strong electrical and muscular activity in the heart. The brain and the heart muscle need a constant and abundant supply of oxygen in

is in the best interests of the casualty to use CPR to keep a supply of oxygen going to the heart muscle, which in turn keeps fibrillation as strong as possible for as long as possible. Unfortunately, even with good CPR, fibrillation becomes weaker and weaker because CPR itself is very inefficient when compared to normal heart lung perfonnance The time periods here are very critical. A reasonab le chance of survival is said to be best ..:....

1 If the cardiac arrest is witnessed and help summoned quickly ; and

2 Provided CPR is implemented effectively within four minutes of cardiac arrest ; and

3 Provided defibrillation takes place within eight to ten minutes of the cardiac arrest; and

4 The cardiac arrest is due to ventricular fibrillation.

Dr Eisenburg and colleagues in Seattle, US, published very convincing research figures to support this in 1981.

Of 119 patients observed, 22 met all four of the conditions outlined above. The remaining Cfl had one or more of the conditions absent. Of the 22 , 15 patients survived to leave hospital. Of the Cfl, one survived to leave hospital. There is , of course , other research material to support this from Eu rope and the UK.

If you accept this, it follows that by the time we get an Ambulance Service vehicle to our cardiac arrest casualty when we are on duty, and that ambulance can load and transport the casualty to hospital , defibrillation is very unlikely to be achieved within eight minutes. This is a very strong argument for working on the casualty on site with the defibrillator.

The Ambulance Service in this country were set targets to try to achieve the provision of early Advanced Life Support by the former Health Secretarylane qualified paramedic on every emergency ambulance by 1996.

2 One automated external defibrillator with a crew trained to use it by December 1992.

The Ambulance Service has addressed this problem conscientiously , with some counties reaching the paramedic target already. The real problem to be

addressed is how can the ambulance reach the cardiac arrest victim?

The ORCON National Standards set in lCfl3 and revised in 1988, specify arrival time standards from the time of receipt of the call by the ambulance control for 'metropolitan' services. This is set at 14 minutes to be achieved on 95 % of emergency calls , and for 'shire services 20 minutes on 95 % of emergency calls. Even if these figures are achieved , and you have your own experiences to assess this by, there is very little hope for the cardiac arrest victim who needs defibrillation within eight minutes.

It must be stated that ambulance services are addressing this problem with varying degrees of success.

The question you could ask yourself is: if you are in the middle of your country fair 20 or 30 minutes from the hospital or at an equivalent duty and have your St. John ambulance on duty, should it really transport the heart attack casualty with cardiac arrest? Would it be better to invest in an AED instead of the ambulance in the first place? Not fair questions perhaps - there are so many other benefits in having the ambulance

As far as expense is concerned, a defibrillator costs around £5 ,000 to £6 000 - about the cost of a reconditioned ambulance. The defibrillator could be a County or Area resource and could be shared. It is probably best used by foot personnel on duty, especially if only one machine is available. You don't really want it disappearing off to hospital in the ambulance with the fractured leg victim . That's the time , of course, when someone else will have a heart attack!

So in the case of cardiac arrests due to a heart attack it would seem to be essential to wait and perform defibrillation on the scene if a defibrillator can be made available quickly

Now I will deal with the question of training St. John members in defibrillation and maintaining their skills Experience and research show that skills are very quickly lost if they are not used often

The protocols published by St. John National Headquarters stipulate that refresher training and reassessment should

Series 1250 Defibrillator

A New Automatic Advisory Defibrillato

The Marquette Responder 1250 is a new automatic advisory defibrillator designed to help emergency personnel at all levels identify and immediately treat threatening arrhythmias. Many innovative features, including continuous automatic arrhythmia analysis, contribute to the 1250's extreme ease of use and set it apart from other defibrillators. The 1250 is fully compatible with Marquette's Responder 1500 ALS defibrillator for seamless transfer of critical patient information from BLS to ALS l@v@ls and with the Marquette EDIC™ patient data analysis, review and system.

LAUNCH OF NEW DEFIBRILLATOR

This month s ees the launch from Marquette Electronics of their new advisory defibrillator, the Responder 1250. It replaces the Responder 1200. The latest manufacturing techniques are now employed incorporating surface - mount technology and autoinsertion techniques. Marquette claim increased reliability while maintaining very competitive prices The Responder 1250 is £5795 in the UK , with a discount to St. John Ambulance

A new high resolution high visibility large monitor di splay replaces the old unit which could be difficult to read in bright sunlight. TheLCD now displays more infor-

mation including elap sed time since the s tart of therapy, real time and heart rate.

A voice synthesizer

guide them through defibrillator procedures.

Like its stablemate , the Responder ]500, the 1250 will store up to nearly three hours of beat-by-beat ECG for subsequent playback and now has a fa s t forward feature and also event summary A distinct advantage is the ' nonfade' memories - all patient information is retained even if the unit is switched off.

may not be everyone's idea of what' s desirable

Those who do not want voice prompts , can suppress this new feature

Instead, they can rely on tones, screen prompts and flashing LCD to

An interesting possibility with this new model is that it can be customised to suit local protocols (2001, 2001, 3601 or for example 2001 , 3001, 3601)_

Additionally, all hard copy reports generated will bear the identity of the user group

take place every 90 days for every operator. The initial assessment and each 90-day reassessment includes testing CPR as well as the AED skills, Our experience in London would encourage me to make a general observation that CPR skills have improved among the operators who:

1 Appreciate the significance of good CPR following their course and/or 2 Wouldn't want to risk the loss of their AED qualification by failing their 90-day CPR assessment.

We have had three failures in initial training since it began in 1991. It is fair to say that once they have qualified, we support the operators and coach them to success rather than fail them and send them away. A total of 103 have been trained to date.

How is training progressing? After an initially sporadic start in London, a set pattern has been established. Four-hour courses are run once a month. Ten students attend each course run on a Saturday morning. They return the following month to be assessed by a doctor specially briefed to conduct the tests. The members use an operational AED on a defibrillation training manikin. We use the Laerdal Earl y Defibrillation trainer with Heartstart Minisym. Two of these have been in constant use for three years and have been very reliable. (This is an ab ridged version of a longer article )

RUGGED LIFEPACK 300

The LIFEPAK® 300 automatic advisory defibrillator is designed primaril y for llse by ambulance crews , It is both waterproof and extremely rugged and can be operated from a powerful , rechargeable battery (integral to the system) , or from a mainsor 12v vehicle supply _ The system features PhysioControl's Shock Advisory System and can be used in ei mer advisory or manual mode.

The system incorporates a patented motion detection device. It is unique in operating inde-

pendently of the ECG algorithm to en s ure complete accuracy and total reliability - prevents motion artefact from being misinterpreted as patient ECG data and thus the possibility of a lethal arrhythmia being masked

The LIFEPAK ® 300 also features a large and bright LCD monitor which is used to display the patient 's ECG and instructions to guide the operator through the defibrillator protocol. The ECG can be monitored through the prejelled self-adhesive defibrillation electrodes or by a three-lead cable utilising standard ECG electrodes. Also integral to the LIFEPAK ® 300 defibrillator is a Code Summary system which memorises ECG and other operations,

In conjunction with the North Staffs Trauma Centre we offer the following: ADVISORY DEFIB COURSES DEFIB COURSES (MANUAL) EMERGENCY MEDICAL TECHNICIAN (EMT) For more details

HOLIDAYS

Cardiac arrest! Immediate CPR can reduce the ri sk of severe damage and increase the patient' s c han c e of survival. Now, new s cientif c research on the Ac tive TCompression-Oecompres s ion'& (ACO) CPR method shows mproved c ardio p ulmonary blood c irc ulation compared to standard CPR *.

When the res c uer pulls the device , t he c he st is actively lifted and expanded by a vacu u m cup Thi s lift - the decompression - increases the venou s return flow, giving improved filling of the heart

TheAmbu®CardioPump'" improvesbloodcirculation comparedtostandardCPR.

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IMMEDIATE CARE

Sabre Medical have a product to meet your needs - whether your requirement is for oxygen for resuscitation , the treatment of traumatised patients or oxygen therapy. products are robust , require minimum servicing and are designed for ease of use. This enables the carer to concentrate on his or her patient and not on the operational details of the equipment. The range includes :

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Thieves Steal Ambulance Gear

Ordeal for Stephen, 3

on vital m e dic a l equipment" it i s a tr e m e ndou s b ow".

Th e thi eve s ma s hed th e ir way in through th e garage roof before forcing their way out throu g h a door. They took a K es tr e Hawk co mpresso r , a hea vy duty batt ery c harger, two can til ever tool box es co nta inin g variou too l s and welding e quipmenr.

The ga ra ge was a l so raided ju s t before Ch r istma s when s ix two-way radio s were s to le n. Jimmy Fyan es, St. John Ambulance D e puty Commi s ione r sa id " I think it s te rribl e. We go o ut to m ake mone y to bu y our e quipment and t hen peopl e do s uch thin g to u s. B e in g a volunteer organisation it s hard to make mo ney without thi s happening. "

On the Wagon

A Mi s tl ey pUblican gave up alcohol for two week to rai se money for Manningtree St. Jo hn Ambulance Divi s ion

A ltho ug h admitting it was 'very hard ', Steve B e ll did not fa il in hi s se lf-impo ed ac of deni a l.

M r B e ll , w h o h as bee n h e la nd lord of h e Wa go n and Ho rses in New Road for nearly thre e years, ra ise d more than £200 h ro ug h s pon o rs hi p for t he divi s ion new HQ appea l.

A Puzzle for St. John

Early thi s year the Mu se um was given a very unu s ual bookl e t d e tailing the life of Florence Nightingale. A booklet on thi s topic is hardly unusua that is, if it wasn't for the attached jig-saw that shows Florence , here dre sse d in w h ite , as s is t i n g wo u nded so ldiers in the Crimean W ar.

The booklet -e ntitled " The Lad y of the Lamp " - was produced by the Joint War Committee during the Second World War and is the best example we have so far come across of the comb ination of entertainment wit h a form of ed ucation. The booklet it self doe s indeed provide the reader with inform a tion on the life of thi s famou s nur se. On the back of the booklet are in tru c tio n s for the assembly of a box " in which to place the puzzle s h o u ld yo u wish to se nd it to so meone in one of the Service s after you yourself have fi n ished with it "

The image c h osen for the j ig -saw is taken f r o m a portrait pai n ti ng by J erry Barre tt e n t itled : " The Mi ss ion of Mercy: Florence N ig h t in ga le receiving t he Wounded a t Sc u tary " A similar pict u re by the sa me arti s t belongs to the a tio n al Portra i Gallery

It is very likel y th a t t h i s p u

£'5,000 for St. John Ophthalmic Hospital

St John Ambuian(;)e Civil Aviation Ce ntre was fOTIl1ed in 1971 to provid e a irJine s with the means to (')btain a uniform hi g h standard of First Aid in str m:tion for both cabin and ground s taff. It qui c kly gFe w in strength and du e to the foresight, e tlthu s iasm and s usta in e d hard work of a s mall committee led by Mr Arthur W es t0 n funds were raised to build a new centre near H e athrow and thi s was ope\iled in 1984 by HRH The Grand Prior. The centre is today a hive of practica l and aGademic teachin g, much sought after by those seeking instruction in First Aid.

III 1981 Mr and Mrs We ston vi s ited

St. John Ophthalmic Hospit al in Jeru salem when we met f or the first tim e It was evident from the moment the y entered its precincts that the y were inspired by what the y saw - hum a ne benevolence a t the highest technical level be stowed without regard to colour, cla ss or creed on any who li ve in the Holy Land. On that day a sec ond enthu s ia s m was conceived whi c h accounts for the ma g nificient g ift just accepted by the Lord Prior of £85 000 to endow a bed in the name of the St. John Civil Aviation Centre coupled with the name of A .A. W. Weston, OBE ., K.StJ ., BEM. , it s retired long- term secretary.

This fundFaising effort s a remarkable and laudable achievement coming from a smaIl group devoted to the principle s of the Order and it suggests that confrere s who can afford to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem would find it rewarding to witness for themselves the dire needs of the people th€ Ho s pital serve s and take just pride in how the se are met.

Sir Stephen Miller, Hospitaller, 1981-1990

HSE Crowd Safety Report

As a re su lt of g rowin g publi c co ncern about crowd safety

The membel"S of to d ay' s committee, including S ir S tephen Mi Zl el" (centre-teft) and Mr Arthtltr (centre-ri ght).

6St.JohnWorld

No Smoke Without Fire

In

very k ee n to e ncoura ge e mploy e rs to develop a s moke-free workin g e nvir o nm e nt f o r non- smokers by devi s in g policies on s mokin g at th e workp lace in co ns ult ation with th e ir s taff.

Heart Stopping Stuff

Life threatenin g e mer ge ncie s are co mmon , and many people who would otherwi se die can be saved if immedi ate Fir s t Aid is performed by per so ns w ho witne ss the event. A s we are all only too well aware, very few people acta ua ll y hav e the Firs t Aid s kill s and confidence neces sa ry to deal with the se emergency s ituation s In re spon se to thi s, the Briti s h Heart Found a tion is coordinating a programme called ' Heart start UK' with the aim of in creasing public awareness of the need for Emergency Life Support tr a inin g and to help ac hieve thi s within the community. The programm e ha s the support of various voluntary and medical and education a l" bodie s throughout the UK including the Re sl!lsc itation Council (U K) and S t. John Ambulance. Maybe you r Divi s ion has been contacted a bout thi s?

In order to assist people who are contemplating setting UIP sl!Ich a scheme within their community, the British Heart Founelation have produced a called Hearlis hart UK - How to do it'. Altlwugh it is ve r y diffi cult to produce a fully 0@m prehensive guide that answers every questi em , as much depends on the

New Hospital Leaflet

longer have to under g o open h e art s urgery and can in s tead have thi s fOnTI of s urgery , which involve s a much s horter re c overy period.

Laur a h as b e en a m e mber of the Framlingham Badger Sen f or almo s a year and h as received variou s certificate s of m e rit a lthou g h s h e ha s onl y been ab l e

New CSO for Hampshire

Brave Badger has Pioneering New Surgery

rh a p , but n o n e th e l ess joll y, happ y and heal thy a s y ou would ex p ec t. But sadly , L a ura s not llke an ordinary 6 y e ar o ld Sh e w as born with thr e e s evere heart defe cts, one of whi c h w as a n an-ow pulmon ary a rte ry -a pote ntially life thre at e nin g di so rd er. In her s hort hfe she ha s already had two major operation s - includin g Open Heart Su.rgery. H er left pulmonary a rtery is kinked c au s in g anuri sms and unfortun a te ly the po s itioning of thi s kink make s s urgery very difficult. Now thank s to a pioneerin g new s urgical pro ce dur e, s urg e on s at Guy 's Ho spital , London have attempted to cone ct Laur a's heart defe ct s u s ing ke y hole s ur gery

Speaking before the s ur gery , Laura 's moth e r , S a rah explained, "Laura s s uch a brav e little g irl , s h e ha s s u f fered a grea t deal a1i\d now w e hope that thi s new opera tion will end all that and allow her to liv e a normal happy life When we f ,. Irst reali sed that Laura had a s evere heart condition , we felt as he bottom had fallen out of our world and that we were the on ly parents ev e r to have a child with heart d e fect s. We fe d ing really po s itiv e a bout th e s urg e ry and hope that it Will bri ng n ew hope to pare nts of all the other chi ldren suffering from the s ame condition a s L a ura "

"TLaura s ,;a s film e d by a cam e ra t e am from omol'TOW s World and televIs e d on 17 March It i s a IDrreaknhrough for children with s evere heart condition s A known a s a stint was inserted into Laura 's heart down d end a to widen the left pulmonary artery In 6HIil g s o It also reli eve s s ome of the pre ss ure that has built up lun gs. Her right puhl10nary artery al s o needed Wt If the procedu r e is a s ucces s , children m a y no April 1

On MerriU

War hero and bomb victim re-united

It was over 50 years ago. He wa s in c h a rge of a war tim e

First Aid party and she a mere child of five wh e n he resc u e d her from the aI1l1S of her dead mother - under ton s of d e bri s from her blitzed home. She never knew who rescu e d h e r until a feature in the Dover Expre ss bTOught them together 50 years later.

Jean Amos had been seriously injured by the bomb attack and ru s h e d to hospital. Jack H ew itt her rescuer , went to vi s it her , but soo n after joined the Air Force and w as s tationed in the I s le of Man On hi s return he tried to contact her at her old addre ss but was told s h e h a d emi g rated to Canada. With nothing to go on, he all but gave up hope of finding h e r , until s he pl ace d a n adverti se ment in a local new s paper a s king to meet the person who had saved her life. Jack read it and over 40 years later they were re-united. The 5 year old child had been replaced by a young married woman ( now Jean Coleman) with two children of her own and the bomb s, debris and terror replaced by a country at peace once aga in. Happily, today over a half a century later, they are both alive and well and still very much in touch.

Jack has devoted over 62 years of service to the Brigade and has recently received his tenth bar to the service medal. New regulation s mean that this will now become impo ss ible to accomplish as even if you join as a Cadet and retire at 65 , you can only achieve seven bar s to the medal. Ja c k , af fectionately known as Grandfather Badger with Dover Castle Badger Sett has been involved with the Sett s ince it was first formed and is a member of the Management Committee. He is a keen fundraiser and despite hi s retirement , continues to remain very much involved with St. John.

New Ambulance for Cleveland

Cleveland Ambulance NHS Trust ha s recently taken delivery of 5 Mercedes-Benz 310D from Croft & Blackburn as Emergency Ambulances for use within the county. In addition, St. John Ambulance has purchased two ambulances from cash raised by voluntary donation s, within the contract for their use as part of the closer working arrangement between both organisations.

The ambulances are unique for the interior design and is the result of a working group comprised entirely of operational staff who will operate the vehicles. John Burnside, Chi.ef Executive said "The concept of the Trust is to utilise nhe skills of aU members and opera ti onal staff. The people who wtill use the ambulances have produced a layout to meet their needs when dealing with patients in emergency situations. They are the experts and ambulance design must satisfy their need."

8 St. John World

Cleveland," said John Burn s ide

The first national Community Care Conference was held on Saturday, 13 February at West Midlands County HQ , Birmingham. Over 75 people attended (largely nursing and welfare officers) and, whilst it was a pit y more of you were unable to be there, what was lacking in numbers was more than made up for in verbosity!

NEWBUILDING1

The morn in g sess i o n in cluded presentations from thr ee s peakers from ot he r volu ntary organi atio ns talking about th eir work in th e fie ld of Comm unit y Care. The mess age stressed by each speaker was that th eir cli ent g ro up s do n ot ex pect immen se amounts of help in ternl S of tim e f r o m vo lun teers, but that it ofte n a s impl e s h ort ta k whi ch ca n be of the most benefit. A ll of the s peake rs we re e nt hu iastic abo ut the benefits whi c h co uld be bro ug ht thro ugh joint wo rkin g w ith o ur organi ation a nd a ll in dica ted th e m eans by whic h thi co uld be brought abo ut.

In th e afte rn oon we heard from s peakers wit hin St. Jo hn Ambulance who have all trailblazed th ei r way int o the Co mmunit y Care fie ld Th ey a ll ta lke d abo ut th e pleasure s as well as th e pi tfa ll s. I t wa a n extre me ly ent ertai nin g a nd th o ug h t-p roVOking aft e rno o n and a great deal of dlscussion 'and de bate was s timul ated.

• An affordable, & permanent headquarters building

• Designed to your needs; built to your standards

.We handle EVERYTHING - from first plans to finished bu ilding

Over the years , the Order of St John has called on LB B l to provide a wide variety of buildings , Choose from our modular range, or we can individually design, and build in traditional brick

As th e da y drew to a c ose an d th e co nfe renc e de legates began to leave, the ove rwhelmin g majorit y of co mm ents we re those of renewed enthu s ia s m fo r Co mmunity Care and a pl e thor a of new id eas fo r projects

l'he nex t National Conferen ce will be held ea rl y in 19 94 a nd jud g in g from th e requests made, this will be a weeke nd event as many memb e r s co mm e nt e d that they Wa nted more tim e to qu e ti o n speakers a nd to talk to each other about th eir projects a nd problem s. In the m eantim e, how eve r, if you ate 0 '. wh rgan ls mg your own tralnlll g d ays e tc., y not Contact loc a l bran c hes of other Vol l!lliltary '. , orgal11 Sa tlOn s a nd ge t th e m llilvolved W II f . e a learned a g rea t d ea l both rom other St. John Ambul a nce m e mb ers and Our 0 t d U Sl e speake rs - yo u co uld do the sa me!

Care in the Community

The area of wo rk i s wi thin a new ly open e d hos pi ce, The Duches s of K e nt H o pice , which is jointly f und ed by B e rk s hire Health A uth o r ity a nd Cancer R e li ef MacMillan fun d. T he hospice h as its ow n vo luntee r coo rdin ato r.

Th e re are 22 St. J o hn m e mb ers draw n fro m di v isio ns a ll aro und Berks hire, th o ug h m a inl y th e W es t involved in thi s project.

Members were give n the c hance to atte nd a series of open eveni ngs h e ld at County HQ in early November 1992 to dec ide w h e th er they were inte rested in beco min g invol ved

Th e open eve nin g allo wed th e m th e opportunity to di sc us the type of duties ava il a bl e with th e County Nursing Offi cer and Co unt y Exec utiv e Direc tor.

Th ese open meetings were fo llo wed up by a n oppo rtunit y to vis it the Du c hess of Kent Ho pice a nd to meet the s taff th e re.

The types of ro le which th ey co uld pl ay in ho s pi ce were di sc u ssed

Tho se members who were int e res te d were th e n g iv en s pec iali s t trainin g in be r eave m e nt a nd care of the te rmin a ll y ill by th e County Nursing O ff ic e r and an induction pro g ra mm e b y ho spice staff. M e mb e rs co mm e nced th eir duti es in mid Dece mb er 19 92. They c urre ntl y work alongside nurses

she able to call upon voluntary support for helFJ with such projects as a " tucking up" s€rvice, this would be invaluable.

Anne joined SJA in 1991 and was very impressed with the range of skills held by St John Ambulance members. However she felt that these skills could often be more widely used. Anne was still in clo se contact with Worce s ter Health Authority and wa s able to arrange for nursing membe(s to vi s it the local hospital and to gain experience. This proved very satisfying to members and clients alike

Anne developed her networks and contacted the Chief Executive and Director of Nursing Services for Worcester Health Authority He was enthusia s tic about the possibility of further involvement in Community Care At present due to the climate of change within the Health Service, little work has been progressed. Anne has been approached by her local social se rvices department to help train care assistants.

Her local branch of " Shopmobility " h as also expressed an interest in working with St. John Ambulance

There are many projects in the very early planning stages which will be advanced as time permits.

If you wish to discuss this work with Anne Havas she c an be contacted on 0386 792797

Mr Philip Watson , the National Development Officer spoke about the work of Carer 's National Association. This organisation represents all carers. It define s a carer as someone " looking after relative s or friends who, because of disability , illne ss or the effects of old age , cannot manage at home on their own without help the defining aspect i s that giving that help in one way or another restrict s the life of the carer."

There are 6.8 million carers in Britain , of these l.7 million live in the sa m e hou se as the cared for. (It has been estimated that 45 % of these people spend over 50 hours per week in their caring role)

In a recent survey of 3 000 carerS cOIlilpiled in a report called " Speak Up, Speak Out ", Carer 's National A ss ociation found that 79 % of carers felt that they had no choice in their role, 65 % found that their own health suffered as a result of their responsibilities and 75 % felt that they needed more help. This help could take the form of more information about benefit s and services, to short and long respite breaks

1m many areas carers are not offered help to bathe the cared for, especially if there is not "medical" requirement for a bath to be offered - it can cost up to £7 .50 to buy in help to give a bath.

They also found that the expectations of carers are very low.

One of the aims of Carer's National Association is to encourage troe development of aflpropriate servioes for carers. In order that new developments ful1y meet the needs of carers, their views should be sought and valued in any discussions.

St. John Ambulance could work at a very local level in helping support carers Could

10St.JohnWorld

you offer 2-3 hours one evening per month or fortnight to g ive a caiTer a break? Would you like to hear more about wh at carers in your own area need in terms of help and support?

Carer 's National ha s over 100 branch es nationally and it 's member s are willin g to talk to other groups.

If you would lik e further infonnation about carer's gro up s in your area, plea se contact Ann Mari e Barnard at NHQ , who has a full list. Pl ease remember , thQugh , that if a carer doe s g ive up his/her tim e to speak to your group, th e n s he/he may require financial re co mp e nse for any s ittin g arrangement m a de

A s ummary copy of " Speak Up , Sp eak Out " can be obtained at a cost of £5,00 from C a rer 's N a tional Association, 29 Chilworth Mew s, London W2 3RG.

Action for the Blind

There are nearl y one million peo pl e with severe visual problem s in thi s co untry

Only about 147 ,000 of th ese are re g i ste red as having an impaim1ent and 760,000 liv e in their own hom es - the se were the shocking s tati s tic g iv e n to the co nfe re nce by Tony Giller th e Direc tor of Community Service s for Action for Blind Peo pl e.

Tony gave a case-s tud y of a typ ica l elderly perso n s ufferin g with dec rea e d vision -s he is female , pro babl y aged 7580, lives alone, doe s n t ge t out mu c h is generally poor financially a nd ha sn t had a holiday for over 5 years.

Sadly , s tati s tic s also s ugge st that thi s lad y would not rece ive any visits fro m Social Service s, wo uld not have access to large print literature or new s p a per, is becoming very iso la ted a nd depressed a nd will hav e rece iv e d no co un se lling ab o ut he r lo ss of vision. Sh e will think he r lo ss of vision i s only to be ex pecte d (" it s my age") and s he will h a ve learned to m a n age.

•

•

Do you recog ni se thi s per s on ? Do ) know of peopl e like this in your G munity?

Due to tJhe large number s of p eo ple thi s in the community, there is not never will be enough sta tutory provi sion cope. It is vital then that voluntee rs bee involv e d Tony Gill e r s uggests that it is simple thing s that ca n help

• Scheme s to ide ntify pe ople wh o " managin g" but hav e a poor qu alil r li f e du e to imp a ire d vision.

• Help and advice in the hom e

• Help with s hoppin g.

• Help with reading

Whil

Do YouKn Your

Ma ------, als?

A Field Hospitalfor Kurdish Refugees -A Personal Experience

running around as we had been at the top.

They were quite remarkable in their ability to camp. I had been there for four hours and was filthy, whereas those th1.ere for some weeks kept themselves sNiiart and fresh CliliJdten everywhere were playing excitedly and happily just like children anywhere else in the world

When you looked more closely , particularly with the babies you would notice a great deal of malnutrition, with diarrhoea and vomiting.

We established ourfield hospital in a tent on the edge of the road and treated about 400 ••• patients a day. The military name for this was Operation Provide Confort. The logistic s for this were quite staggering.

A very thin baby only 1 hour old - what are its chances?

In England a telephone rang and a BASICS doctor immediately started preparations to bring lifesaving aid to children and other r8fugees on the Turkey-Iraq border.

Dr Ken Hines of BASICS (Lond(!m) and former St Johlil Area Surgeon for East London, tells the story.

I had 72 hours' notice to prepare to go to Kurdistan to assist with the refugee crisis in the mountain s on the Turkey-Iraq border. All the gquipment was assembled at Gatwick and 13 of us set off on a chartered British Airways aircraft to a town called Van in South East Turkey All the remaining seats werre occupied by boxes and packets of equipment. The hold was also jammed full.

When the cabin crew realised what our mission was they absolutely stripped the aircraft of everything they could possibly think of that might be of use. Every disposable item of crockery, plates, bowls, cups, blankets, paper cans of drink and even a bottle of chamJilagne were added to our kit. British Airways were an eriorrmous support on our venture and I should like to publicly thank them.

After our arrival in Van we were taken in two lorries for a three hour drive south through the mountains towards the Iraq border. The scenery was remarkable.

Driving on south from Hakkari we reached a narrow river valley at about 12,000ft. in the mountain s. Here was a sight I shall never forget. There were tents of all sorts, shapes and sizes clinging to the valley sides and along the wad edge and river bank. We continued through this area with some- difficulty as the road was congested with refugees. Climbing even higher into the mountains we came upon the main refugee camp right on the border at Cukurca. At one point 180,000 refugees had been held there. Most of th€m had walked 200km from the University of Dahuk.

We were ex.pected, alild detailed to go baek to the riveli vaHey camp we had previously drivelil tluough. Here theFe were seme 10,000 people with as yet no official medi eal l'lresence. This camp was about 2,OOOft lower than Cukurea and it meant we were not quite so breathless

12St.JohnWorld

Many of the chi ldren and babies we treated were grossly dehydrated with sunken eyes and inelastic skin. Rehydration was a problem

"Litt le by little " was our catch phrase. We often fed babies via syringes using glu cose electrolyte mixture If the baby was already suffgring diarrhoea and vomiting the mothers tended to want to give them too much too quickly. This of course tended to make them vomit more. By restricting them at a 10mi syringe we made sure it was given slowl y.

Many of them had to be rehydrated by the subcutaneous and intravenou s routes. My skills at putting a drip up on a baby quickly returned Titrating the amount of sets proved a problem

The sachets of oral rehydration salt conveniently came in litre sachets. For o ld er children a litre was made up and for adults two litre s in bottled water.

We found three Kurdish doctors in the camp. They had walked with their families and friends through the mountains. They were exhausted, but were willing and wanting to work They spoke the langua ge and were able to tran slate for us and rapidly regained their confidence.

Several other translators proved invaluable especially two architecture students from the University of Dahuk. Before long they became so good at asking questions , making a

diagnosis and prescribing treatment, that I just stood there and watched whilst they asked al l the right told mother what treatme m would be required and then went and got it fo r me. We had standard protocols for he amoun t of fluids they were to have , the antibiotic regimes and other standard treatments.

There was an agreement on s ite th at Medicins sans Frontiers staff would look afte r all cases of cholera in a designated area. was happy about this arrangement until I reali seo that they chose to put this camp right at the of the hill! Which way does water run? There were six death s on the first day we were in the camp and all were in eX lr em is When we saw them. There were no other deaths in the next 10 days This was a great encouragemem to us

Documentation was a problem. We record s of the numbers treated and gave the patients their own records to keep so that future attendances would allow us to see detai of previous treatment. Similarly , if th e! attended any other medical facility in the futu re we wou ld have a record.

One interesting problem over the dru1 Gentamycin which see med to be being given tc babies with no regard for do se. I fear thi dru1 may have caused a few unneces sary deaths

The families had been given ampoules of t/;: drug and would come to our field ho spi l[ asking that it be injected.

It was a tremendous privilege to work wiu the United Nations. I think many of the oldi er! had not appreciated the problems of babie s. I heard many tories of considera bk courage from soldiers who had gone out their way to care for so me of the familie s. t wa s a remarkable co-ordinated exercise all: one I was privileged to be a small part of.

(Based on a paper presented at th e 12th AIllIU; Symposium of th e Hamp shire. Berkshire and Slim Imm ediat e Care Scheme.)

The BT Guide for people who are disabled or elderly

Evidence of the filth and squalor th.ese poor people h.ave to live in.

ithAnnie

Training people to save lives is a serious business and the manikin plays a crucial role. Working with the "Resusci Anne" family can be a bundle of laughs. They have been known to look and act far too human for comfort, as Sandra Westwood explains.

Take the slim, blonde haired, track-suited friend of Superintendent, Jack Bloodworth of the Coleford Division in the Forest of D@an. She takes pride of place im the passenger seat em trips to exhibitions and displays and never, fails to turn a few heads. Though as Jack points out, she's not much of a conversationalist.

Other Resusci-Annes have minds of their own. Corporall Nonnan Scammell of the Dinton Division in Wiltshire recalls the time when a new trainer pressed their "Resusci Anne" in a soft spot and was hit in the face by its legs! "Came as something of shock" admits Mrs Scammell, "They don't usually make involuntary movements."

A St. John member for nearly a lifetime and Superintendemt for 35 years, Jack Bloodworth remembers the good old days when mamikins didn't exist. "We practiced on each other in those days. Using a manikin makes a massive difference. It's obviously much easier. The use of technology today is marvellous."

The "Resusci-Anne" family was invented by Swedish @flgineer Laerdal. His daughter died following a drowning incident when; no-one hacl: the first Aid skills to save her. In a: bid to help improve the teaching of mouth-to-mouth resuscitation he ililvented the training manikin and named it after his daughter - Anne.

Costs for some models can be prohibitive for fundrajsers, but the new. Laerdal Resusci-Anne with its light sjgnal box is cited by many satisfied customers as bei.ng a:n inva:luable training aid. The signal box means trainees have an aCCl!1rate gl!liee to inflations.

"It's essential and certainly used every time we have a training session, there's no doubt about that", says Gwen

14 St. JohnWorld

Neale , member in charge of the Tudor (Enfield) N Division in Middlesex.

Nonnan Scammell echoes her views: bought the new Resusci-Anne. It s extremely useful definitely worth having because trainees have u'nmleOlillfl feedback as to whether they're doing it properly or not. "

Because of the purchase price, most divisions live one manikin. It means splitting course members into groups so there's little chance of bored onlookers tu the serious discussion of life-saving into a chat television soaps.

Trainees learn about use of bandages Of other First techniques while small numbers take it in turns to on the manikin.

In recent years, the use of manikins has provoked sensitive problems than the question of group Concern about the transmission of HIV through saliva meant division.al leaders have become experts reassuring

While ancient religiolls taboos about mouth-to ventilation may have disappeared, HIV scares have more than a ripple of unease among trainees. Div

leaders have personal worries about misinfonnation. They say there is an ultimate threat if a potential life-saver delays action because of fears of an HIV risk.

Grace Neil says such has been the growth in concern, her classes often start with a talk about manikin hygiene.

"The question of HIV is nearly always raised at the beginning of a course, we emphasise there are masks available if people want to use them."

"A lot of people bring the matter up," says Nonnan Scammel, "but we have to stress it is a very unlikely risk and it should in no way stop people from learning or in real life from carrying out mouth-to-mouth. " Special wipes are used between each trainee practice on the manikin.

Every new mother's nightmare - cot death - has prompted First Aid interest from ante-natal clinics National Childbirth Trust groups and Mother and Toddle; organisations up and down the country.

Helener McNight, Superintendent of the Tumbridge Division in Northern Ireland says while the adult manikin is invaluable, showing how mouth-to-mouth work on the baby "Resusci Anne" has helped quash a lot of anxiety.

"There are a lot of people contacting us now about Infant resuscitation and we use the baby manikin an awful lot."

At eKhibitions, often major sources of fundraising it's the baby that steals the show and draws the crowds. "Many people comment about how realistic it looks in its little suit," says Nonnan Scammell. "We borrowed one from another division to take to a summer fete and there Was far more interest shown in that than the adult one "

April 1993

The St. John Ambulance display at the summer fair can be Joe Public's introduction to First Aid. Experienced St John members know better than to expect a huge crowd response when they offer the "Resusci Anne" for practise. They experience a very typical English attitude to having a go! Veteran member Jack Bloodworth says: "Children are always first to come forward and they love it. But unfortunately as far as the mums and dads are concerned it's a definite no-no. They think they're kissing a dolly and don't want people to see them.

With a class of people in the confmes of a room it's a different matter. Outside in public they tend to be very suspicious and cautious about coming forward."

He has good reason for taking his female resusci friends: "We never bother with the resusci man model. A man would never want to think about blowing into another man's mouth, but give them a nice blond with a track suit on and that's a different matter."

THE ACTAR CPR TRAINER

,,,,, the RUIVIVI.

Ready, Steady, go ovet' 25,000 people take the challenge every yea r

It has become one of the biggest British events each year, with steep competition between the top charities. Leigh Siocombe, London Marathon Officer takes a look at how well St. John Ambulance stands up against the competition.

This year St. John Ambulance has had the great fortune to be nominated as one of the official charities of the 1993 N ytrasweet London Marathon. Whilst the event itself is obviously centred on London, the opportunities assoeiated with being the nominated charity of one of the world's most prestigious marathons are infinitely farther reaching The marathon provides ?t: Jo.hn with an excellent fundraising InItIatIve on a national scale, as well as increasing public awareNess of St. John both in this country and abroad ,

At NHQ, tflanks to a concerted effort to maximise fundraising p<iltential, we hope to acmiev.e owr target of £200,000. As in previous years, anyone running in aid of St. John becomes an automatic member of the John-a-thon team, but thi.s year an even greater emphasis has been put on supporting and encouraging these runners so that their enthusiasm and commitment to St. John inspires them to raise as much money as possih>le.

runner receives a migh quality runnIng vest beariNg tme St John logo, as well as a support pack consisting of: a poster, sponsor forms, stickers and a monthly newsletter which contains both

16 St. John World

information about St. John and fundraising ad.vice. Judging from the response so far, thIS sort of support is greatly appreciated.

At present we have a 450 strong John-athem team - there is still room for more! All have been recruited via advertising m specialist running magazines , St. John sponsoring the training guide in the official marathon update brochure, but most specifically by efforts at county level.

County offices have been invaluable in contacting their local running clubs and persuading people to run for St. John In tum, they stand to be handsomely rewarded for their materials are handled centrally by NHQ and all money raised by a county recruited runner stays with that county.

Some divisions are using the marathon to raise much needed funds - here are a few examples:

1) Carterton and Brize Norton Division

Dr Andrew Wilkinson is hoping to raise £5,500 to complete payment for a new ambulance.

2) West Midlands

County Commissioner, Roy Meller, is leading from the front by running the marathon himself and has already received pledges for over £2,000money which will be divided among divisions in West Midlands

3) NHQ - London

Tim Gauvain , Executive Director of St. John Ambulance will be running as part of John-a-thon team and is offering

refres!;UiTleJilts and adminisUration some of tl'Je IDl!lsiest posts.

St. John m embe rs lend a he lpin g han d 10 wheel cha ir runner.

to run for any county or division ha s been unable to recruit their 0\ runner , if they organise s pon sor shi p.

Planning for the London Maraln begin s in March of the previous year. while the current year's mar a thon s on month away , next year 's marathon is be; considered. In order to e nsure the sm oc running of the marathon a London Mr thon Committee ha s be e n se t-up compri r. personnel from St. John Ambulance London Ambulance Service, the Fire Brigade , the Marathon Organi sers, Metropolitan and City of London Po : and representatives of the relevant Lo no Borough s.

This year, St. John Ambulance will vide approximately 1 ,30 0 members fort huge public duty. Although the majo: will be operational from 9.00am thIm mid-afternoon some will be starting \\1 as early as 7 .0 0am and standing nearly 13 hours later.

The route is covered by 37 First ! posts managed by [ 6 sector

Wlhe London Mara t hon has an excellent record of having the highest percentage of finishers and the smallest percentage of runners requiring hospital care of any major marathon throughout the world. Thi s success is seen as a direct consequence of the very professional way in which St. John provides care t o all tho se who need it anywmere on route. most runners are treated for minor injuries such as cramps, blisters and windburn , it is the s heer volume of runners needing treatment that causes the problem. In the past few years St. John has treated up to 5,000 per marathon. If the running time of the marathon is taken as 9.00am - 5 00pm, then on average St. John is helping ten runner s every mimute It is also worth noting that St. Wo hn now treats as many runners per year as entered the fir s t London Marathon in 1981 The volume of supplies use d throughout the day is quite staggering. La s t year 881bs of vaseline, 1,3 00 pla s ters, 226 crepe bandages were used to help thousands of runners get over the finishing line. Each First Aid s tation is s taffed according to the information held on previous pattern s of at each point on the route and by looking at the graph below it is easy to tell which stations are likely to be the busiest. The graph at the top of the page is a break-down of treatment per station in the 1991 London Marathon and it bri lliantly illustrates the phenomenon known as 'Vase line Alley' The consistent peak between the 14 and 17 mile marks, namely : Boulcott Street (115 contacts), Aspen Way (336 contacts), West Ferry Gardens (658 contacts) and the Docklands Arena (478 contacts), represents the point in the race the competitors are beginning to feel pam Having completed only half the full di stance, they are also running down the part of the course - Docklands. It IS not surprising therefore that they stop here for a quick rub-down and some words of encouragement.

While St. John 's main commitment is to attend to the needs of the runner s,

There will be 53 ambulances, 33 mot units, 5 cardiac units (ambulances doctors, nurses and advanced level trair crews) plus 12 teams with defibrillators. Support is also available fn physiotherapists, podiatrists, other sp61 lists in sports medicine plu s a involved in the distribution of 011 hundlreds of items of equiprnent and First Aid posts, a team giving teohni support to bhe radios , mobile phones,1 machines and computers and of members of the Fellowship who enth1 astically rally to the call in helping April 7993

Treatment per station

additional spin-off responsibilitie s have ev?lved over the years. The primary one being the supervision of runner s dropping out of the race

St. John members are better placed than anyone to provide up-to-date information about anyone dropping out of the race This information is faxed to the St. John Ambulance Liai so n Officer at Race Control, where it is entered into the Unisys computer system. one of the nominated charities, we are hoping for even greater televi sio n exposure this year , both for our John-a-thon runners resplendent in their bright yellow vests, and for the members on duty. As an bonus , the BBC 999' programme Will be focussing on the work of St. John

GOOD LUCKI

St. John members try afew words of encouragement to get this man back in the running - failing that

Dressing up for St.John

YOU are what you wear they say. Anne Reilly takes a look at the clothing and appearance of Brigade members. image of an organisation is created by its members, therefore the image of St. John Ambulance is created by the 'grass root members - every Adult and Cadet who atte nd s public duties providing First Aid cover. But do they portray the right image or is it time for a revamp ?

The male members have worn the same black and white uniform ( black trousers, white shirt black tie , black jacket and hat) for 105 years. George Stewart, who h as been a member of St John for nearly 17 years says " It is very difficult to s ati sfy everyone, but in my opinion this uniform comes quite close to satisfying the need s of the majority a nd with the new Brigade Dress Regulation s introducing new item s for spec ial or unusual dutie s, there s hould be somet hin g fOr everyone and every eventuality. Thi s uniform is for the most part , sm.art, practical and effective. We are well known for the fami l ar black and white uniform worn by our member s and to chan ge it would pos s ibly cause confusion and detract from the public 's peceptions of the St John Ambulance First Aider. " And at what cost!!

Jessica Evans , a Brigade member for over 10 years explained that her "main conceren lie s with the female uniform. Smart though it is, it is not always practical or indeed effective." So what improvement s could b e mad e?

Changes have been introduced to t he ex ist in g uni for m but many Brigade member s still see m unaware of them Over the years NHQ received numerous complaints regarding inappropriate dre ss regulations and theneed for uniform s for vary in g occa s ions. In response NHQ set up a Re g ul atio n s Dre ss Committee chaired by Mrs Stewart-Roberts , Superintendentin-Chief. It is evident from the new Bri gade Dress Regulation s that they have endeavoured to provid e s uit ab le , effective clothing for the varying need s of th e mod ern day St John Ambulance member.

Brigade Regulation s state that female member s must wear a black skirt or trou sers, j acket or woolly pull ey, white s hirt , bow tie and soft felt hat. This is in effect remini sce nt of the female police officer's uniform and now adays mo st female police officers wear trou sers, a woolly jumper and a hard hat (for protection) when on duty.

Taking a clo ser look at some of the most com mon duties carried out by our female member s, one that i mmediately

18 St. John World

spri ng s to mind is the usual weekend s tint at the lo cal foot ba gro und s. Rushing onto a football pitch to re u sc itat e casualty in a s kirt is n ' t the most practical of dre ss codesstrong g u st of wind could ca use unn ecessary embaresment the First Aider in question! A pair of trou se r s, woo t jumper and storm cap are more comfortab le and prac ti cal[( dealing with the s e sit u atio n s, as recogni ed by o R eg ul atio n s Dres s Committee and h ence the introdu c ti on ( s uc h items.

considered by mo st to be very oldfashioned and sexist. The start of the new Community Care project in April has cal!lsed considerable controversy with regard to dress. The community Care Team has recommended the wearing of a sweatshirt with the St. John Ambulance logo on the front and carrying the Community Care me ssage. This is only a recommerodation and has not been approved by the Dres s Regula nio ns Committee. Counties are responsible for producing their own sweats hirt s and Ann Marie Barnard, Community Care Project Leader at NHQ is available to adv ise on style.

Improvements have undoubt ed ly been made, but of co urse the re is still room for more. No doubt there are one or two members out there who will have comments to make! The Regulations Dress Committee h as attempted to achieve a happy. balance between tradition and practicality - what do you think? (Letters and comments to the Editor please)

The Dress Regulation s Handbook is availa ble from St John Supplies (product code Pl 1350) at a cost of £7.90.

"National Headquarters is very conscious of the varied and many duties performed by members. Within therestriction of cost and practicality every member has access to a complete range of uniform suitable to maintain our image as recognised providers of care and support to everyone who needs help" - Stuart Latham Dress Regulations Committee. '

After exte n sive trials , a n ew model on the catwalk St. John Supplies s the Special Dut y S uit (featured in Ii month's iss ue in 'Keeping Out the Co ld '). Thi s new on piece special duty s uit was excl u sive ly desi g ned with St. John dutie s in all weat h ers in mind. Bri ga de approved w ill f it ad ults and cadets of both sexes. It is highly functi or, with f iv e touch-and-clo se patch pocket s, a two-way zip-fro faste nin g, e lasticated waist , w id e belt adjusters and velr cuffs. The legs are un hemmed, so you can adj u s t them your s ize It is ava il ab le from the Supplie s Departm ent three sizes at a cost o f £38.99 each Obviou s ly, turning a reception in a yellow boiler s uit wouldn be s uit ab le forma l black su it is sti ll avai labl e for dres sy occasions!

To th e c heers a nd app la u se of the younger m embers g rey dress is finally being phased o ut - over a two and an! year period. The g r ey dres s reminiscent of the late I! Ce ntury Florence Nightingale nur se h as been a bone co nte ntion with younger members for many years and

An eye for an eye

Three month old Vasser lies anaesthetised on the operating table in a Jerusalem Hospital, a tiny figure under a green cloth. Only one eye is visible. The surgeon deJicately cuts through the cornea, deals with a cataract and intricately sews up this is just par for the course every day at the St. John Eye Hospital in Jerusalem - but very few people know about it.

Durin g Hospital Awareness Week from 8th - 15th April we need your he lp to sprea d th e word abo ut our Ho s pital and mcrease he support that is so de s perately needed. We are all on ly too well aware of nhe great work und ertaken by the St. John Eye Hospital in Jeru sa lem, but few others areT hat is why we need to create aWareness within your co unti es.

The aim of Hospital Awareness Week S to give a foca l point so we can all Co nce ntrate and coordi nate our efforts to mcrease su pport for the Hospital.

I n order to he lp yo u do so we put togenher some ti ps:

• Learn all you can about the Hospital

Contact the Hospitallers Department at 1 Grosvenor Crescent London SW IX 7EF for details of le aflets,

pamphlets , videos, and s lide s. Yo u can a lso obtain details of yo ur County Hospital Representative from this department.

• Speak to those you know , your family, friends and colleagues.

Tell th em all abo ut the Hospital. Let them know why help is needed, and how they can help Coffee morning s are a ways a good opportunity to s how the Hospital video.

• Give talks to groups of people.

Ro tary Lions, Women 's Institutes , Youth Groups , Church gro up s and so o n If yo u want help with this, ask yo ur County Ho spital Representative or co nt act NHQ , London. Slides, note and of co ur se th e video can fonn the basis for any talk. Knowledge a nd si ncerit y are the keys!

• Set up displa ys showing the work of the Hospital

Leaflets and po sters can be used to create informative di s plays. Always remember to include details of how people can help , and who they should contact

• Make use of your local media

To interest yo ur local media yo u normally ne ed to provide them with a loc al link This coul d be yo u , particu -

lary if yo u ha ve visited the ho spital

There are other lo ca l links for most co unti es, particularly where nurses undergo in g training in the Hospital are being spon sored at a local level , or where present or past staff come from yo ur county. Once again , detail s are availab le from your County Hospital Repre sentative.

Coordinate approaches to the media with your County Ho sp ital Represe ntati ves. They will already be liai sing with the St. John County Public R elation s Officer. They will welcome yo ur help.

• Contact your local churches

The work of the Hospital will of course be of g re at interest to church members and other religous groups , especially during the Easter period whe n all our thoughts turn to Jerusalem. Arrange talk s where possible and s uggest a spe cial mention at the Easter Services and possibly a display and collection for our work.

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County and Divisional News

Investiture

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3.

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88 Peter Manktelow

89. June Rosemary , Mrs Whitaker

90. Rob ert Charl es Wiggin s

91. Flight Sergeant Robert Youn g

92. Jean Margaret, Miss Wood

93. Thoma s David son

94. Tom Taylor

95. Amanda Anne , Mrs Roger s

96 Peter Raymond Fu ss ey

97. John Arthu r Willi am James LLB

98. Eilee n Vera , Mrs Lunnon

99 Bernard David Michael Sandy FRICS

100 Clifford Barnfather

101 Marilyn Mrs Chadd

102 Adrien Gordon Beardmore

103 Anne McLachlan , Mrs LJewellyn MB ChB MFOM

104 Stephen Richard Kahn

105 Ian Hutchin son

St.John 'Quick' Crossword

nce. (7)

So me r e DOWN:

ey I. Be ginnin g of independent life. (5) S & W Yon 2. Infli cted fata l bite to Cleopatra. (3)

3. Abducts a person while child sleep ? (7)

4 Hea dle ss and limbl ess body. (5)

5. A long view. (5)

6. Meth od for preven tin g sp rea d of infec tiou s di sease. (9)

7. Sees around th e boil s. (7)

Material and app lian ces ca rri ed on flfSt aid duty (9)

Air-beds wrong ly cooke d in cl osed contain er. (7)

Intoxicating fluid for ster ili sa ti on (7 )

17. Palindromic small do se. (5)

18. Hes itate to take exce pti on (5)

19. Su rgical in strum ent for jousting? (5) 22. Doctor takes ph os ph oru s to cl ean th e floo r. (3)

: If yo u have set up a b ranch, please : keep the General Secretary informed : by filling in the form below and sending it to: Shelia Puckle, General Secretary, St. John Fellowship, St. John's Gate, Clerkenwell, London ECIM4DA.

Classified

PublicitylLogos

Holidays WINGED FELLOWSHIP

provides holidays for severely physically disabled people Great fun and full

provided. VOLUNTEERS needed , particularly men. Brochure and application form from:

Fundraising Outdoor Persuits CANAL CRUISING

Answers

1. It props the body up and prevents

2. DO NOT u se the abdominal thrust.

3. To ease breathing and to seek medical aid if necessary.

4. R ed cells, Platelets , and White Cells

5. It may prevent the casualty from lo s ing consciousness.

6. Incised, Laceration , Abrasion, Confusion, Puncture, Gunshot.

7. Liberal quantities of any type of alcohol or hou se hold vinegar.

8. To stop bleeding To relieve pain and swelling and to minimise the risk of infection.

9. The Ulna (left bone) and the Radius (right bone).

10. If it is above 40 C (102 F) .

Dear Editor,

As a practicing Registered Mental Nurse I read with great interest Michael McGivern's article in the January edition and would therefore like to make some personal observations.

I thoroughly agree that the RMN has a lot to offer in this area. Not only in their own specialised area but in a wider role as well. Contrary to some beliefs, an RMN is a trained NURSE and should be treated as such. Patients undergoing an emotional disturbance are just as prone to physical ailments as anyone else. We are trained to deal with these eventualities and as such are capable oftraining in basic nursing skills. An RMN is also often an experienced first aider yet this still appears to be ignored in some circles. Under the new UKCC regulations all qualified

nurses are Registered Nurses, including Enrolled Nurses, and as such are entitled to use the post-

nominals (RN). Perhaps the St. John

V.AaATU Ambulance Association might have a

the of ALL qualified nurses In theIr trammg schedules. FOR THE RESCUE SERVICES Regarding the second and third points of support and duties, RMN's can and should be actively used on all duty events, and not just for their specialist role, but also as first aiders and nurses. If I were confined to using my RMN skills only at a duty then I might have to rethink my own situation within St. John. However where counselling is concerned

• Designed by users Flexible to work with

• Complete Range caution must be used. Not all RMN's are trained in Counselling techniques but if you have one hold onto them for dear life. Likewise not all RMN' s are trained in Disaster (Critical Incident) Ughter than metal cases debriefing but if you have one again they are indispensable. However, the running of anxiety management

• Paramedic to First Aider • Safer in a moving vehicle groups are within the scope of all

• More durable than plastic boxes This, and active involvement In all training aspects, should be

encouraged.

1 Whilst on subject of - 1eounselling, I feel that the Brigade shOUld not set themselves up

from our real reason for existence.

However, I do feel that all counties and, if necessary, areas should set up some fonn of debriefing facility for their members. Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome is a very real problem that all members of the Brigade must be aware of and have a facility to go to for help and advice.

Finally, escort duties. There is a growing need for escort work at all levels and with all fonns of transport.

I myself am a trained Royal Air Force Flight Nurse and have thoroughly enjoyed my work in this area (currently awaiting an interview with the St. John Aeromedical Service).

I would like to finish by making the point that an RMN is not a panacea and cure for all ills, but a highly trained professional nurse who has a great deal to offer both at Divisional and County level. If you don't have a "Tame RMN" on strength then how about a recruiting drive! "Every Division should have one."

Anthony Hopkins ARRC RMN County Pool Officer Grade IV Humberside

(The Ed invites any member of the NHQ staff to write a reply that's as long as this letter!)

Breath of Life goes under

I have been following with great interest your National Breath of Life Campaign and, (as imitation is the best form of flattery!) we have decided to run a similar campaign in Australia, with basically the same aims as your BOL campaign. I wish you every success with yours and will keep updated about ours.

Mark Compton

Training Manager Sf John Australia

Funny stories ...

Dear Editor,

I was interested in Brian Kimberlin's remarks in the February issue of

St. John World on the occasional amusing item relating to S1. John duties.

Why not have a few of these 'quotes' each month, sent in by members as a 'Tailpiece' on the Letters Page? I'm sure there would be a good response.

Such as-

W1'illst on Aeromedical Service I was sitting in the Airport Lounge on one occasion, and noticed that the couple sitting opposite were obviously having "words".

Finally the husband came across to ask if I had a needle and cotton, as a button had come off his wife's coat. He said that to finish an argument, he had bet his wife SOp that as a St. John member I would have the necessary,she equally bet SOp that I WOUldn't, as "St. John only carry bandages".

He won his bet!

Miss M.F Weller County Vice President Berkshire

(The Ed. anxiously awa ts the 'good response' mentioned by Miss Weller)

Tie

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As an ins tructor you will be glad of this flexibility Ba sic skills can be practised on Ambu CPR PAL and competence can be checked using Ambu Man and his built in cont rol functions.

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ST. JOHN WORLD - QUESTIONNAIRE

ABOUT YOU

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How long have you been a member of St. John? years/months

Occupation: full-time employment/ part-time employment/ retired/ unwaged / student

Do you read a daily newspaper? Yes/No If yes, which one?

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ABOUT ST. JOHN WORLD

Are you the only person who reads your copy or do you pass it on to other members of your family / division?

Please circle the features you particularly enjoy: Do you know your manuals/St. John World News/Letters/Crossword/First Aid Articles/Out and About

What would you like to see more of in the magazine? Divisional news / Analysis of specific duties/First Aid features/more HQ news/overseas activities

Do you like the current format of St. John World? Yes/No. If no, please give reasons.

Would you prefer if St. John World became quarterly? Do you think it should be a magazine/newsletter/newspaper? Yes/No. If yes, please give reasons.

Do you think it should be targeted generally at the First Aid industry and not just St. John members? Yes/No. Please give reasons.

Do you think it should incorporate Start/Viewpoint/Badger Buzz? Yes/No. Please give reasons.

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Sf. John Museum at Coningsby

nses

co nt ac t le nses, Mohal11mad 's eyes gh would hav e bee n left hope less ly blurred a nd he would fai I to develop vision. Neverthele ss, Mohammad will ha ve to vis it th e c lini c regu larl y for yea r s. He may need to have further s ma ll o pera ti o ns to remove tit che and he w ill need g lasses. He s unlikely to deve lop perfect v sion, but ho pefu ll y he w ill be ab e to le ad a n a lmo s t tot a ll y norma l life.

HSE Aids update

Mohammad and his mOl her pictured al (he s ur g i ca unir of rh e S I ./ ohn Ophthalmic H ospita l.

A Crushing Victory

Th e winners of the Aluminium Can

Top Companies Locked in Bitt r r qle

On

Bertie

Rhianon and Claire Thomas r eceil'e rhe willner' s pri:e

ST.JOHN LIFESAVERS

vita few m n utes, b 3l1ked out. bu he referee stopped me from swa l lowi ng m y o ng ue. "

T hi s s C r ook's seco nd c ose ca ll. H e h ad a simil ar ex peri ence a co up l e of year s ago w hil s p tay in g for Mai d enh ead Town and needed th e k ss of li fe.

Th orn ton atte nded an nt rod ucto ry Brea th of Li fe co urse n co n un c t io n wi h a boys footba ll cl u b w h ich he is in vo l ved with T ho rnt o n and a co u ple of managers atten ded the co u rse which he desc r ibes as " very wo rt hw hil e " ro ni ca ll y T hornton revea l ed hat he wou d have been powe rl ess o he p he had no atten d ed he B rea th of Life co urse ju st a for tni ght ea rl ie M r s Stewa rt- Robe rt s. Superint enden t- inC hief of St. Jo hn Amb ul ance, w ho th o ugh up th e dea of he l ife-sav i ng campaign is de l ig hted tha al l the ha d wo r k has been wo r th it. " Yo u neve r know w hen yo u mi gh t need to save th e li fe of an unconscio us pe r son and w t h on y hree mi nut es to ge th em breat hi ng aga in t s vi ta yo u know w hat to d o." she sa d.

St. John and th e Foo ba ll Assoc i ation are runnin g a fi ve yea r p og r amm e o F irs Aid tr ainin g co urses fo r foo ba ll c lub s. spu nso red by th e Hil ls bo r ough C harit abl e T ru st , to m ake foot ball m arc hes a safe r pl ace. Trevo r Hi ck w ho los t hi s onl y d augh te r s at H ill sboro ugh beca use he d i d not k now how to resusci ta e th em , hel ped aun c h t he St. John cam pa gn

Bath child saved by telephone call

Li

Teenage Cadets in Crash Rescue

New Home for st. John

Custody Youth Saves

A Causejor Sympathy

Botl om eft - The ji llI y r ejilJ'bi s heci ,'ima ge ambulance as sh e i s toda y. T op ri g ht - Sympa th y al71lJ11 lance as she WlIS back in J 929.

Ma lc o lm "that a ny da mage to the ve hi cle mu s be repo rt ed imm ed iate ly a nd not lefl lo furth e r de te riorat e."

S y mpath y' popularit y is beyo nd que li on a nd he r bo ok in g li s t for th e fort hco min g year is proof of th at Anyo ne w is hin g to book Ihe a mbul

Sympathy ambulance passed its M.O.T in Januar y and the vintage ambulance is in pristine condition. She travelled the country offering transport to the sick and needy from 1929 to 1947 and is now enjoying a somewhat more relaxed role.

The Ford Model 'A', which origina ll y cos t £250 s tarted life back in 1929 wit h St. John Sidmouth a nd has come a lo ng way si nce then She was also used by St. Jo hn Honiton , but in 1946 her amb ul a nce days ended and she was so ld to a farmer in Axmini s ter and registered as a n agric ultu ral goods vehicle. For 40 years she lay in a field in Axmin s ter, nothing m ore than a heap of scrap Then thanks to the ge nerosity of a g roup of young apprentices at Astra Defence System 's high preci s ion e ng in eeri ng works in Grantham, she was completely refurbished a nd today tr avels around the co un try to di s plays , fe tes a nd fu ndr a ising events in the na me of St. Jo hn Ambulance

D av id Weltman , Di vis ion al Sergeant , Bri g h ton ca n t sin g Sympathy' s prai ses loudl y e no ug h. " We have ysed th e vehicle on bhree occasio ns" sai d D av id "a the Bri g ht o n Ca rni va l, RAC Veteran Car Run and a lso th e Historical Ve hicl e Run She rea ll y is a bea utiful vehicle. " On a ll three occas io ns sh e ge ne rate d a great deal of 8 St. John World

inte res f rom a ll age group. David use d Sympathy as a fundrai s ing tool and th e re is no doubt in hi s mind th at he wi ll do the same in the f utur e.

The mainte nanc e and upk eep of Sympat hy a mbul ance is ve ry expe ns ive Obviou s ly, loca tin g parts for a vinta ge amb ulan ce is no t as easy as lookin g for new ty re, for yo ur Ford Cort in a. Even the simp les t of brea ka ges or breakdown s can mea n Sympathy is off th e road for a numb e r of weeks In order to minimi se the li kelihood of accident. she i very carefu ll y tran s ported from he r home at the Lo nd on Fire Bri ga de Mu se um to he r va riou s d uti es in a pec ia ll y adapted tr a il e r.

Special in tru ct ion s and g uid e lin es for use of t he ambulance are iss ued to a ll pro s pectiv e dri vers.

Malcolm Renni e-Law is an ex pert o n th e care a nd upk eep of Sympathy a mbul ance and is in fact res pons ibl e for her maintenance " Th e mo s t co mmon form s of da m age occur whe n the a m bul ance is being removed or ret urn e d to th e tr a il e r Sympathy is a ve ry de li cate ve hicl e , re quirin g th e utmo st care " s ays Mal co lm " Sh e ha s a s ix

vo lt e lect ri ca l s ystem and probl e m occ ur w he n people who are not know le dgeab le e no ug h abol!lt nine in tricac ies of the mod e l sta rr re pl aci ng it wi Uh 12 volt p lu gs."

Re ce nt re pa ir wo rk in cl udin g a re s pra y of the four wi ngs a nd meta l s ur ro undin gs and repairs to a damaged radiator cost ove r £1000. " It cannot be s tres ed eno ug h" says

In

rt , NVQ

are an oppo rtuni ty to ga in confid ence n yo ur co mpe tence, and to furth er enh ance you r profess io na l prowess. They a re not a st ick to be bea te n with Th ey a re not compli cated , th e tn!lth is th e y are Nat ion al Vocat io nal Qua lificat ons. Th ey are co untrywid e, wo rk re la ted ce rti fica tes and St. Jo hn Ambul ance and th e memb ers who make up St. Jo hn ca n indi v idu all y a nd co ll ect ive ly benefi t from th e m

NVQs and St. John

NVQs are a young person's thing - FALSE

NV Qs are not bo un d by age in any way , in fa ct yo u may f in d your NVQ eas er to ac hi eve if yo u have amassed so me wo rk expe ri en ce (eit her paid or vo luntary) already. NVQs are n 't for yo ung people, NV Qs are fo r peop le of any age wi se enough to wan t to have their occ up at ional ski ll and ac hi eveme nt recogni sed.

NVQs are recognised by employers - TRUE

Although there is st ill so me way to go before every empl oye r is co mplete ly imm ersed in the cul ure of NVQs. Employers have bee n in vo lved n NVQ s si nce the ir fo m1 ative stages - def ini ng the range of duties and acce ptab le standards of perfo rm ance of a f un ct ion Fo r thi s rea on everything you do fo r your NVQ will have a wo rk based aspect to it An NVQ is a professio nal ye t practica l qualif icatio n NVQs - I'm a Nurse / don't need them - FALSE

NV Qs are already be in g written in area s of nursin g, and it is int ended that a ll occupations and profess ons have NVQ s developed by Lead

Bodies to embrace all leve ls of se rv ice from bas ic ski ll s thro ugh to se nior profes siona ls.

So mew he re in the range is an NVQ a ppropriate o yu ur nur si ng as pi rat io ns.

NVQs recognise a person's ability both now and later - TRUE

Wh e n yo u dec ide to wo rk toward an NVQ yo u wi ll be assesse d as to yo ur pre sen t leve l of kill tra inin g, know edge and ex perience and enco ur aged by your assess or to prod uce ev ide nce of th ese ac hievements. Yo ur as es or will th en wo r k with yo u to ide n ify those area s where thr oug h f ur her tr ain ing, job swap or coac hin g yo u will ac qu ire the remaining competences to s how you rse lf as a rounded experience d emp loyee wit hin yo ur occ upation. After whi ch yo u will be awarded yo ur NVQ.

NVQs -/ don't qualify for themFALSE

Wh et her yo u are a h ghl y skill ed profes sion al perso n a new entra nt to the workForce Or a comm it te d vo lun tee r givin g fi ree ly of you r time in a co mpete nt ma nn e r, yo u ca n wo rk towards an NVQ and that NVQ wi ll wo rk for yo u.

NVQs are just a load of paperwork - FALSE

Whi le there has been ome fo rm of doc ument ary evidence , NVQ

mou nta in s of bureaucracy.

NVQs have nothing to do with st. John Ambulance, we're a First Aid organisation - FALSE

NVQ can app ly to any and every area of exper ti e whic h is pre se nt wit hi n St. Joh n Ambul ance. Al l the tra ini ng whi ch we currentl y provide he lps to g iv e at lea tome of the know edge appropriate to ome parts of some VQ s

NVQs are just change for change's sake, they're another fad- FALSE NVQs

To Romania With Aid (&Love)

There is an undeniable need for care and attention for the tragic orphans in Romania and the voluntar y contribution is one of the most important. Anita McBride, Area Nursing Ofticer Oxfordshire went to Bucharest to provide Fir s t Aid and nursing skill S- to the children and also to the many builders and decorators faced with renovating the dilapidated orphanages , sheltering the victims of a povert y stricken society Here, Anita tells her stor y.

In th e centre of Bu charest par ked o n a wid e pave me nt is a white ambulance with red c ro sses embl azo ned on all si des and a blu e li ght on top. Outs ide th e vehicle sits a woma n in a white coat nex t to a sign off€ring to check your blood press ure for a s mall fee A lar ge c row d has gathered around the back of the van. Thi s app ears a good preve ntat ive care initi a tiv e, goin g out to the popul ation and be in g pro ac ti ve. But not so. Sus pended alon g the side of the 'ambul ance are boards adve rti sin g rude postcards and birthd ay cards for sa le!

So , wh at brou ght me to Romania to obse rve thi s sce ne? I had volunteered to tra vel to Buc hares t and to be b ase d at one of th e orphanages to provide First Aid and nurs in g to num erou s build e rs a nd decorators who had j o ined "To Rom a ni a with Aid " as voluntee rs to nmovate on e of the many orphan ages in th e c it y.

There are so many orphanges (or in stituti o ns) that each is kn ow n by a numb e r. The ag e ranges are 0-6 and 7-17 years. Orph anage no 6 wh ere I worked , ho uses and educates 175 g irl s bet wee n th e ages of se ve n and 17

The girl s were al wa ys deli ghted to see our minibu s and gree ted us overwhelming ly eac h mornin g Goodb yes in th e eve nin g usuall y took about half an hour. Group s of children latc hed o n 10 eac h of th e volunteers a nd so ught us out eac h day. The y were des pe rate to help a nd would not allow us t<'> carry anythin g

My services were certainl y nee ded providin g First Aid a nd nursin g not only to the builders and de corator s of the g ro up I we nt to s upp ort but a lso to the c hildren of th e orphan ag e At tim es I was beg inn ing to wond e r if I wa s the sole perso n running a cas ual ty unit !

Seve ral children injured th e mselves whil e I was th ere. I was frequ ent ly sou ght out for a vari e ty of l ac eration s a nd frac tures. Th ere is no- o ne trained in First Aid apart from th e director , who used to be a sport s tea c her. First Aid equipment is sorely lacking for even the mos t bas c care There are no pla sters, crepe bandages or s lin gs, and nothing apart from TCP to cle an wound s The tap water is far from suitable f or cleaning

The children were fa scinated by the treatm e nt I gave , and certa inl y not squeami sh. Th e y were intrigued by the nec k coll ar I appli ed to one of th e de corators. Wh en hurt girl s do not seem to res pond to cuddlin g or phy sical touch ; they do not appe ar to und e rstand or re ate to thi s. They do become le ss up set though when an older c hild taLks to th em Such reas suran ee by other girls is verbal with no phy sical contact. The children have li ttle understandin g of danger. They will quite happily stand on the window sill of an open window on the top floor! One girl , eager to help picked up a brok e n sheet of glass with jagged edges about 3ft by 4ft to carry down stairs. Man y windo ws either ha ve no glass or are broken , de spite a winter temperature of about -20C.

12 St John World

Purple Stripe

lp he had no id ea wh e re to start.

Food was very bas ic a nd reli ed heav il y on brea d and bun s to fi ll the child re n up So up was ofte n se rve d, a co mpo ite of bit s a nd pi eces of bones boil ed for many hour s whi c h in cl ud ed po tatoe on S und ays. The childre n he re all received vitamin tabl ets , do nated f rom England

Apar t fro m sc hoo l hour s lasti ng mornin gs or afte rn oons the remaind er of th e g irl s day was virtu all y un st ru ct ur ed. T hey te nd ed to roam li stl ess ly, mak in g di ve rs io ns wi th littl e or no equipm ent. Th e older childre n shared a telev isio n se t, wa tc hing film s in vari ous languages. I had ex pec ted th e co nditi ons I me t in Bu c ha res t. Wh at 1 was no prepared fo r was th e rea li sa ti on of how mu ch we was te and how muc h we ass um e and take fo r granted in our soc iety. I wo uld like to th ank all th ose who sup ort

ce o register Comm unit y Aid, plu s indin g atr ain er makes a no nsense of nvo v ng new members qui ckl y. ge llin g th em i nt o uni fo nn and on dut y, which was one or th e aims of Energy. When new Di v sions are fo ml ed thi is lin e, but s a ni ghtma e w hen Lhey oin in dri bs and drabs. ow we have Co mlll unit y Care to im pl eme nt. As t say, many memb ers indi v idua ll y are al ready doi ng qu te alo in th ei r 's pare me", but it ha Ci:l U ed Superint end ent s o si gh despa iri ng y a hav in g ano he r oad o paper to di ges t and mp ement. Lond on co mes up w ith all so rt s of deas but th ose who dream th em up have never ha d to put th em int o prac ti ce. Th ey have los t sig ht o r th e rac t th i:l we ar c Vo lunt ee s, ry in g o li every thin g in wi th jobs and famil ie With rererence o jobs, Lh ere are memb ers wh o, when try in g to change shirt s o days-orr have been to d 5t. John o yo ur jo b'·. We a so had th e situation hi s week a o ur ar ea F.A. W rour- day co urse, of anew memb er do in g t o beco me ·' ru l y qua ilied" ha vin g ju st pa se d her P FA Atth e oth er extreme we have a Illan who has o ook ar er hi s chi dren at wee kend sas h s w

n

any know edge or

ll. and

n

hin g w ithin th e Bri gade ha cou d when I jo in ed. 5 mal wo nder hen that any R 1\. r's tha we re in th e Br igade are ras eavi ng, hav in g been put in th e pos iti on of fee lin g no wo rth at all..

We hand le pati ent n the sa me way a gener a nurses do. i n ho rt we are ·'Reg stere d urses· yet fo r some appa llin g reaso n bes know n to the hi erac hy in th e Br igade we are co mp ete y no n-ent it ies pe so nall y find thi s nsu lt ng a do mo t 9 the R M. N.·s have sjJoken to abo ut th Ask an R.M .N to jo in 5 t. John and I am afraid they wi ll te ll yo u where o go and why

When is th e 5t. John Amb ul ance Bri gade go ng to di spense w ith th e hy poc ri t ca attitud e and use th e R M .N. to it rull po enti a ? wo uld now li ke to pose so me qu e ti on :

How many R M .N 's are th ere hold ing Co unt y ur in g Office po t s?

2. How many R M .N.·s are th ere on po icy ma kin g pane s?

3. How many R M .'s have eft th e Brigade or refuse d o j oi n beca use of Bri gade pol icy to wa rd them?

4 Are the poli c es regard ng R M .N. s de c min a ory?

5. Wh at s go in g to be done about t? 0 a pl ea in th e name of 51. John o f Jeru a em, or Gocl s ake stan recogni in g profe sio na s of all areas and we co ul d put toge th er a t aini ng and es ponse se rvi ce unequ all ed prev iou s y. and di fr cuh o equ a n th e utu re.

Yours

by Geoff Jackson

A/S/D Transport & Communications

arlier this year I was given the opportunity to give you a brief history of the M.O.T. This month I would like to bring you up-to-date on the changes that came into effect on 1st January.

Many of you ma y be aware th at items in the M OT. test ha ve been updated again to include more toughened requirement s and stringent checks aimed at a hi g her de g ree of safety to suit the vehicl es that have to survive on our ever more dangerou s road s.

Change s that alie now included with the already well establi shed element s of th e M.O.T. test , find all vehicle s having to comply to new standard s th at control Bodywork, Dama ged Windscree ns, Re gistration Plate s, Smoke Emission s from Die sel Engines and more So , what hav e you now got to add to the pre-M.O T. ch eck s that should be carried out bef ore s ubmittin g any vehicle to a te st?

These items have been added to te sts of vehicles in Clas s III (3 wheelers) , Cla ss IV (cars , light good s vehicles , etc) and Class VII (Goods Vehicles of 3001 to 3500 kg gross weight) becau se of the extension of the E.c. Roadworthines s Directive to the se vehkle s

Let ' s begin with an item that all of you should be ustld to The Body

This check will ensure that there are no sharp edges that have been caused by excessive corrosio lil or damage and which are likely to cause injury.

We've all seen them on the road with accident damage that has gone unrepaired f(lr so long mow covered by all m3Jlil ner of "Protective Covering" Or what about the 14 St. John World

vehicle s uffe rin g from " Ru stwoTIn " lea vin g agg ed pi eces of meta l at a ri g ht an gle to tug at your cloth es or limb s as yo u pass by. Whatever th e reas on fo r lea vin g th es e vehicles like thi s,wheth er it is beca use th ey are waitin g for [h e in s ur ance or th ey ju s t can t afford to hav e it re pa ired th e bodywork of the vehicle mu st be secur e and not damaged in any wa y which co uld poss ibl y cau se injur y

Body Security will a lso be s ubj ec t to sc rutiny and whil st th e car is not lik e ly to be affected , vehicle s with separate bodi es will be.

Doors ar e now s ubj ect to tes tin g It is imperative that all door s c an be op e ned fr o m both in s id e and outs id e th e ve hicl e Th e boot lid or tail ga te will a lso be tes ted to e ns ur e th at the y ca n be latched o r c losed co rr ec tl y.

Seats and their sec urit y are now in c lud ed in the te st. Wh e reas befor e yo u co uld ha ve probably turn ed up fo r th e les t with a sea t th at a llo we d you to fall in to th e bac k o n acceleration or sa t o n an old or ange bo x, they and th e ir adju stments no w have to be secure and work prop e rly So , now th at th e ir seats won ' t be able to mov e about so mu ch

Body Security will also be subject to scrutiny and whilst the car is not likely to be affected, vehicles with separate bodies will be.

riou Iy imp a ired

Getting Rid of the Vapours Th e Fuel Tanks and Vi s ibl e Fu e l S ys tem Co mp onen ts will be c hec ked fo r c haf in g, lea k and in sec urit y.

get in touc h with th e lo ca l Vehi c le Regi strati on Offi ce, th ey

o r to go in g fo r a te t.

Emission Checks a re no t requir

fo

moto rcyc les to prove

roa dw0l1 hy, ho we ve r, th e Smoke-Densit y limit fo r car di e e ls i th e sa me as fo r heavy ve hi cles 3 2 k no rm a ll y a pir ated and 3.7k turb oc harged.

Hazard Lights if re quir ed to be fitt ed, are no w includ ed a nd mu st wo rk co n·ectl y. And where mo re th an o ne Reg i tr ati o n Pl ate La mp is f itted both la mp s mu st o pe rate if o ne doe n t work it is a rea s on fo r re jec ti on

Rear Fog Lamp s are also item th at hav e bee n in c lud ed in the Tes t , but th e in s pec tion should be co nfin ed to th e on e rea r fo g lamp th at is re quir ed to be f itted to th e centre or offs id e of ve hi c le s fir st used on or aft er I Apr i , 19 80

Registration Plates are in for a " TRY I N" time, esp eci a lly tho

pla nes

the de light of the g immick

e rs for SO lon g, so, if " HAR I" or " SUS IE" want s

ca r MOT'D , it will hav e to have a ne w pl ate or plate s fitt ed before it is tak en for testin g

Vehicle Identification Numbers are no W part of th e tes t and will be c hecked by th e te ster. Po st 19 80 vehi c les without a Vehicl e ld e ntifica tion Number ar e lik e ly to fail th e te st. The MOT te ster should advi se yOU (0 May 1993

-An affordabl e, attractive & permanent headquarters building - DeSigned to your needs ; built to your standards

Thank you all for making the Breath of Life Campaign such a wonderful success. Through your hard work, skill and dedication we have focussed attention on the vital importance of life saving skills and First Aid

Weare receiving reports from all over the country that Breath of Life has generated more inte res t and borne greater fruit than we had imagined possible. Te lephone lines have been flooded with calls, thousands of courses have been run and new recruits and FAW bookings are coming in all ready.

This is all thanks to you.

Most of us are totally out of breath but undaunted enthusiasm and high morale have made sure that the aim of the campaign - to teach as many people as possible life saving skills - has been achieved.

I am sure that you, like me, are delighted to read in this month's issue of St. John World about referee John Thornton who came on a Breath of Life course and saved the life of Horsley footballer Alan Crook. It makes all the hard work worthwhile and I am sure Alan's life will not be the only one saved as a result of the campaign.

Once again, thank you for bringing to life what began as a germ of an idea and grew to be one of the largest team operations St. John has ever run. It has been a positive opportunity to show St. John at work in the community

I am proud to have steered the project and hope that , despite the hard work and long hours , you have enjoyed the experience as much as I have.

Theidealrangeofadhesivedressings forthosehardtocoverplaces

• Highly absorbent pads to keep the wound site dry, reduce the risk of strikethrough and encourage rapid healing

• Hypoallergenic adhesive to minimise the risk of skin reaction

• Rounded corners to prevent "roll-up" or accidental removal

II Peel-off" paper tabs for quick and easy application, without compromising sterility

• Available in a wide range of shapes and sizes

SUN, SEA, SAND AND SAFETY

In preparation

If you hav e

Planning

th at co ntin e nt a ls are freque ntl y appa ll ed by our ta nd a rd s of hy g ien e a nd are baffled , for examp e, by o ur c uriou s habit of to r in g dome s tic water n loft tank s (w hi ch beco me repo s it ories for dust , dirt, pi geo n droppings and even dropping pigeons)

It 's useful to remember thi s when people s tar to relat e tale of how co untrie s overseas are ' riddl e d with disease '. For example, a major stUdy of UK trave ll ers abroad (carried out in the Seventi es) fou nd hat well over a third of them s uffered so me fom1 of illn ess. Th s alarming figure needs to be tempered by other urvey s which have found that the m ai n trave ll er 's co mplaint (by a s izeabl e margin) is diarrhoea, with headaches be ing the nex mo s t common com plaint (a nd alcoho l, one s u s pec ts, being a frequent factor in both cases).

Neither dian-llOea nor headache s s h ould be taken li ght ly, but it is wornh st re ss ing that many of the diseases associated with foreign bravel are still rare. The media cove rage given to lepro sy, meningitis Legionnaire's di sease, Lassa fever and "gree n monkey " dIsease (to name but a few) says more about British xenophobia han probability of infection.

May 1993

On your way

Travel

( betw ee n t he wings of an aeroplane and in the midd le of a boat). Lie down if po ss ible Avoid reading alcohol and tobacco smoke. If yo u s uffe r badly from tr ave l sickness, talk to your G P abo ut medic a tion. There are a number of drugs available including a skin patc h which is especially useful for people going on a cruise who wi s h to offset the initi a l period of acclimatisation

You've arrived

If you don ' t li ve in a hot climate then you will not sweat very efficiently - which s to say you wi ll sweat too much When you f ir s t arrive in a hot country , consciously drink more fluids (re memb e r that tea coffee a nd alco hol h ave a diuretic effect). It is sa id that the human 't hirst response s only 75 % efficient. In other word s, you need to drink nlor e than yo u think you do ! The colour of yo u r urine is a rough guide and s hould not be a llowed to become thickly coloured.

Su n tans a re widely see n as the mark of a successful holiday , despite growing concem about the long tern1 effects of exposure to ultr a vio let ray s and the possible development of ski n cancers. If y""'u a re intent on ge tting a tan then fo ll ow a se nsible regime, u si ng a high factor s un lotion and s tartin g off with no more than fifteen minute of s un bathing on the first da y - doubling it each day after that. Remember that people tan qui cker at high altitudes and it is quite pos ible to get sunbumt wh il s t s hivering in your skis. Prickly heat happen s when sweat ducts become blocked due to fo lds in the sk in or tight clothing. It is most uncomfortable and chi ldren are especia ll y prone to it. Treatment consi ts of wearing loose fitt in g c lothe s, avoiding exertion, taking coo l s howers and dusting the area with talc.

Heatstroke is very serious and occurs when the body ' s sweat response can no longer cope with high temperature. A casualty will become hot and restless, and collapse can be ve ry sudden. Hi g h temperature, bounding pulse and dry skin are the key symptom.

St. John World 19

WINA FREE GERMOLENE FIRST AID KIT!

We have five Germolene First Aid kits as prizes in our holiday health competition courtesy of

SmithKline Beecham They come in a sturdy plastic box, and contain standard dressing, bandage, plasters, safety pins, scissors and cotton wool along with a selection of Germolene products.

To ente r just state whether the following st Gltements are true or false :

1. Cuts and grazes should be cleaned and t r eated immedia t el y to avoid infect ion.

2. Germolene prov des effective relief from cuts and gra zes

3. Mosquitoes tend t o bite after dusk

Tie breaker: I always keep a t ube of Germolene in my Firs t Aid k i because (no more than 5 w ords)

The fi fst five o ut of the bag will receive a k it. (Entrants must be over 18 years old ). A full set of rules availa b le on request. Germolene antiseptic cream has a local anaesthetic and provides effective relief from minor cuts, grazes and insect bites; its pleasant, non-greasy formula is quickly absorbed into the skin; Germolene Antiseptic Wipes are medicated to cleanse, cool and help protect the skin from germs. They also double up as a general freshner

Sk w ith yo u r d oc t o r t o see w he th e r th ey a re ava il a bl e a t yo ur d e (in a t io n • pac k a Fi rs t A d k it w ith p ro pr et ar y

me d c in e f o r mi no r i ll nesses : w ill sa ve c onfus ion in a no n -E ng l is h p ea king loca l ph a rm acy a nd m ay save yo u mo ney too.

POLLEN BEAT 193

Po

Co n t ra ry to it s n a m e hayfeve r is n o t ca u sed b y h ay. It s a n a ll e rg ic react io n t o p o ll e n a n d s p o res.

Mi ll io ns o f tin y pol le n g r a in s a re

by p la nt s d ur

g th e s umm e r

nth s. Th ey fl oa t hro ug h th e a ir a nd ilTit a te yo ur nose, eyes a nd t hr oa t. F o r so m e peo p le h ayfeve r sy mpt o m s ca n in c l ud e hea d ac hes a nd a ge ne ra fee lin g of let h a rgy.

M a n y s uffe rers of 's umm e r co ld s are act u a ll y inn oce n t v ic im of hayfeve r ! T he po ll e n co u nt i th e ave rage numb e r of po ll e n g r a in s p e r c u b ic m et re of a ir d u rin g a 2 4 h o u r pe ri o d No t wo peo p le r es p o nd in th e sa m e way to a g i ve n p o ll e n co unt. F o r so m e, y mpt o m s b eg in w it h a co unt as ow as 10, fo r o th ers it m ay be 50 o r hi g h e r I n Jun e a nd Jul y in Br ita in th e co unt ofte n ri se to 200, a n d th e reco rd is ove r 800

If yo u reg ul ar y l is te n or ook o ut fo r th e p o ll e n co unt. tr y to re m e m be r he f ig ure o n d ays wh e n yo u h ave hay feve r. Th is way yo u ll soo n ge t o kno w yo ur o wn leve l of to e r a nce, a nd w he n to ta k e preca uti o ns.

Remedies ...

S o m e H ay feve r s mild e n o ug h n o t to re quire dru g tr ea tm e n t. Wh e r e m e d ca ti o n s nece a ry, yo ur d oc to r h a a numb e r of re m e di e w hi c h m ay he p ANTI H ISTAMINES are th e m o co mm o n m e di ca ti o n used to re l ieve th e sy mpt o m of H ayfever. Th ey can h oweve r , ca use dr ow in e .

STE R O lD S a re saf e a nd ve r y e ffec ti ve w h e n u se d in s m a ll qu a ntiti es. Th e ir u e i m os t effec ti ve in preve nt in g sy mpt o m s Ll c h as a b loc k e d or run n y nose a nd s neez in g.

C R OM O GLYCATES a re he rb a l' n ose, c hes a n d eye s prays. T hey h ave h a rd ly a n y s id e-effec t a nd a re m o t e f fec tiv e aga in t irr i a te d eyes.

H YPO -SENS I TIS I NG in ec tio ns h ave fa ll e n o ut o f p o p ul a ri ty in re la ti o n to t he tr ea t m e n t a bov e T h ey a re n o m ore effec t iv e a n d beca use o f he r s id e-e ffec ts t h ey ha v e to be adm ini s te re d in a ho p ta l o r c li ni c

CONSULT THE D OCTO R if no n e of he a bove w o r k!

St. John World

On Call

County and Divisional News

On Call

Out 0

IAn February 1993, General Michael Walsh's bold ambition of holding the third in his series of overseas seminars ir.l South Africa came off. The Priory for South Africa was host to all sixteen St. John countries in the Cape of Good Hope (an apt name if ever there was one!). Tim Gauvain, Executive Director at St. John Headquarters reports.

After months of preparation and red-ho t fax lines between London and Johannes bur g, delegates arrived at DF Malan airport in Cape Town on Thursday 18 February to be met -a very welcome sight after an overni ght journe y - by helping hands of the St. John Ambulanc e Maritzburg divi si on

As we took stock that evening , it seem ed that Ghana Sierra Leone and Tanzania had fail ed to make it. The latter two never did , (T anzania for understandable compassionate rea sons) but we were delighted to welcome two wear y delegates from Ghana when they arrived nea rl y 24 hours late af ter an epic journey.

The Gu es t of Honour at th e op enin g ceremon y wa s Mr Brian de Lac y Fi gaji. th e di stin gui shed Senior Vi ce Rector of th e Penin sul a Tec hnikon He drew att enti on to th e tremendou s chall enges ah ea d for the whole contin ent of Afri ca - but parti cul arl y fo r South Afri ca - and of the grea opp ortuniri e fo r No nGovernm ent Organi sa tion s both in th e development of health car e polic y a nd in it s deliver y, includin g monitorin g and eva lu ati on

St. John Ambulanc e had a s ub stantial rol e to pla y in makin g healthcare acce ss ibl e to th ose who had no t prev iously benefitted from it , a nd while hi stori call y mu ch en ergy had bee n devoted to the traditi onal rol e of Fir st Aid. the new chall e nge was for St. John to make the maximum contributi on to the Communit y Care programme. Ind eed, if St. John wa s to re main relevant in the future , it was to th e rea l nee ds of the people th at it would be necessa ry to devo te the major effor t. We were to hea r mu ch more on this theme dur ing th e se min ar.

In his opening addre ss to the seminar , General Michael Walsh highlighted "The Four Firsts " It was the first time that it had been possible for South Africa to be host at a St. John international gathering; the fir st time that all the African member countries had met at the same time in the same place ; the fir st tim e the Mediterranean branche s had joined in and the fir st tim e "f1ank " reg ion had attend ed as ob se rver s (thou gh in fact Canad a was the sole repre sentative in this rol e, Indi a havin g been unable to attend)

The bu sine ss of th e se min ar got und e rway with the prin cip a l UK pre se ntati on on "Training - the Heart of th e Matte r" , giv e n by the Chi ef Command e r th e Direc tor Ge ne ra and Jim McKenzi e Thi s was follow ed la er in the progra mm e by a prese ntat ion by Jim McKen zie on a numb er o f topi cs und er th e general hea din g of adv a nced tr ainin g meth ods. Both pre se nt ation s s parked live ly di sc uss ion both in the conferen ce room and in sy ndi ca tes on the trainin g tec hnique s appropri ate to volunteers in variou s loc al circ um stanc es. Th e modular training packa ge to be introdu ced in this country later in the year also attr ac ted intere st, espe ciall y in compari so n to th e Canadian tr ainin g syste m which has bee n adopted by South Africa. De spite the prac ti cal intere st and relev ance of primary hea lthcare and other iss ue s whi c h fea tured prominently in th€ seminar , it came as no surpri se tha h on e of tine main conclusion s was that training is imdee(1 "the heart of the matter".

Not surpris in gly, th e prese nt a ti ons froll1lh e Afri ca n co untri e a ll. in one fo m1 or another, hi ghli g ht ed th e ma sive unde rpr ov i ion 01 hea lth car e and co mm unity ca re in all its Fonm ac ross th e Co ntin e nt and it was in pirin g 10 hea r abo ut th e pr e ent effort and futur e pl am o f Sl. J ohn br anches - in c lu d in g th e SaUl t Afri ca n Priory - to ma ke the best poss ible co ntribution to th e nee ds pe rce ive d in eact countr y fr om th e Hos pit al Supp ort Servi ce oi

Ni ge ria o th e Rur a l Outreac h pl an for Zimb abwe. Some of th ese cou ntri es hao stru gg led for th e ve ry ex iste nce of St. Joh nif th e ir co mmuniti es. le t alone for th e means IC pro vid e a se rvice -some ind ee d had face( ac ti ve opp os iti on o th e wo rk o f Sl. J ohn II IVa! good to hea r th e re.o lute message for futur e eve n when a numb e r of prese nt ati ons we re pl ace d int o star k rel ief th e so mbr e stat isti cs on demog ra phi c change ir Afri ca prese nt ed by Profe sso r Sadi e from Uni ve rsit y of St e ll e nb osc h and th e chill in! pros pec t of th e pro cess es and out co mes 0: AIDS spread ing thr o ughout th e fa bri c 0: societ y pre se nt ed by Pr ofesso r Bru ce Sparh Mos t in spirin g of all , I th ought as J li s ened was the knowled ge th at such a weal th of talent a nd dedi ca tion was workin g for Ih communiti es of Afri ca in circ um s ta nces whid we in th e UK would find ha rd to en visage. We li sten ed to Dr Ardi e l Kamedi en tal king Prim ary Healthcare and th e "e mpo we rm ent" d tlile community. We vi sited th e town shi p d Ny anga Flats whi c lil gave us a ta ste of whai lif meant. 1i'hrou ghoLit he seminar, th e th emes me ssage s ech oed each oth e r.

1 could continue with a catologue of th e seminar proceedings, country by country and presentation by presentation , but I won't beca use a lth ough we cov ered an enorm OUl amount in th e four days de vot ed to "b usiness", it was not so mu ch th e s uccess ive prese nt ati ons th e mse lv es which lin ge r in th e memory as the way in whi c h co mm on th e mes messages an o und erstandin g de ve loped Th e re we re four types of sess ion in th e prog ra mm e -a seri e 01 prese nt ati on on " Th e Way Fo rwa rd " from,' eight of th e co untri es re prese nted. anoth er se ri es of prese nt a ti ons on health am! co mmuni ty- re late d top ics a third seri es on o pi cs of more gene ra l int e rest, and a seri es 01 syndic a te di sc uss ions.

Th e stron gest of all wa s kindled by Wal sh 's prese nt ation on "Th e Ch all en ge, fu ell ed by David Butcher s tho ughts on inl rJ May 199J

reg-ion al co-ope ration and burst into flame (well almo st! ) in the syndicate di scus sion s - or at least in the syndica te which I chaired - with th e reali sation that th e re we re real poss ibiliti es for co mmon problem s to be addresse d by Sl. John branches ac ro ss na tional bound ari es , th oug h mu ch thou ght would fir st hav e to be gi ve n to the re gional structure und e r whi ch thi s could be done Thi s pro cess culminated in a mee ting of II Afri can coun trie s whi ch was he ld a t th e ir request to di scu ss th e way forward in thi s sph ere As th e Lord Prior pointed out th e re is a global perspectiv e to th e St. J ohn ove rseas famil y whi ch is broader than th e Afri ca n and Mediterranean re g ion , a nd th e difficult y of definin g common g loba l strateg ies - et alon e res ourcin g th em - would be formid a bl e. But the fact that the mee tin g of th ose II co untri es took place at all has to be reco rd ed as on e of th e great successes of the se minar.

All too soon it see med th e Ch anc ellor fo r th e Priory for South Afri ca was summin g up In additi on to th e ce ntr al foc us of Sl. John on trainin g (a nd es pec ial ly First Aid tr a inin g) th ere was th e g rea cha ll e nge of leadership How should S I. John be led, es pec ia ll y in th e sp here of opera ti ons? Was th e re not some me rit in ce ntr al lea de rs hip in th e o f unit y of purp ose? Woul d not so me of th e iss ues raise d al th e se min ar - primar y hea lth ca re for ex ampl e - le nd themse lves to a un ifi ed ap pro ac h at reg ional if not g loba leve r) Th ere we re many ol her is:-. uc;o, o f co mm o n conce rn -

th e motiv ati on and reward of volunteer s, and the opportunit y for Non-Gov ernment Orga ni sati ons in Africa to ac t as a conduit for international fundin g to name but two

At the form al dinn e r whi ch marked th e clo se of the se minar , we li stened to a mos t mo vin g s peec h by Mr Ju stic e Ste yn of the South Afric an Court o f Appeal - and we al so li stened to we ll-d ese rv ed con gratulation s and thank s to th ose who had worked so hard to c reat e the se min ar Th e tea m from th e Priory f or South Afri ca , hea ded by th e P rior

To

St.John

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5 WATTS - HANDPORTABLES

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ST.JOHN LIFESAVERS

St. John training helps girl save a life 12 times

CUffin g fr om th e Da ily Mirr or Nichola Wilcox is only nin e ye ar s old and a mere four feet but she has managed to sav ed he r mother 's life 12 tim es in th e last six y e ars, thank s to he r St. John Ambul a nce trainin g

Nichol a, recentl y nomin a ted for a s pe cial ' Sunda y M irror Badge of Courage f or her co ntinuou s li fe-sa vin g ac tion s is " a s upers tar " acco rdin g to he r mum Jan e t. " I wouldn ' be a li ve to d a y if it w as n t for her" sh e sa id

So far Nichola ha s sa ve d her mother 's li fe by:

• Lifting her onto her side to stop her from swallowing her tongue during an epileptic fit.

• Rescued her from drowning in the shower.

• Removed a kettle of boiling water fr@m her as she sufFered a seizure.

• Saved her from choking eight times.

• Pulled out the bath plug after she blacked out.

4 St_ John World

• Prevented her from being run over by speeding traffic.

• In the most dramatic and possibly dangerous of all the rescue s, Nichola rushed to her mother 's aid when she collap s ed while cros s ing a road.

As t raffic a pproac he d a t 60mph , Nich o la wave d he r h and s at a ju gge m a ut ,

Ni c hol a ma nage d to pl ace he r mot her in th e recover y pos iti o n bef or e runni ng to a ho use to ca ll an a mbul a nce.

Jan e t 's e pil e psy was d iag nose d wh e n s he was a c hild S he bega n hav in g se izures w hi c h beca me mo re se ri o us as she gr ew o ld e r.

Fo r J a net, littl e N ic ho la is he r sav iou r: " N othin.g and no on e co uld e ve r repLac e her," s he sa id

Teenager's bravery honoured

Emm a R o bin so n of Newcas tl e-U po nT y ne is to rece ive The Dou g la s Croskery Memorial Award in recognition of he r ac ti o ns w hi c h he lp ed save a sc h oo lf ri e nd 's li fe.

Emm a, 16, fo und he rse f in a li fe o r deat h s itu at io n w he n a sc hoo lf ri e nd al the W a lke r S c hool, Newcas tl e, co ll a psed afte r s uffe rin g a n as th ma arr ack. E mm a ru shed to he lp the ] 2 year o ld a nd qui c kl y bega n Fir st A id

Th e se mi- co nsc io us yo un gste r was hav in g di ffic ult y brea thin g so E mm a pl ace d he r in th e reco ve ry pos iti o n a nd mo nit ored he r co ndi t ion until he lp arri ve d

Th e Do ug las C ro s ke ry Me mo ri a l Aw ard w as set up by Th el m a C ro s ke ry, of Whitl e y Bay, in me mor y of he r 49

yea r old hu s ba nd , w ho was kill e d in 199 0 helpin g oth er s fl ee tr o ubl e-to m Kuw a it durin g th e Gul f W ar.

E mm a, who is ve ry mod es t a bo ut he r achi e ve me nt sa id " It w as ju s lu ck th a t I was th e re w he n it ha pp e ned a nd m y F ir s t Aid traimin g ca me iln h and y."

Hepatitis B fears for healthcare workers

A s tud y ca rri e d o ut for th e Vir a l He patiti s Pre ve ntion B oa rd s uggest th at th ree hundr ed Eur opea n hea lth ca re wo rk e rs die e ve ry yea r as a res ult of he patiti s B infect io n acq uir ed a t wo rk a nd that a ro und 18, 000 beco me in fec ted.

Th e re ea rc he rs say th a t o nl y 40-60 pe r ce nt of hea lth care wo rke rs a re vaccina te d aga in s t he d isea e.

A lot of hot water

Going up in smoke

Up to 20 finns may face lega ac ti o n fro m no n-s moke rs fo r fa ilin g to prov id e n o s mo kin g a reas at wo rk . A mo nth ago a passive s mo kin g v ict im rece ive d £ 15,000 co mp e nsa ti o n fo r d a mage ca use d to he r hea lth whe n wo rkin g in a s mokey env iro nm e nt.

Eli zabe

McCloy , D

Occ upa ti o na l Hea lth a nd Safe ty at Ma nc hes ter Ce ntr a l H osp it a ls Tr us t to ld th e co nfe rence th a vacc in a ti on is "a t the hea rt or s uccessful Hepa tit is B p reve nt io n".

(Nurs ing S tando rd 7- 13 Ap ri l)

Soar in elderly dependency

Depe nde ncy leve ls amongs t e lder ly peop le in re s ide nti a l care home s rose s harply d urin g the E ig h t ies, espec ia ll y in the pr ivate sector acco rd in g to researc h

The increase exceeds the levels ex pec ted, eve n a ll ow in g fo r h igher numb e rs of e ld er ly peop e, th e resea rc hers c la m. Th e impl e me nt a ti on of the Co m m uni ty Ca re c ha nges wi ll pus h depe nd e ncy leve ls up eve n fu rth e r, th eir re po rt a rg ues, necess it at in g mo re app ropr iate s taff t ra n in g a nd medi ca input.

Th e resea rc h, ca

n t" , a

Direc

r, J a ne Wind e r " I think th e re s ho ul d be s pec ia l rates fo r c ha riti es. T hi is a n e no rm o us burd e n a nd I'm s ur e th a t me mb e rs of th e publi c w ho su p po rt c ha r it ies wo uld be outr age d if th ey k new w ha t we we re being c ha rged."

The c h a rit y a ke d fo r a mete r to be in taI led b u t f o un d it was im p rac ti cal in a bu ildin g wit h s hared occ upa ncy wit h a co mm o n s uppl y.

Mic hae l W a inw ri g ht Director of Serv ces at S r. J o hn A m b ul a nce HQ exp la in ed th at " t he HQ wa e r s up pli es are metere d a nd 111 ad d it io n we had co ntr ac ted Na ti o na Ut ilit y Serv ices Lt d to in ves ti ga te S r. J o h n co unr y wa te r b ill s with a v ew to ma k ing a ny a pp ro pri a e redu c ti ons. A ny sav in g made as a res ult will be s ha red be t wee n bo th o rga ni sati ons."

HSE put their back into it

A new publi c it y ca mp a ig n a im ed a t li ghte nin g th e loa d of th ose w ho have to manu a ll y ha ndl e goo d s a t wo rk - th e bi ggest s in g le g ro up w ho s uffe r wo rkrelated acci d e nt s, wa s a un c hed by th e Hea lth a nd S afety. Exec ut ive o n 25 Ap ril.

Th e ea mp a ig n co mpri ses nat io n w id e press ad ve rti s in g a nd th e p ro du c ti o n of 100 ,000 co pi e o f a fr ee in fo rm at io n pac k

Th e ca mp a ign w ill cos a bo ut £250 ,000 a nd fo rm s pa rt o f th e HS E's wid e r hree - ye ar " Li g ht e n- th e- Ioa d " Camp a ig n

June 1993

De pite Hea lth Mini s e r Dr Mac Whinn ey's a im to e n ure th at 95 % of publi c place beco me no n-s mok in g by 199 5, th e Gove rnm e nt bill is still a t a ve ry ear ly s tage.

Th e cases are be in g co ns id e red fo r s upp o rt by th e g ro up Ac ti o n On Sm o kin g a nd Hea lth' , who say th a t eac h o ne w ill nee d ca ref u l s tu dy to e n ure th e pa rti es co nce rn ed we re neve r exposed 0 m oke fro m o th e r o urces and di d no t m oke th e mse lve

Th e Freedo m Orga ni a ti o n f o r th e Ri g ht to En j oy S mok in g T o bacco

(F OR E ST ), s upp orted by th e tobacco indu try, ha re p ro du ced re po rt s f ro m thr ee US docto rs c la imin g th a t pass ive s m okin g stat s ti cs a re base d o n in co nc lu s ive re ea rc h "e ns h ro uded dee pl y in e mo ti o na l, po liti ca l a nd eco no mi c" a rg ume nts.

A nyo ne int e res ted in ob ta in ing a co py of th e boo kl e t " Pas iv in g S mok in g: H ow

G rea t a H aza rd ? and " P ass ive Sm o kin g a nd Y o ur Hea rt " s ho uld w ri te to: FOREST, :2 Grosvenor Gardens, London SW1X ODH.

Breathing

Life in Essex

T o la un ch th e " Breat h o f Life" ca mp a ig n in Saffro n W a ld e n , Lo rd Bray b rooke, L o rd Li e ut e n a nt fo r E ssex a nd

Aspirin reduces risk of cancer

Sf. John World Questionnaire

Thank y

Double celebrations

As Barnet Football Club celebrated their promotion to the s econd divi sion

St. John Ambulance , 368 Barnet Divi s ion celebrated their 90th birthda y. The 3 68 Divi s ion have been g iven a di s pla y area for th e ir adverti s in g board s fr ee of charge to mark th e dedication of the St. J o hn

m e mbers who provide Fir s t Aid cov e r a t the football ground

Fellowship

update Th

OBITUARIES

Ignorance

irc uits

th e min e co uld

have m a de th e ir way q uit e ea s il y o

safe ty - we nt in ta ntl y to t he s ce ne of th e disas te r

T hey we re soo n j oi ne d by J o hn

Hu tc h in o n overnl a n w h o ca m e d ow n from the s urface.

Twe nt y- fo ur peo pl e, a ll of th e m in ca pac ita te d e ith er b y injuri es or ca rbo n mo nox id e po i o nin g, we re in th e di s tri ct at th e tim e. N in etee n of th e m di e d a nd , as th e c it a t io n fo r th e ir E d wa rd M e d a s in Sil ve r reco rd e d " but fo r the p ro mp t a n d continu o us he ro ic wo rk peIio rm e d by

Whistling Postman

Dale Howting of Kent is undertakin g a spon s ored cycl e ride for th e Sittin gbourne and Milton Combined St. John Ambulance Divi s ion Mr Howting , known locally as ' the whi s tling po s tman will be riding to St. John 's G a te with f i ve friend s , where an:angements have been made to vi s it the mu s eum before the ride back to Sittingbourne.

S i ttingbourne a nd Milton Division is also celebrating 90 years o f servic e to the community a nd the Po st Offic e h a ve very kimdly agreed to mark the occ as ion by donating a s pecial is s ue of a First Day Cover to mark both event s.

The First Day Cover depictin g a whistling postman, 90 years of service by St. John Ambulance and a hors e drawn ambulance, will cost £1.0@ each and anyone interested in either spon s oring Mr

Acc ra, Ghan a We s t Afri c a Starbeck & Ripon Branch , North Yorkshire

Contac t: Mrs B Golightl y 2 , Yarrow Driv e KilJinghall Moor H

nd Ripon Branch is the third in N orth York s hire, f illing a gap in th e Nor hWe s o f the c o unty

confe re nce o n age in g a nd wo und hea lin g that m o re resea rc h was nee d ed in to th e ce llul a r proce ses th at c a us e wo und.

H ea lth pr ofes io n a l a ls o need to und e rs ta nd mu c h m o re a b o ut th e processes th a t pr o m ote hea lin g in indi v idu al wound typ es, Pro fes or Fe rg u o n add ed

A ccordin g to Profe so r Fe rg u on re ea rc h h as s h o wn th a t 3 0 o r more m ol ec ul es kn ow n as 'gro w th facto rs' may be in vo lv e d

Youn ge r S h a nl ey , R o bin so n a n d Hutch in on who vo lun tar il y face d co nditi ons of ac ut e da nge r f o r a pe ri o d of on e a nd a h a lf h o ur s th e re can be littl e doubt ha t no t o ne wo uld h ave urv ive d ."

A Co Durh a m m a n , William Y o un ge r was bo rn o n M arc h 24 1909 a nd we nt to sc hool a S o u th M oo r. H e was a m e mb e r of S t. J o hn A mbul a nce fo r m a ny years and he ld tw o b a rs fo r lo ng erv ice.

He w a a l 0 a Se rvi ng Bro th er of th e

Ord e r of St. J o hn of J e ru a le m a nd rece ive d th e Qu ee n Sil ve r Jubil ee M e d al in 1977

William Thomas A/berry,

B. E. M" O StJ

It is wi th g rea t sa dn ess that w e record th e sudd e n d eat h of Willi a m Th o m as Alb e rry , B.E.M O.StJ wh o w as born in Clown e, D e rb ys hire o n 27 M ay, 19 10

He mov ed Uo St a in fo rth a t th e a ge of 16 year s to w ork a t H a f ie ld M a in Co lli e ry and

rp s unt i l 1988, som e h ow a v oidin g th e co mpul ory re tirin g age a n d rem a in i n g in t he p os t un til fo ur years ago! H e co ntinu e d to wo rk for th e Co rp s as Vi ce Pres ide nt a n d was Sec r e ta r y until las t year.

H e wa s h o n o ure d on three occas ion s , fir st y be in g m ad e a S ervin g Bro th e r of th e Ord e r of St. J o hn in 19 5 8 a nd la te r an

O f fi ce r of th e Ord er in 1968. In J a nuary 1990 , H e r M aj esty Th e Qu ee n gr ac io us l y awar d e d him th e Bri ti s h Empire M eda l in th e New Year s H o n o u rs L ist.

" H e was a f in e m a n " say Willi a m s co ll eag ues. " H is fi r st p rio rit y at wo rk was a l ways th e safe y of th e min e rs fo r w hom he was r e p o n ib le a nd whe n n ot a t wo rk, hi s co n ce rn wa s f or th e m e mb e r s o f th e ge ne ra l publi c w h o li ve d in hi s loca lit y an d th ose fo r w h o m h e was res p o n s ibl e w he n o n dut y w ith St. J o hn Ambul ance."

New degree award

Co v e n ry U niv e rs it y and The Fire

Se rv ice Co ll ege rece ntl y an n o un ced a n ew co ll a bo r at i o n to m o unt th e fi.rs t

un d e r g r ad u a te d eg r ee prog r am m e in

Inte rn a ti o na l Di saste r M anage m e nt , e adin g to th e awar d of BS c.

Th e programm e is inte nd e d to p rov id e tec hn o log ca l a nd m a n age ria l e du ca ti o n a nd tr a inin g fo r st ud e nt wh o e as pir a ti o ns are direc te d to wa rd s so l v in g tec hni ca l a nd logi ti cal pro bl e m s in areas thr o ug h o ut th e wo rld w he re di sas te r s of a ll kind o cc ur.

Th e co ur se w ill co mm e n ce in O c to be r 1994 w ith th e f ir t gr o up of s tud e nt g ra du a tin g in 1997 r ea d y to ee k e mpl oy m e nt w ith a w id e r an ge of o r ga ni s ati o ns d ea ling with di as e r m a n age m e nt and re li ef, u c h a the U nite d N a tion s

Sympathy on the run

S y mp a th y a mbulan ce too k part in th e L o nd o n to Bri g hton Hi s to ri c al V e hi c le Run on 2 M ay a nd took

Th e vi nt age ambul an ce, fea tured in the May ss ue, was on e o f 2 18 vehicl

C li mbing th e fee-Face

Cleveland help lifelong football fan

Cecil Garbut of Maple Street , Middlesborou g h ha s s upporte d B oro footba ll team for the p as t 65 years, in a ll weat h ers and all divisions of the leag ue. H e is quite po ssi bl y one of th e ir most arden t admirers and s upporters. Unfortunately a t the start of t he seaso n he s uffere d a stroke.

Whil s t makin g a good recovery , the 76 year old retir ed foreman of Cochranes, cou ld no lon ge r m ake hi s way to Ayresome Park a nd was devasta te d at the thought of no longer s upportin g hi s favourite team.

On hearin g of Cecil 's plight , J o hn

W e l s h , Executive O ffice r of St. J o hn Cleveland made arra nge me nts f or him to be co ll ected and retumed afte r eac h mat c h , by St. J o hn m e mb e rs.

John Welsh said , "In April , St. John laun c hed it s Care i n the Community ' project. W e ha ve a numb er of pl a ns in hand , and are deli g hted we can be of help to thi s gentlem a n We a re a ca rin g service ."

Mayor

takes breath of life

Derby s hire Mayor, Councillor H aro ld John so n a nd hi s wife Edith decid e d to se t a goo d example to the people of Derby by being a mong the fust no a ttend a Breath of Life course.

Over 2000 people received training in ba sic Fir s t Aid procedures during ca m-

8St.JohnWorld

pai g n week.

Get the message

At this year's Youth Co un c il 90% of th e Cadets pre se nt sa id hat they were in co ntact with so meon e w ho uses drug s On a re g ul ar ba s i.

Stati t ics how that c hildren as young a seve n or eig ht are be in g co nfronted w ith th e te mpt ation to t ry so me form of dru gs. Re earc h ill us trare t hat dru g ab use cann ot be bl a med e ntire ly

'Argosy' a irc raft based at East Midland Airport Mu se um

Hampshire's green fingers

R ookely Manor se t the ce ne for ove r 1500 garde n lovers, w h en Lord and L ady [n c hyra o pened he ir gard e ns for a Garden Day and Pl ant Sal e in aid of St. J oh n Ambulance Pl an t s from s pec iali s t and awa rd -wi nnin g nurs e rie s, garde n f urnitur e, pots, ba s ket s, garden c lothe and accessor ies we re a ll on sa e, he lping to ra ise ove r £5000 towards di v is ional f und s.

The Co unt y Appeal s Com mit ee of Th e Order of St. J o hn for Hamp s hi re ra i e f und s for St. John Ambulance in the county and in 1992 raised ove r £18,000.

T hi s m o n ey he lp s to eq uip an d trai n St. John unit th ro ug hout Hamp s hire, usi ng th e mo st up-la-date emergency a nd li fe sav in g equ ipm ent.

The Comm itt ee's nex t fundraising eve nt wi ll be a Charity Cricke t Match to be he ld at Ti c hbom e Park , near A lreford, o n Sa turday , 19 Se pte mb er. For f urth e r info nll ation please co nt act: Sue Gentry on 0962 733893

Th e e min a r involved over 1000 representatives from th e media Govemme nt , busines e, vo lun tary o rganisation th e hea lth a nd ed u ca ti on ectors a nd th e c riminal ju stice sys te m Th e aim be in g to look a t h ow th e medi a conveys dru g- re lated me ssage to yo un g peo pl e.

Th e Prince ss of W a le tr e se d the importan ce of parenta l affec ti o n in makin g yo un g peop le feel valued and adeq uate, a nd the danger of u ing scare tactic w he n wam in g them about drug misuse. Th e e min a r tre s ed rhe vital ro le o f pa ren t in ed uca tin g c hil dren thr o ug h t he ir own behaviour and e tab li s hin g a re lat io n hip ba ed o n tru st and co mmuni ca ti on.

It was obvious that the drug problem wa not go in g to di sa pp ear 0 we a ll need to exa min e ways in w hi c h we co uld help to re duce dr ug abuse. It was a pro bl em that conce rn ed u s a ll rega rdIe of rac e, ge nd er, age and c lass.

up the Himalayas

Last November, two d e dicat e d and motivated Derby s hir e climber s sca led a 20,000ft p eak in the Himalay as sole ly to raise mone y for thre e charit es, one of w hi ch was the St. John Water Wing.

"I'd been ook in g fo r a n o pportunity to rai se money for charity," a id J o hn Bon sa ll , " bec a use one of my co ll eag ues whose fat her a lso wo rked, wit h me h as twice been in the Notti ng ham City Ho s pital Bone Marrow T ran s plant U nit and was ve ry near ly a t death' door. Also, my partner Mi c hael s co mpany , Derwent have a numb er of co nn ect io n s w ith MS including a young gir l w ho li ved near to m e w he n I was a kid , and w hose hu band work s wit h me. D erwe nt 's Financial Di rec tor, also is involv e d with h e lpin g t he MS soc iety."

It a ll s tarted w h e n a f ri end of J o hn s, Michael Jacq ues, mentioned he was plannin g a c limb in th e Himalayas. "So met hin g I've always wanted to do ," J o hn co ntinu ed, " and the idea soo n formed of co mbinin g a very intere st ing climb with raisi ng mone y for c h ari ty."

To go on s u c h an ex pediti o n wou ld m ean taking a month off from hi s fiml , W e Ibec k Hou se Up holstery of Sandiacre, Notti ng hams hir e and John a l so had to p ers u ade hi wife to let him go away for that l e n g th of tim e!

Jo hn decided that spo n sors hip was not the ideal way to raise mon ey, e pecially in a time of recession as yet another Spon so r hip bid would not be we ll rec e iv ed So a raffl e see m e d to be th e answer. For prize s, h e man aged to per s u ade both Welbeck a nd Derw e nt to donate a su ite. T h ey m obilised everyone th ey knew the wo rk fo rce , c u s tomers , s uppli e rs buyers and friends for the marathon task of sellin g tickets. After co untl ess etter so lic itin g s upp ort an d a great deal of h ard work , th ey rai se d £13,000.

The pa rt y an- ived by ai r at Katmandu in ear ly November 1992 and then fJ e w o n to a ver y s m all airstrip at Kukla w hi c h w ill only tak e li g ht ai r craft or he li copte r s This was at 9,000ft a nd the 14 man part y then b egan a thr ee week a ltitud e acclimatisation programme, which involv ed go in g hi g h er each d ay but returning down low e r eac h ni g ht to s l ee p.

"After s ome ten day s trekking we climbed to 18,000ft but then dropped down aga in as part of our acdimatisation. It 's not ac hi ev in g the altitud e w hi c h is important but how lon g yo u can up there when oxyge n is not bei n g u sed. I don t think yo u really need oxygen unle ss yo u re goi n g above 7,000 m e tres or Ju ne 7993

abo ut 23,000ft. To save tim e s ome ex p editio n s do use oxygen but thi s ca n be dangerous. The body - especially the bloodmust ge t use d to red uced atmosp

d a n gero us if not treated immediately and can affect peopl e irrespective of their physical fit ne ss, acce lerat ing very quickly."

Trekking in the Khumbu which is interlaced with valleys meant th e party we r e go ing up and down all the time and did not reach the peak until 22 November.

" We lo s t five day s on the trip b y me gett ing all the sym ptom s of pulm o n ary oe dema. For so me reason m y body ju st will not adj us t to a ltitude I really s tru gg l e d for this part of the trip Part s of m y body swe lled up and I co uldn t even ge t my boots on and was s truggling to breathe I had no s pace in m y lung s for oxygen as they had fi ll ed up with fluid. Mick also had probl ems with acclimatisation. "

Afte r seven hour s of cli mbin g on 22 November the y reached the peak of Inja Tse (20,30Sft). "U pon reaching the sum mit both Mick and I fe lt a great sen se of ac hievemen t and triumph We had reached our goal, the focus of the whole trip More importantly we had maximi se d any benef it for the c hariti es co n ce rn ed and we h adn t et anyone down. " By 1 December th ey we re back h ome

Both mountaineers we re gratified to l earn that over 500 peopl e would benefit from their en d eavour b y h avi n g d ay trips on the St. John boat 'C ru sader', in add itio n to people needing h e lp from both the Notting ha m Ci ty B o n e Marrow Transplant U nit and the MUltiple Sclero s s Society of Great Britai n and Ireland •

Passengers "die" in train derailment

I nt egrated Di sa ter Management i s th e new buzz word in Avon an d the emergency se rvi ces hav e taken steps to plan th e management o f a major disaster Nora Fo rd Assistant County Commissioner reports. "Avo n co unt y lik e man y part s of the co untry h as it s p ote nti a ll y dangerous areas. We h ave an exte n s ive coast line two flight paths severa l mil es of motorw ay a nd railway n etworks, to say nothing of a large industrial si te co nt ai ning , c h e mi ca l works and oil storage depots at Avonmouth on the o ut s kirts of th e ci ty of Bri sto l ," says Nora.

One Sunday in November , hundreds of emergency workers f rom Avon Ambulan ce Trust Staff , Avon Fire Brigade , Avon Co unt y Co un c il Officials , Port Workers, St. John Amb ul ance and th e Briti s h R e d Cros s al l took part in a massive disaster exercise a t A vonmouth Do cks.

St. JohnWorld9

The sc enario wa s the derailment of an intercity high sp ee d traiD at a level crossing The impact caus e d damge to an adj ac e nt petro-chemical pipeline, resulting in the emission of a vapour cloud.

Seventy passengers in the train h a d injurie s som e o f which were fatal, ranging from amputations to fracture s , minor injuri es and even emergency childbirth

St. John Ambulance and the British Red Cross were involved at the triage point where a great deal of experience was gain e d. Our welfare vehicle was also involved , due to the ch e mic al le ak , in the evacuation of re sident s of a lo c al old p e ople 's home to a local rest centre .•

Tom and his wife, D o ris on the occ a s io n of hi s 90th birthda y

90 Years Service

- and still going strong

Theodore Thomas Dumaresq ha s gi ven over 54 years se rv ice to the and in the first of an occa sional serie s de dicated to th e li fe and work of long- serving St. John members we tra c e hi s progress through the years.

Born in the Channel Is land s in 190 3, Th o ma s jo ine d St. John Ambulance in 1939 and in October 1949 wa s promot e d to C ad e t Offi c er with the Reigate Cadet Di v is ion. He w as v ery ke en o n camping and usually acted as Quartermas ter for the County and Regional Cadet Camps

In July 1952 he was appointed Corps Staff Officer in charge of Transport and was the first Station Officer appointed in charge of the Borough of Reigate Ambulances at Shaw s Comer , and he continued with this until 1966. He wa s appointed to the Area Staff as Area Transport Officer when the Borough of Reigate Corps was disbanded. He was appointed Servin g Brother by The Most Venerable Order of the Hospital of S1. John of Jerusalem in November 1960 , in June 1974 was promoted to Officer Brother of the Order, and Commander in 1983.

He has been respon.sible for a number of the alteration s made to the Headquarters at Shaws Comer and on the death of Alderman Best was appointed Chairman of the Management Committee. It was due to his initiative that the new lecture rooms at Shaws Comer were built some years ago.

10 St. JohnWorld

1959

1959

1972

When Time is the Burning Issue

E1978 -

1981

Wiltshire comes a cropper...

Two f url ongs from th e f ini sh of th e fin a l race a t S ali bury R acec our se las t Jul y , a sli ppin g sa ddle un sea ed j ockey Ri chard Fox and

Th e c rew f rom a fo ll owi ng a mbul a nce

kl y at hi s side f and after an exa min ati o n by th e Raceco urs e d octo r the injured rid er was stre tc he red away and tak en to hos pita l. M eanw hil e , S t. J o hn me mb e rs fro m Wilt sh ire' s Sou rh e m Are a di v is io ns we re bus il y tr ea tin g cas ualt ie s from th e 5 ,000 plus s pectato rs - mo t of who m had us ta ined was p sti ng d uring th e ba lm y s umm er eve nin g.

Thi s partic ul ar rac in g fix ture was be in g s po nso r ed by St. John Ambul ance in a id of th e " Ov er T o Yo u J ohn " nati o na l app ea l.

It was Wilt s hire s bi ggest and mos t a mbiti o us fundr ai in g ventu re of 1992 - an e nt e rpri se mad e po ss ibl e by th e ge ne ros ity of the highly s upportive Sali bur y Ra cec our se Commi ttee, th eir c ollaborativ e Cl e rk of th e Co ur se , Mr Ian Re nt o n, a nd si x month S' dili ge nt preparation by a St. John wo rkin g pa rt y' hea ded by App ea l Coordin ator Mr s Gi ane tt a Carr.

County Headqu art er s s talw art s like Ch a irman , Lo rd Ta lb ot or Malahide, Preside nt , L a dy H a wle y and Bri ga di er John Badl ey we ig hed in with f ul I backin g a nd the ir effort's we re a ugmented by a small tea m of co -op te d s upporters, not ably Li eutenant Colon el Tom Ingli s, who se wide rac in g knowled ge was to prov e inv aluabl e, and PRO John Pl owm an.

The r es ult wa s hi gh profil e ex po s ure for St. J o hn Ambulan ce at a fa s hionabl e South of En g la nd ev e nt and a tot al of a ro und £8, 000 fo r "Over To You John ".

June 1993

le ve n da y old C hri sty Strachan died in hos pital after a 12 hour battle by surgeon s to save hi s life. An international appeal for a heart had proved successful and in the fir st few hour s following the t rans plant hi s new heart was bea ting independ e nt ly. Sa dl y, after four to five hours of improv ement, the heart showed sig ns of failure from which Chri sty could not be re s usc itated He died less than 14 hour s after the transplant operation began. But Christy was one of the luck y ones - he had a fighting chance, thank s to the kindness of the donor family and the St. John Ambu lan ce Air Wing who flew the organ to London with in hours of its removal.

The time factor is crucial. Babies hearts require transplantation within three hours of removal and ad ult s within four hours. If donor and recipient are hundr eds of mil es apart, there s no cho ice but to fly and with sc hedul ed a irlin e se rv ic es c lo sed down at ni ght the delay until th e nex t morning co uld quite often mean th e organs a re past their 'she lf life Rea li sing the urgency of uch sit uation s, St. John Ambulance se t up the 'Air Wing'

Officially born in 1972 with th e aim of providing a speedy method of transporting donor organs. blood and dru gs ne eded for emerge ncy tran p lant urgery, the Air Wing began life in a speciall y converted room in SI. Margare t HospitaL Epping. Thi would act as a ba e for a team of tw enty vo lun teers and fifty pilot for th e fol lowing nineteen years

The UK Transplant Service in Bri stol, hold compu terised records of a ll patient awaiting tran sp lant s, 0 that any don or kidney could in stant ly be matched by blood gro up and ti s ue type to a su itab le recipient. The UKTS and the Air Wing have wo rk ed clo se ly together ever s in ce.

Today , [h e Air Wing ha s over 70 volunteer from all walk of life - hou sewives, engineers, a irlin e pilots, co mp any directo rs - a ll ba sed at vario us airfie ld s throughout rhe co untr y. Some have their own aircraft, others s hare, but a ll hav e a fu ll li ce nse and over 500 flyin g hours to their credit.

Mo st of the mi ss ion s carried out by the Air Win g are wit hin Britain , but th ey have also travell ed to parts of Europe. To date, they hav e comp leted over 2,450 journeys and hav e never refused to transpo rt an organ. With a hu ge waiting li s t for life-sav in g organs such as hea rt s, kidneys and live rs the moment one beco mes available the Air Wing S put on immediate sra ndy -by.

June 1993

Since 1985 St. John Ambu lance Air Wing Contro ll ers have und ertak en mi ss ion s invo lving the tran s portation of Tran splant

Team s and pati ents and chartered commercial aircraft for uhis purpo se, in addition to their work in arranging tran splant organs

As a res ult their mi ss ion s have in creased dramat ica ll y from an average of fifty to three hundr ed per yea r.

On November 4 1991 St. John Ambulance transferred the responsibil ities for transportation of tea ms back to the United Kingdom Transplant Service (UKTS) and reverted to their ori g inal function as estab li shed in 1972 , to tran port organ on ly for tr ansp lant by volunteer pilot s. [n Jun e of [hi s year the Air Wing will disband and th e UKTS will have complete responsibi lit y for the tran sportat ion of donor organs.

Mission K.1898

On 16 Dece mber 198 6 Betty Bowman , Controller received a ca ll say in g that an aircraft was needed ur ge ntl y to tran spo rt a patient from Wickers ley , Yorkshire to Alconbury. They knew th e reque st was ex trem e ly ur ge nt but did not have full details as to why They were told only that the patient, Davi na Thomp son would mo st probably requ ire oxygen and a lso low level fl yin g. Mr Thomp so n, Davina 's hu s band would accompany he r. Arrangements be gan being made at 19.09 on 16 Dece mber and by 20.35 an aircraft , pilot a nd tea m of doctors had been located and were at LeedsfBradford airstrip ready for take off.

At 22.10 a representative from the United Kingd om Transplant Servic e te lephoned th e Air Wing ba se to infornl Betty Bowman that th e a mbul ance they had alTa nged to meet the airc raft had broken down approx im ately 6

mile s from the airport and they were furiously trying to arrange alternative tran sport

At 23.02 the aircraft carrying Mr and Mrs Thomp so n arrived at Alconbury and both were take n by ambu lance to ho s pital. At 23.42 the aircraft departed Alconbury airstrip for the return flight. In all the operation took 4.33 hr s.

After bein g ru shed to the hospital, Mrs Thompson und erwent

SAFE MOTORING

oa recent Gallup survey conducted on behalf of St. Joho Ambulance into levels of First Aid kNowledge and awareness amongst the general public, 63 % of the population agreed that all cars should by law carry First Aid kits. Gary Cooper offers the views of the major car safety organisations and car manufacturers.

to be cas ual to th e point of indi ffe rence D es pit e th e w id es prea d adoption of such safety feature s as air bags, ABS f our-wh ee dri ve and crumple zone s, the provision of a humble Firs Aid kit s a lmo s universally ignored. If you want one, y ou have to buy it as an accesso ry - and the v as t m ajority of Briti sh motori sts don t. It 's difficult to und erstand why manufacturer s d o n t includ e F ir st Aid kits with th eir vehicle s, given the low cos t o f e ven a g ood qu alit y produc t. No one , of cour se, i s goin g to bu y th e new Bloggs m o bil e GTXi3 simply becau se it s manufacturer s ha ve thrown in a kit w hi c h only re t ail s to the public for fiftee n pound s, but its inclu sion woul d co s next to nothing and , surely, would refl ect better on th e maker t han th e provision of a cigarette li g hter or vanity mi r ror ?

For their part , manu acturers arg ue th at ev ery addi t ion to equipm ent costs money -so th ey only add eith er wh at th ey ar e comp

carefu because peop e have got to know what they are do ng. which i s whe re training f rom St. John Ambulance and oth er o rgan sations i s abso utely essen ti al. " The RAC diary and AA handbook ca rr y St. John app r oved First A id advice.

In contl"as l. Simon Jones, Press Officer with t he AA was so m ew hat less recep t ve to the idea of' en forceme nl.

"T ry enforcing it, that':-, the major problem. We cun support the idea. ancl you can that many thing s should be made mandatory , but how can they be enforced ') The police already have en oug h to do trying to enfo rce th e aw it s ands. H ow can you top every car that you th in k may not have a F rs Aiel k i t in it ? They can' t be o n in th e back w i ndow all the time. T herefo r e we ca n t su ppo rt th e mandato r y car ry i ng of F rs t Aid k it s."

Asked w heth er th e AA would su p po rt comp ul so r y tra i ning in First Aid as pa r of the driving es (agai n us is the prac ti ce in Gemlany). Simo n Jo nes wa:-,. shall we say. underw helmed with enthusia m.

" We'd ike to see First Aid training full stop, but not specifically for dr ive rs - w h y drivers? T he problem with training s that t has got no thin g o do w it h d ri ving i tself, t's l ike say ng t hat people shou d be give n ra n i ng i n basic mechan cs, whic h wo u ld be far mo re valuab e to the m han carrying a Firs Aiel kit, because if hey knew how to pump up a y re or c hange a w heel then hey wo u ld be ab e to get th emse ves ou of da nger. We can't endorse tr ai ning peop e n First

Aid befo re they gel be hi nd t he w hee of a car. I h i nk you're giving it too much gravity, i may say so. I do n t t rea i t lightly. I carry a F r t

Aid k it i n my ar. all o ur patrols ca rr y hem and hey are a ll trained, but a littl e b it of k now edge is a dange r o u s thin g and if someo ne has onl y a bit of bas i c tr ainin g it ca n be a p ro bl e m It 's probably be to lea ve it to th e expe rt s."

Th e fea r of ove r -e nthu si as ti c Fi rs t A id er s s o b v o us y a st l'O ng one.

havi ng bee n r a se d b y bo th m o to rin g o r ga n isa ti o n and th e

Depart me n o Tr anspo rt - but th e enfo r ce d car ry ng of a k i t is no t a probl em , acco rdin g to SI. Jo hn 's Me di ca l Direc t or, Dr. Dun ca n McPhi e.

" It a f ir s c l ass id ea and w h y we d o n impl em e nt 1 j u st d o n 't lI nd ers and ,' he ays. " Wh a we sho uld be as kin g s w hy ar e yo u han g in g bac k o n a ve ry s impl e pi ece of eg i s ati o n? T he F irst A d ki n a ca r cos s o nl y a f ew po und s. Th e Fir st A id t ra inin g i s th e p r obl em rath er think , so it 's p r oba bl y in th a ar ea th

Paraid Vehicle First Aid Kit - BSTA Version

To

ha s yet to be

e n presen

to the Hou se - th ere has n t eve n bee n a Green Paper on the subject , so the on ly thin g th at is goin g to c hange the situation is public opinio n. "

Perhaps the mode l for a ny UK le gislation -s ho uld it ever be presented - wo ul d be the Gemla n ex per ience, whi ch was ex pl ai ned by Hartman ' s Prod uct Manage r in Gennan y, Pe ter Schneider.

" Under Paragraph 35 of Germ an Law , ev ery pers on who has a ca r ha s to have Fir st Aid mater ial in th is car, and th is has to be acc ord i ng to DIN 13164 standards Drivers al so hav e to have tr aini ng to get the ir licence and that trainin g is carri e d out by th e German Red Cross fo r eig ht two hour sess ion s. Th e DIN stand ard and th e new law ca me

First Aid and Salety on the Road with St. John Supplies

It s vita l to

to do and h ave t h e neces s ar y materia ls in s ta n t ly to hand.

Th e re s a w ide ra nge of F ir t A id K it s, dr ess in gs a nd equipm e nt a ll ava i lab le from St. J o h n S upp li es. a ll ap proved by SI. John A m b ul a nce, a n d a ll wi lh o ur lowes t pri ce g ua ran tee d fro m a ny re ta il so ur ce, de li ve re d to yo ur d oo r.

Th e re are ["our easy ways to o rde r - by pos t , ph o ne, fax or ca ll in to our S ho p in Sl. J o hn Sq ua re, L o nd on EC I Th e re' a choice of d e li very se rv ice to uit yo u w ith op ti o ns fo r ur ge nt ord ers so it co ul d n 't be s impl er to ge t rcady fo r a ny e m e rge ncy.

Th e Sl. J o hn S uppli e r a nge of F irs t A id k it s in c lud es a new Fir st Aid Ki t fo r MOlo ri ts. A to ug h , li g ht we ig h t co nt ai ner co mpr ehe ns ive ly eq ui pped, it 's a co n ve ni e n t ize to ca n y in a ca r read y fo r im med iate access. Th e re's a re- fill pack fo r easy repl eni s hm e nt or yo u ca n o rde r a ll he co nt e nt se p a rate ly to uit yo ur needs.

A vit a l p iece of eq uipm en t i th e Li fe h a mm e r. a co mbin ed doubl e hea ded h a m me r a n d ca r sea l be lt c utt e r to b reak car windo ws a nd c ut seal be llS to f ree ra pp ed occ up a nt s. Plu swhile c urre nt s tock las t - a f ree fl a h l ig ht w ith eve ry Lifehamm e r.

Li ste n to th e " F irs t on th e Sce ne" Aud io Casse tt e a nd lea m hand y tip s o n Fir s t A id. W atc h th e " B a ics of E merge ncy A id " video in th e co mfo rt of yo ur ho m e In 3 5 min utes yo u ca n lea m how to cop e w ith hea rt a tac ks, burn s, s ho c k a nd re u c it a ti o n. (Of COur se th e re is no s ub s titute fo r a fu ll Fir t A id C o ur e)

Send fo r yo ur FREE F i rs t A id Ca ta log ue to see th e w ho le range of Fir t Aid m a te ria l , hea lth ca re pu b l ca tion s a nd tr a inin g eqUipm e nt a va il a b le o r ph o ne Sa l esline 071 251 0004 or add 120 to yo u r nex t ord e r F30 J3 Motor is ts

Peha fit Erste Hilfe Ha nd s c h uhe

4.ftnal choice

When a close family member becomes terminally ill, the effect (')n the immediate family is devastating. AJpart from the obvious sense of physical I(i)ss, watching a 10'Ved one die in the impersonal surroundings of a hospital can be extremely distressing. Understandably family members tend to forget that doctors and nurses have to deal with hundreds of patients and that it is n(l)t possible to concentrate on one anymore than another. With human nature being what it is, we tend only to see our own family member and of course we want them to receive the best care and attention possible during their remaining time. As a result, more and mt>re people are turning to ht>me care for the terminally ill, wherever possible.

By law, everyone has the right to die at borne, and a dying person can discharge him or herself from hospital against doctor's orders. If the dying is unable to make the decision, the next-of-kin can do S0.

Like birth at home, death at home GaD be immensely rewarding for everyone concerned. It makes those dying feel wanted and makes the end

more dignified For the family it gives the opportunity to be there until the very end, to care-for, comfort and nurse. It allows both to share what is an extremely upsetting but, very special time and sometimes hel ps those left behind to 'let go' more easily.

When Andy Melnyk became seriously ill with a brain tumour, his wife, Claudia, decided he would spend his last months at home surrounded by family and friends. His last hospital spell was in April 1988 and he died the

following June.

However , only two out of 10 peopl e die at home. Some 70 per cent die in hospitals (in 1960 it was le ss than 50 per cent) and 10 per cent die in hospice s. Sometimes there are good medical reaso ns why dying people should be in ho s pital; at other times is because their carers lose the practi ca l or emotional ability to nur se them at home.

As part of it s Community Care pro· gramme so me St. John Ambulanc e carers will provide a facility for families who require help and su pport in dealing with a termin a lly ill pati ent at home This support may take th e form of offering nursing skills , advice emotional support or just helpin g with day-to-day ta s ks such as s hoppin g and cleaning.

St. John in Berk s hire are concentrating their Community nursing efforts on a local hospice, the Duchess of Kent House , Reading They have over 24 carers who are available to help and nurse terminally ill patients. The scheme is very much sought after because "it offers patients an option" said Elaine Cook, County Secretary, Berksh ire St. J oho Ambulance. "Patients' sym.ptoms can be contained and controlled, allowing them to I spend as much time as possible at home with their family and friend s," explained Elaine.

June 1993

/As well as providing re s pite care, hey also offer a listening earr, which quite often can 'be as helpful and comforting as the more practical s ide of caring.

The scheme which l1tl S b ee n running since Christmas also offers counselling and to the carers. " Our carers are aware that their patients are going to die and in most cases there will be considerable rapid deterioration in their condition - it is very unlikely that they will be cured. As a re s ult , it is very important that they re ce ive training and counselling on dealing with bereavement ", said Elaine.

Friendships are very often formed as a result of working with a family during s uch a traumatic period and often after the patient ha s died the need for care and s upport is not removed. There will nearly always be a s pouse , brother or sister who st ill needs support , albeit in the form of someone to talk to or s mall they must be respected at all times. and befriend the dying, whatever their religion; other groups that deal with particular illnesses , such as Aids or Alzheimer' s disease offer practical and emotional s upport.

Respecting the fami lies wishes is of the utmost importance. Some famil ies are very reluctant to accept outside help or some ju s t require the absolute minimum. Whatever their need s, great

Carers can call on the free serv ices of Macmillan and Marie Curie nurses , who provide heJp with patient s dying of cancer. However three out of four people die from other causes and in these cases, relatives often have to rely on the district nurses the kindness of neighbours and friends.

Anyone interested in receiving more information or offering support to the families of terminally ill patients should contact: Ann Marie Barnard The Buddhist Hospice Tru s t on 0712355231 Ext. 262. arranges for its volunteers to s it with

NEVV

A MARATHON EFFOR.,.

In the running

TIhe 1993 Nutrasweet London Marathon got off to a chill y start on Sunday 18th April , but even the unpredictable elements couldn't dampen the enthusiasm of our runners or the members who lined the routes offering help, First Aid, advice and words of encouragement to many of the 30,000 runners. Two members of NHQ staff took to the roads and discovered that when going gets tough, the tough are very tempted to drop out!

sprin g heatwave ! Sar a h a nd Le ig h we re there with a fo res t of O ver To Yo u J o hn ballo o ns, as was a 3-ve hicl e St. J o hn Ambul a nce pos t. Pit y th e poo r so ul w ho

ne.e de d Fi rs t A id before th e s ta rt !

Foll o win g our ins tru c ti o ns, we a ll stripp ed off, k it-b ags to th e tru c ks, m a ny thou s ands of bin lin e rs c rac klin g in th e breeze as we s tro ve to kee p wa rm Th e m ass start in Gree n w ic h P ark was prob a bl y 2 0 peopl e wide a nd ha lf -a -mil e lon g with s imil a r numbers at th e Blu e

Start o n Bl ackh ea th Th e sta rtin g g un was c le arl y a udibl e to a ll of us, but it was 8 minutes b efor e I and th ose a ro un d me co uld begi n runnin g.

I t wo uld ta ke me too lo ng to d esc rib e al l th e im ages whi c h re ma in wit h me. I hadn ' t kno w n wh a t to ex pec t, so m ost of them ca m e as a s urpri se. Wi t hin a mil e, mal e runn ers we re pee lin g off to trea t som eb ody ' s gard e n wa ll as a urin a l a nd onl y a fe w mil e.s d ow n th e co urse, a lin e of men s tood aga in s t a wa ll und e r a po s te r whi c h sa id " Makin g a dr a m a o ut of a c ri s is" !

Indi a ns a ll th e way ro un d. I had not v is ua li sed th e may he m a t eac h wa ter

ea m.

At 18 mil es , m y bo d y a b r upt ly ran out of e ne rgy a nd it became a rea l st ru ggle I re me mb e r fee lin g rea ll y goo d as passed o ur G rosve no r Cresce n t s uppo rt e rs at th e City Prid e pub ( 16.5 mil es) a nd reall y wea ry w he n I pa ss ed the same group at th e sa me s pot less th a n 3 mi les later.

Of a ll the s ig hts aro und th e co urse th e s mil e a nd wa ve of e nco ur age me n t from o ur ow n vo lunt ee rs a t ve ry freq uent in te r va ls was o ne of th e bes t. T owa l·ds th e e nd , I co ul d bare ly m a na ge to ra ise m y hea d a nd ca tc h th e ir eye. The imp o rt a n t thin g is th at t hey were th ere a nd 5, 00 0 cas ua lti es we re tha nkful for th at.

I wo n t pre te nd th at it was n ' t a great re li ef to reac h th e f ini s h - rap idl y f o llow e d by a g rea t pa ni c whe n J se ized up co mpl e Le ly a nd wo nde red how I wo uld be a bl e to wa lk to th e t ru cks to co llect my k it !

(By T im Gmll 'ail/ , Execu ti l e Di r e cto r NHQ)

C ap t ion s to photo g raph y:

Top right - A r unner is stretc h ered oll by one of the J 300 S t J o hn mem hers 011 dury.

I h ad no t ex pecte d the race to be so c rowd e d , but s ho uld not have bee n s urpri se d co ns ide rin g the s heer numb e r o f f un - runn e rs. Th e f ie ld did no t thin o ut at a ll a nd f rom ce rt a in va nt age po ints I co ul d see a gr ea t ribb o n of runn e rs bot h a he a d of me a nd be hind I h a d ex pec te d to be a head o f m o st of th e fa ncy -dr ess runn e rs. But hav in g leFt be hind a few chi cke ns a nd go rill a s, I fo und myself ca tc hin g up w ith ca ts ra bbi ts a nd Red

Top left - Its been a n ex haus ti ng ela\ a nd eve ryo ne's glad i t is fi na ll y Ol er Bottom left - F ly ill g the j7ag for St .I ohll Am bul ance is T im Ga u l'a in , Exect/rive D irector. j un e 1993

'd been at NHQ for just a year and it was my first ever desk job. I was beginning to feel a bit rounder and somewhat sluggish. In November, Sarah Newton (Promotions Officer) said that they were looking for someone from NHQ to run in the London Marathon. I .found myself saying "I'll do it." It seemed like a good way of keeping fit. I rece ived my tra in ing sch edule a nd it didn t lo ok too bad , but it s tarted afte r Chri stma s so I put it to one s ide. Training be ga n in J an uar y a nd the fir s t time I ran nin e mil es I felt lik e g iv in g up , but the di stance s got longe r and my Sunday aftemoon s were ea te n up by running. At 'I about thi s time I reg i tered with the r Marathon Organiser s a imin g to fini sh in 4.5 hIS

Th e trainin g co ntinu ed but I co ncen tr ated on the di ta nce run s and ignored the s hort fast one s (th ey hurt ) and runnin g National Training co urses a t the weekend didn 't help th e long run

Eve ntu a ll y th e da y arrived and I fe lt quite relaxe d Onc e I go t to the start there were people lite ra ll y everywhere and lorry after lorr y loading up with kit bags. Well I got my kit on a nd hand ed my bag in and s tart ed to shiv er. I hadn t brought a bin -lin er lik e eve ryon e e lse because I thoug ht I ' d look stupid. They did, bUL they were warm.

Th e n at 9.30am the ca no n mark ed the s tart of the race, ten minutes late r I crossed the start I in e a nd I stalted my s top watch.

The detail s of the run itse lf wi ll s tay with me for eve r. The crow ds and band s up to Tower Bridg e, th e sticky floor afte r the drink s stations , the slog round the dockJands and th e bouncy bridge , then the drag along the emb ankm e nt and up the enormous hill of o rthumb er la nd Ave nu e. Finally th e Mall , Birdcag e Walk and Big Ben. As I saw Bi g Be n it s howe d 1 54 and a quick calc ul ation in my tired brain to ld me I had to cross th e lin e before 2pm to beat 4.5 ho urs My legs sprang int o act ion and printed for th e fini h, off icia ll y crossi ng the lin e after 4 hour s, 29- m inu te and 36 sec onds. (By my watc h 4 hours ] 9 minute s) I'd done it!

I was ushered down a lane , reall y glad to be ab le to s top runnin g and was prese nt ed wit h my medal.

At the St. John re ce pti o n eve ryo ne said how we ll r looked. Then we tried to get home at which poin t my body s tarted to hurt. Firs t it was my knee and th en my thi g hs, walking down th e ste ps into W ate rloo Und ergro und was ago ny. It took until Wedne sday to be abl e to climb tairs eas il y again. Thank s to Lei gh and Sarah for gett in g me in to it, to my co ll eagues at wo rk who

St. John go north

ation a l Ce ntre s urrounded by th e beautiful York s hi re Da les.

Supported by The George Moore Foundation. thi s year 's is ope n to a ll St. J ohn member Booking fo n11S we re Iss ued to co unty offices at the beg innin g o f May and should be return ed by [he e nd of july. For th e ve ry reaso na bl e price of £48 00 pe r perso n, all mea ls (w ith th e exce pti on of breakfas t) from Friday , in c ludin g lun c h on Sunday will be pro vid ed

Stuart Latham , Man age r Central Support Servi ces promises "a fun f ill ed, inte res tin g and infollll at ive" co nfe rence. Guest speakers incl ud e Dr Mark E ld e r, Ophth a lmi c Sur geo n a t Moorfield s Ho s pita l and Lord Wea therill a well as a ho s t of other s Del egates can ex pec t a varied pro g ramme cove rin g man y aspects of chan ge wit hin the Fo und at ion

Ju st in case you have a littl e s pare tim e (peri h th e thou a ht you'd mi ss a s in g le se minar ) to look around Harrogate, he re a few plac es well worth v i itin g.

Within a few minu te drivin g di tance of Hano oate i ome of the mo st bea utiful co untry s id e in Brita in - The Da le,

June 7993

storybook tow ns an d vi lla ges, s tate ly hom es and cas tles. Coverin g ove r 500 q uare mil es, the Harrogate Di s trict provides an irre s is tibl e reason to incorporate excur sio ns into the social programme.

Two mil e to the o uth of Harro ga te stands the recen tly res tor ed Rud ding Hou e, an e legant examp le of Geo rgian a rc hitect ur e in 280 acres of pri va te land which s pecialises i n small co rpor ate eve nts and can a lso acco mm oda te porti ng ac tivitie s.

Fountains Abb ey, near Ripon and 12 miles from Harroga te was fo und ed in 1132 and is the l argest mona ti c ruin in Brit ain. Today'the Abbey is owned by the Tatio nal Tru s t and bo a ts the hi ghest visitor level of a ll th e ir properties. De sign ated a World Herita ge Site in 198 7 , th e co mbination of Abbey 18th century la nd scaped gardens and Studley Ro ya l lake, deer park and banqu etin g hou se is s impl y pectac ul ar.

Throu g hout the di strict a re dozen s of mark e t towns and dales villages. Eleven mil es north of Harro ga te is th e medieval c it y of Ripon. granted it first charter by Alfred th e Great in 886 and dominated by the magnific e nt cathedral.

To e nsure yo ur pl ace at the Conference please se nd yo ur completed fo nn to yo ur County S ec retar y with a cheque. paya ble to Sr. John Ambulance, not la ter th an 20 th July 1993. St. John World 19

World

AMBUtANCESI WELFARE BUSES

(4-6) R.

7

8

10

II.

12

COMMERCIAL RADIO AND RIGGING SERVICES

THIS MONTHS SPECIAL OFFER

not to stop but obv io u Iy wa nt ed to he lp. I therefo re to pp e d a t th e nex t lay- b y a nd rang 999. I exp la in e d to the poli ce w h a t had happe ned a nd w h y I h adn' t s lo pped. He took my de tail s and l ca ni e d on ho m e. I was very won ie d th at I h a dn't ca n ied out my duty as a Fir s t Aide r but th a nkfull y the polic e man ra ng m e ba c k a t home and sa id that it was a ge nuin e acc id en t (a polic e ca r and amb ul a nce we re on th e cene).

Ho weve r he a ured m e th a t I h ad ac te d co rr ec tl y under th e c irc um s ta nce.

I wou ld th e refore lik e o ay to St. J o hn membe r ( me n a nd women) trave llin g o n their own la te a nig ht , not o nece a ril y s to p in th ese c ircum sta nce bur to co ns id e r driv in g to th e neare te ep ho ne a nd rin g for the profess ional It s of e n th e afe t thin g to do.

Dear Edilor

H avi ng rea d yo ur art cle " Survey Show s

We Ca re" in o ur co py of F eb ru ary's St. John Wor ld , we would lik e o te ll yo u of th e ca re w hi c h m y hu s ba nd di sa bled a nd n o so yo un g', is n ow rece iving from the se m e mb e r of Dro nefie ld D erby hire (a divi s io n of w hi ch he was previou s ly

Superime ndent ).

Eve ry week o ne of the se members comes to bathe him a nd he lp him to bed they le av e him refres he d a nd uplift e d by their com p a ny a nd co n ve rs ation.

Th e tim e a nd e n e rgy they eac h g ive us is g rea tl y apprec iated a n d co n veys mu c h c red it to t he tr a in in g in thi s fine m oveme nt.

YOII/'S fa illtfllll)'

Lilian & Fred Edwards D ronefie ld D e rby shire

D ea

Dear Edilo r , YO llr sfa i/i7jirlly

Mi ss Da w n S imm o n s Dil isio nal0.fji' ce r B ed g rOl 'e Cade l Dil 'isio l1 Bllckin g ham s hir e

Referen ce' A Pu zz e for St. J o hn ', pa ge 5

Ort he Apri iss ue of St. John Wor ld A s a mere 7 or 8 y ea r old durin g th e Second

Wo rl d War I ee m to reca ll thi s pu zz le be in g two id ed Th e reve rse to th a t s how n in the ma gaz in e wa in th e form of ad vert se m e nt s of th e firm s th a t s pon ored

th e pu zz les in a id of th e joint R ed Cross and St. John S ociety.

Sad ly min e wa give n away after m a n y happy ho ur s of co mpilin g the p uzz e. The reverse s id e W IS he eas ies t to do beca use of th e dark co lour s in the m e di ca l ce ne.

Y OUI 'S P. R P a rk er Shr e wsbury Dil ' s on

Goo d Ole S f. Joh n

My nal?l e is R o h ji-om Sf. John

A I?II)[[lan ce Bri gade

And my dilly 10 you dear is 10 do my Fir s Aid.

/'m lraill e d 10 Ihe hi g h es l s a ll dard ofa l!

And /' m ra ill ed in Ih e c han ges wi lh Firsl

A id n a ll.

My ar ea' s /' I 'e a lr eady c h ecked

Bill 111111 I see iJ.\'o ll 're brea lh ing, chec k Ih e hea l S ill YOllr n ec k.

Y es! YOIl'r e alil'e for a groa l/ 1 ca n hear

Bill yo url e l'e l of r es p o ns e s feebl e 1 fea r

"By-stande r pl ease go alld dial 999

Ca ll for 0 1/ a mblil ance. do n ' I was t e al/y lim el"

D OI/'1 w o r ry dear, h e lp wi ll b e h e r e qll il e soon /,11

June 1993

The BADGERS

St.John Ambulance

Inmanyareas,Badger Setsareover-crowded,

Can YOU Help?

The Badger Leader Recruitment Dr ive will take place th is Autumn, concentrating on the months of August, September and October. The Badger Leader Recruitment Pack (available from 1 July) conta in.s new recruitment leaflets , posters and informat ion sheets aimed part icularly at attracting new Leaders .

Whether you run a Badger Set yourself and need more Assistants, or would simply like to help us spread the word about the Badgers and their need for Leaders, if you feel you can make use of these recruitment materials please complete this form to receive your free pack

Honour for Devon Man

Reginald B a bb of Bidef ord h as bee n honoured for hi s work with St. John in De v on. Reginald has been a dmitted a s a Serving Brother of the Order of St. John.

76 year old Reg in a ld , o r ig inall y join e d St. John in Augu s t 1933 and remained a n active member until 1940. The sa m e ye ar he enlisted in the Army and , a s a re s ult took leave of ab se nce from St. John eventually res ignin g in 1946.

In 1981 , he rejoined as an Auxiliary at Bideford St. John and became a member of the A s sociation Committee (Trea s urer), a po sition he held until his retirement in 1992.

Unfortunately, due to ill health

Reginald was unable to go to London to receive his award s o a special ceremon y was held at the Bideford St. John HQ His colleagues in Bideford were very keen that he rece ve some publicity th r ough St. John World as he mi ss ed out on the London Ceremony.

Reginald was presented with his medal and certificate by Jim Woollcombe

Chairman of St. John Council i n Devon on behalf of H.R.H The Duke of Gloucester.

Jerusalem Casebook

Mahmoud Ahmad is 19 years old. He lives in the Jenin refugee camp in the north of the occupied We s t Bank. He has a condition known a s Keratoconus which affects the eyes of young p eopae cau sing gradual deterioration of vision He was seen in the St. John Ophtirlalmic Hospital in Jerusalem in March 1992 and his name 4St.JohnWorld

was

of days befo r e a bat c h of co rn eas

arr i ve. S q ueezi ng a d oze n ex tr a p a ti e nts and op e rati o n s o ve r two o r three d ays into th e a lread y bu sy war d s an d op e r a tin g

th e atr es c an be quite tri cky. M a hm o ud

was g i ve n o ne da y's not ice Hi s eft eye

vi s ion w as no w so po o r th at e ve n w ith g lasses he co uld o nl y c ount f in ge rs o ne m e tre a way L at e in th e eve nin g of th e s ame d ay th a h e and hi s n ew co rn ea arri ved at th e Ho sp it a l, M a hm o ud h ad hi s one hour operation H e s tayed in hos pita l f o r s ix d a ys.

Mahmoud 's vi s o n has grad u a ll y impro ve d and three m o n h s afte r t he operation hi s nake d left eye is beg innin g to see the bo ttom lin e of th e visio n tes tin g c hart. Soon af e r the hos pita l

mo ve d to its c urrent si te Kin g Hu sse in of Jordan vi s ited and promi sed his eyes as a f uture d o nor. With th ese thin gs in mind , M a hmoud 's gr and fa ther has n ow d o ne the sa m e.

Do t he locomotion

Granny Drives 100 Miles with Broken Ankle

Skin Cancer Fear for Children

agreed to let h e r ne ig hbour do s ome s hopping for he r but the neighbour return e d with a s trang er and s tole £83the old ad y's entire s avin gs.

Th e r e port al s o revea led that crime is o f m o r e c on ce rn to the di sa bl e d th an un e mploym e nt , h o us in g or educ ation

Ann Marie Barnard , Community C a re Proj ect L eader at NHQ s aid " Reports like thi s und e rlin e th e ne ce ss ity for tru stwort hy and s uit a bl y tr a in e d volunteers to pr o vid e thi s ty pe of soci a l care and s upport in the c ommunit y"

Community Care

Me

Competition

St. J o hn W o rld is ple ase d o a nn o un c e th a t th e Sir K e ith J ose ph c omp e tition ha s now bee n re- Ia un c hed in lin e with the Communit y C are initi ative.

Police and St. John

A Class '91 Lo c omotiv e, numb e r 9 1005 was na med " The Roy a l Air Force Regiment " at a ce r emony in Kin g's Cro ss a s part. of the Corp 's 50th Annivers ary celebration s

After the ceremony, the cu s tomary cake was cut a nd enjoyed by The Lord Mayor , members of the RAF Reg i ment Depo t , repre sentativ es from St. John North York s hire a nd Group C a pt a in Batt, Deputy Direc tor Overseas Relations.

A le rt e d by th e s taff, neig hb o ur De rek and J oa n W ad e la te r he lp e d he r in to her ho use a nd co nt ac te d th e loca l h osp ita l.

Afte r hos pi ta l treat me n t Mrs Cobbo ld w as di sc h arge d but was un ab e to m anage o n he r ow n an d pe nt he fo llowin g thr

life.

"C hildr e n s s kin is ve r y vulnera bl e to the s un a nd s unburn s quite a co mm o n pro bl e m. A ta n m ay offer p311i a pro tection aga in st th e s un , but th e skin is d amage d whi c h m ay ead to s kin ca nce r a nd age in g lat e r o n P are nt s a nd teac he rs mu st rea li se how s u ce ptibl e yo un g c hildre n are to th e s un s r ays and make s ur e t hey ar e ad equ atel y protec te d " , wa m s Dr Juli a New ton , C on s ult a n

De rm a to log is with th e ICRF' s Skin Tumour L a bora tory.

Disabled Live in Fear

"

Di sabl e d pe opl e a pp ear to be a t gr eate r ri sk from c ert ain c rim es th a n th e res o f th e popul a ti o n a nd n o t only ar e the y likely to s uffer fin a nc ia l har d s hip from suc h c rim es, but a r e m o re v uln e r a bl e to bein g att acked ", ac c ordin g to a c ounc l surve y, b e lieved to be th e fir st to look in detail at th e phy s icall y dis abl e d as c rim e vi c tim s. Th e re port re veal e d th a t twothird s of ph ys ica ll y di sa bl e d pe opl e we r e trapped in h e ir home s at ni g ht , af ra id to go ou afte r dark

Th e s urvey by Hamm er mith and Fulham Coun c il in W es L ondon involv e d qu es tionnair es from 5 500 hou seholders a nd det a il ed inte rview s with 195 people swfferin g from a v a riety o f di sabili6 es, includin g me nt al illne ss

In one cas e, a 9 1 year old woman unabl e to w a lk and livin g a lon e, ha d

July 7993

Th e co mpetition ha s bee n re -l a unch ed in r es pon se to th e imm e n se e nthu s ias m for C ommunity Care w hi c h has been d e m o ns tr a te d o ve r th e pas t year. It a im s to reco gni se Community Care project s w hi c h a re alread y runnin g o r c urr e ntl y be in g initi a e d and t o pro m o te th e e th os of loca l proj e ct s m ee ti n g loca l ne e d s in liai so n with o th e r l oca l organi sa tion s.

Th e comp e titi o n run s fr om M ay 199 3 to Ap ril 199 4 and b o th th e Si r K e ith

Jo se ph a nd Th waite s cup s w ill be award ed a t B ri gad e F in al s in Jul y 1994

W e real ise that thi s is a late announc eme nt but t ime sc he dul es w ill b e fl ex ibl e.

Rul es fo r th is c omp e tition are av a ila bl e from y our C ounty Offi ce, County Community Care Offic e r or direct f rom

A nn Mari e B arnard , Community Care Proj e ct L ea der a t N ation a HQ

Th e re was wid es prea d di sa ppointment th a t thi s c ompetition did not run la s t year an d we ho pe its r e- Ia un c h will be gree ted with e n thu sia s m and a g re at many e ntri es !

Sf. John to the Rescue at Dambuster Tribute

A tribute to Brit ain 's Dambu s ter heroe s w as damp e ne d when do ze ns o f people n ee d ed m e di ca l care as th ey we re overcom e b y c old. Luckil y Firs Aid wa s at hand a nd Mount a in resc ue tea m s,

Deputy Editor Silences Badgers

The Pr es id en t , Lady W es tbur y, pr esents

Sheila Pu c kle , General S ecre rary, WiTh an 'engraved enamel box to co mmemorate the Tenth Anni ve rsary of its formation

Fellowship Update

"The St. John Fellowship celebrated its tenth birthday at the Annual General Meeting held at Camatic House, Liverpool on 5 May. Some 300 members and guests were present and the sun shone for us ," writes Sheila Puckel! National Secretary of the St. John Fellowship.

Members had travelled from as far as Cleveland , the Isle of Wight and the Isle of Thanet to attend the event sponsored by the St. Helens and Knowsley Branch

The Commissioner-in-Chief and Superintendent-in-Chief attended as did the Commander and Commissioner Lancashire and many fFiends from the old Duke of Lancaster 's District. From Merseyside, came the Lord Lieutenant

Mr H E Cotton, who is President of the St. John Council, and virtually all the Council Members the Chairman, Colonel Masters, a strong supporter of the Fellowship.

General Leuchars, Chairman of IJhe Fellowship welcomed delegates and proposed the adoption of the Annual Report, tracing the progress of the Fellowship since its formation in 1983.

Hav [ng paid tribute t o the members ' strength of service, raising £3 ,600 in 1992 to provide six new beds for the Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem, he asked fO li thei r continued support in the

6St.JohnWorld

f uture. G e neral Leuchars paid s pecial tribute to Sheil a Puckl e who ha d rea li sed the need for an Old Comrades A ssoc iation in St. John and he said s h e could feel pride in it today.

Seconding the propo sa , Sheila sa id it was the members who had made it th e success it was today. She thank e d all those who h ad help e d to make it po ss ibl e, mentionin g in particular General Leuchars him se lf, who as Chief Commander h ad initiated it , Lord Grey , both as Bailiff of Egle and L ord Prior , for hi support, and very wall11ly, General Gordon, who as the first Ch a ill11an ha d obtain e d the Charter and g iven the Fellowship its s tatu Sheila a l so p ai d tribute to Lady We st bury.

A di sc uss ion on future A.G.Ms fo llowed The propo sed pro g r a mm e for the short-break' R e union a nd A.G.M a t Chichester from 15 to 17 April L994 was enthusiastically re ceiv e d M e mber s were invited to se nd a £15 d e po s it before 15 September.

The n ew Fellow s hip eafle t was iss ue d to everyone pre sen t a nd prov ed. very popular.

G e ner a l Gordon , fonner Commissioner-in-Chief and f irs t Chairman of the St. John Fellow s hip was invited to s peak. He asked that members ensure the co ntinued s uccess a nd pro spe rit y of th e Fellowship throu g hout the world a nd wished th e m mu c h ha ppine ss in it.

Mrs Stewart-Robel1s, Superintend e ntin-Chief s poke of the s ucce ss of the Breath of Life campaign and the la rge part the Fellowship h ad pl aye d in it , answering phone s up and down the country.

Finally , Lady We s tbury Pre s id e nt of the St. John Fellow ship s poke of th e jo y her lifetime in St. John had g iven her a nd pre se nted Sheila Puck Ie with an e ng raved enamel box to commemorate th e 10th Anniversary of the Fellowship.

St. John Ahoy!

Three intrepid St. John perso nnel found themselve s s ailing on the Sail T ra ining ship 'Sir Win s ton Churchill'. Bill Jewell, Dawn Goodwin and Carolyn William so n boarded the ship as Watch Off icer, Trainee and Purse r respectively.

The ac tu a l voyage went from Southa mpton to W ey mouth , via Guemsey , St. M a lo and Cherbourg, over a very cold fort ni g ht b etween 27 M a rc h a nd 10 April. Although th ey were not the off c a First Aid e r s on b oa rd , h ey were ca lled upon on num ero us occasions , the mo st notabl e be in g th e a ppli ca tion of the proverbial ba g of frozen peas to the Captain 's leg following a n a rg um ent between him and the ga n gway - won by he latte r!

On a nother occasion one of the g irl s go t hit in the face by some thin

Swansea Woman Devotes 25 Years to Caring for Others

Fran ce Math ews is a truly re m a rk ab le woman. B o rn in Swansea , in 1914, the .da y the fir s t world war broke o ut , he says he r e lf that h e kn ew s h e was go in g to ha ve "a n eve ntf ul life."

Her fat h e r, a s po rt m a n h ad a lways wanted a so n a nd was n o n e too pl eased when Frances 's moth e r prese nted him with a dau g ht e r. H e was 0 di sg uste d th at he went a nd ig ned up with the Territori a l Arnly at the age of 39. " It wa my m o th e r w h o was th e g reat influ e n ce in m y life", ay s Frances and s he was a very trang wo m an, full of wise o ld sayi ng. Durin g one of the worst time in Frances life, afte r h e had h ad tw o st illborn babi e h e r moth er s aid to he r "we ll , if you 've n eve r had c hildr e n to mak e yo ur a nn s ac h e, you'll n eve r have them to make yo ur hea rt ac he." "A nd s he was ri g ht ", sa id Frances. " Sudd e nl y there wa s Christine, the m os t import a nt p a rt of my li fe."

Grand Raffle Winner

Mr

DON'TFORGET this year's Grand Raffle Firs Pri ze is a P&O Cruise for two worth £5,000 on e ith e r the Sea Prince ss or Canberra. S eco nd Pri ze is a bra nd new Fiat Uno Start.

July 1993

Christine's pare nt s had moved from London in 1946 after the blitz to h ave a re s t a nd had s aye d at France s's mother 's home Sh e was born at T awe LODge weighing only 2 a nd 1/2 po und s. H er mother did not r ea li se sh e was a Do w ns Syndrom e child, but Frances who tau g ht mandicapp e d children, did.

At Frances's r equ est, her moth e r left Chri st in e to her in h e r will and s he ha look e d after h e r eve r s ince (25 years).

'I'm so v e ry proud of her", SGys Frances. " She wasn't easy at first beca use s he h a d a thyroid problem but the difference in her now incre dible. She ' bri g ht and

Ju ly 1993

soc iable , m et hodical and m et iculou s."

In Frances's younger day s, people like Chri s tine were hidden indoors or pointed at in th e s treets, but th a nkfully it 's di ffe re nt nowaday s.

For over 40 years Frances h as organised holid ays for se nior citizens and now organises h o lidays for friends and fonner Guildhall co ll eag ue s. She a lso organised Swansea's first exc hange trip to Mannheim.

H er main c h arit y is Mencap, of which s he is founder Pre side nt but is also in vo l ved with O s trem e Probu s, the Amy Dillw y n Society and St. John Am bulan ce. She was m ade a S erv in g Sister of th e Order of St. John as t year ancl in 1988 s he was Swansea 's Woman of the Year

Admired for he r commonsense and ge ne ro sit y of s pirit s he s ays her grea te st ac hi eve ment is her Down s Syndrome ward Christine Jone s, to whom s he h as devoted the past 25 years.

Northern Ireland

Take Fourth Place in First Aid

Competition

projec t in Gaza. An

From l eft t o ri gh t : Colin Woods, Shelia Sinton, Y"onne Trouton , John HlI s hes, Joy J acksol'/, Dame A lldr ey.

As re porte d in a rece nt s ue of St. J ohn World s ix m e mbe rs f rom Northern Ire la nd competed in the Joh a nniter Firs t Aid co mp e tition s in Cologne and took fourth pl ace. They d ec id e d to donate their prize of re u ci tati o n equipm e nt to th e St. John Ophthalmic Ho s pit a in Jeru salem to be u e d as p ar t of their outreach

ST. JOHN LIFESAVERS

Breathes Life Into Baby

d o if I h a dn't d on e th e cours e a n d Abigail m ig ht n ot b e wi th u s n ow ," s h e sai d

Me a n ie wa s one of nea rl y 2,200

p e op le in Norfo l k who took a dv a n ta g e of h e free t wo h o ur Fir s t Aid co ur ses dur ing th e w eek - long B r e ath of L f e c a mpai g n Cou n tryw d

R oad , R am sga e w i th hi s col leag ue D o n Stroud 3 3, w h o al so h as thr ee so n s, w hen th ey h ea rd a n o ise out s id e.

T h ey h e ard a wo m a n s h o u in g in a ca r a nd sa w a boy in a c hil d seat n th e b ac k , who app eared to b e chokin g a nd c o uldn t get hi s brea th

T h e m e n took th e b a by o ut of h e ca r , c ea r ed hi s a ir w ay and J o h n bega n

m o u t h -to -mouth r es usc it a t o n T h e b a b y bega n brea th ing aga in ju s t befo re th e ambul a n c e a rr iv e d.

John w h o used to b e a m e mb e r of

St. Joh n A m bu la n ce sa id " Yo u ju st th ink

w h a t 's h app e nin g and ge o n w i th it. "

T h e ba by w as k e p t in h os pi ta l o verni g h a n d th e nex t d a y h is fa th e r ca ll e d a t he g ar ag e w i h a £ 5 0 tha n k y o u to each of the me n

" W e tr ied o say no b u t h e w o u dn t h av e t, " sa id John

Quick-thinking pes Honoured

P Cs P a ul Pe m be rt o n a n d igel Berry have rece ived co mm e nda

Butcher Revives Shopper

18 year old lain Brown used hi s First Aid know ledge in a li fe and death s it u ation in April, when a customer co ll apsed in the York superma rket where lain worked.

lai n , of Bu ll er Street , Selby leapt over the bu tcher 's co unter at Kw ik Save, in H ull Road when someone s ho uted that a m an h ad col lapsed and was dying

T he man , be l ieved to be aged abo ut 60 h ad collapsed wit h a heart attack a nd had

stopped bTeath ing when lain arr ived. He im m ed iately began mouth -to-mo uth res usc itation and continued u nt the paramedics alTived.

"I ju st didn t think about what] was doing, as my trainin g came th rough", said lai n This is the f irst time he ha s had to p ut his St. John Ambulance training nto practi ce, but he ha s won First Aid competitions in the York area

The inc ide nt Look pla ce as the man was o n h is way out of the s upenn a rk el. A arge crowd of peop e had gat hered round but none were ab le to he lp.

lain was prai ed by ho spital staff for his quick thinking, who sa id it il lust rat ed t he va l ue of F irst Aid training.

Life-saving Hero Wins Newspaper Award

A St. John Ambu lance vol unteer who saved the li fe of a woman won. the Worksop Guard ian Award for Ma y.

Divi s ion a l Superintendent Thomas Bi ll s couldn't bel ieve hi s eyes when Joy Driffi ll anived on his doorstep with a Guardian basket of flowers. Joy, aged 58 was injured in a road traffic accident laSL October and s uffer ed se riou s leg and hand injuries. Her hu s band, Ivan was a l 0 njured in t he cras h

Thomas Bi ll s looked after Joy whi lst waiting for an ambulance to anive. H e had not see n her s ince her accide nt as the

ho sp ital staff wou ldn 't di close her add ress.

" It was a marvel lous s urpri se to see her a live and we ll on my doorstep", said Thomas.

12 Year Old Honoured for His Courage

12 year old Christopher 01 iv er. of North View, J arrow i set LO receive a op award for hi s lifesav in g act ion s la L umm er.

Charmelte Rob er Lson, a lso aged 12 had fallen into the riv er near Heather View Caravan Site following an attack by older gi rl s which eft he r c ut b leeding a nd faint.

Ch ri Lopher, who has taken a St. John Ambulance First Aid course, jumped into the river, waded ac ros to her, dragged her to the river bank and up a teep hill to th e carava n ite.

The you ngste r didn't tell a nyo ne abo ut hi s brave act because he "d idn 'L think it was uch a big dea l" , bur w hen his sc hool, St. Wilfrid 's Compre hensive found out from the gi rl mother, they set abouL organi ing an award for the brave youngster. Now, Northumbria Police Chief plan LO present Christopher with the Royal Hum ane Society's Testimonial as a rew a rd for his bravery.

The 1993 St. John Ambulance Nursing Bursa ri es Prese nt a tion was he ld at S t. John 's Gate, Clerk e nwell on Tuesday 25 May. The

1993 Nursing • ursanes

tions. " I think the whole s uccess of a n y Community Care programme relies on all these g roup s co mmuni catin g in the best po ssib le way," says Barbara

"

308755 Fax: (0274) 732832

and

Smith and Nephew.

Since th e Go vern m e nt laun c h of it s Care in th e Community initiative on 1 April 1993 , St. John Ambulance volunteers have bee n wo rkin g h a rd to help assess the need s of th e ir communities in order to help m eet the demands of the elderly and phy s ically and mentally handicapped , and their care rs.

A rece nt Gallup su rv ey com mi ss ioned by St. John Ambulance revea led that 32 per cent of th e UK popul a tion aged between 35-44 years knows of so m eo ne who is ca r e d for or is themselves a carer of an elderly p e rso n of so m eo ne with a mental or phy s ical di sa bility. Thi s figure jumps to 35 per cent for tho se aged between 45-64 years.

Ba se d on thi s year's th e m e of "Care in the Community -Communications" , eac h bursary was awarded on the project 's ability to advance th e work of St. John vGlunteers in the community through Improved communication.

Mrs Barbara Nineham of Dorch es ter Won thi s year 's £500 Bursa ry and this will enable h e r to carry out resea rch that will be nefit both h e r profe ss ional ca re e r and the work of St. John Ambulance in the community.

To this Barb a ra wi II u se the Bursa ry to produce a Dorche ste r St. John Ambulance Community Care new s letter specifically aimed at local health authoriti.es, sta tutory bodie s, health profe sSional s and other voluntary organisaJuly 7993

The Bursary will help cove r production cos s of the new sletter w hich will provid e a forum for discussion about the hea lth and soci a l welfare need s of the community in the Dorchest er area.

B y e ncouragin g contributions from various organisations, Barbara will provide a n opportunity for profe ss ional and voluntary organisations to s ta y informed about how the need s of the community are be in g met.

Mrs Valerie Holton of Aylesbury rece ived a £250 Burs a ry. Valerie, a Community P syc hi atric Nurse intends to s pend the money on improvin g communi ca tion between community p sych iatric nurses, ge neral practitioners and patients in the Aylesbury area.

Assessing the feasibility of initiating a St. John Ambulance Division within the Royal Hull lnfimlary i s what Andrew Train of Hull will spend his £500 bursary on.

Andrew hopes the bursary will help cover the cos ts of materials that would be u se d to encourage the hospital's staff and thei r families, through open hou ses and study days to become St. John members " There are a lot of healthcare workers who have great ski ll s but want to help the community in another way. I think a ho s pital-ba se d divi sio n would give them easy access to the other St. John Ambulance memb e rs who share common intere s t s and goals for Community Care ," says Andrew. St. John World 11

Puttingyour:

The incidence of back pain and injury 'is rising dramatically in the general population and there is no rational explanation for this. In certain occupations where there is a requirement to undertake heavy manual handling there definite relationship between activity and the incidence of back injury.

Bac k pain can seldom be a ttributed t o a s in g le cau s e In the m ajority of ca s e s o f ac ute b ac k p a in , the on s et is not attributed to a n y kind of injur y th cmgh o c cupational fact or s ofte n serv e as tr i g g e r s to provo k e an attack Sometimes, th e ass o c ia tion between th e on set of pain and th e ta sk a t w hi c h th e individu a l w as enga g ed a t the time i s a ma tter of coincidence. Nonethele ss, there is a vari e ty of ph y sical factor s a t work th a t are r ec o g ni sed as contri butory factor s

The ambulance service per s onnel a nd nurses are the two categorie s mo s t at ri sk of b a ck injur y becau se of the nature of their work ie liftin g a nd handling patient s. Little i s known about th es e ris k s among s t volunteer f ir s t a ider s bu t in th e c ommunity there is a lot of concern given to th e lik e lihood o f health care ass i s tants su f f erin g work re la te d bac k injurie s Home help s who now te nd to th e v ari o u s needs of their patient s s uch as dress in g a nd wa shing and even relative s who have to c ar e for th e elderl y and s ick in their h o me s are v e r y mu c h a t ri sk al s o

Al though there are man y po ss ibl e ca u s e s of back p a in dependent on age , f itn ess, w e ig ht of the load lifted and circ um s tance , s om e prev e ntative s trategie s have be e n s ugg e s te d to reduce that ri sk.

M a nual Handlin g Operation s Re g ula ti o n s 1992 govern the lifting a nd h a ndlin g of patients in the wor kplace. The MHO R egs 92 are accompanied by HSE gu i d a nce o n the subj e ct. A fa ilure on th e p a rt of th e employer to c arry out an a ss e ss ment o f manual handling operation s prior to the se guideline s being exc e eded mi g ht wel1 be a breach of MHO Reg s 92 but it would be f o r a court to decide. In making the a ss e ss m e nt you mu s t take into account the lo ad , th e environment and the phy sic a l c hara cte ri s ti cs of the per son doin g the ta sk.

The National Back Pain A ss ociation and the Royal College of Nur si ng have produ c ed a defin12St.JohnWorld

BACKintoit.

FOE those w ho cann o t ma n age with o ut more sub s t a n tia l h elp uhere are a var ie ty of d ri ffe r e n t b ath h ois ts ava il abl e for use both in a nd o u ts ide of t he bath.

Moving/Handling

It is imp or ta nt to take into co n sidera ti o n th e we i ght , m o bilit y and age of th e pat ie nt , as we ll as t h e d i sta nce to be travell ed There a re far too m a n y m e th ods of h a ndling pat ie n ts, depe nd in g o n th e a m o un t of peop l e i n vo l ved, t o recor d in th is a rticle, so we wi ll conce n t ra te o n o ne carer t ryi n g to move a patie n t.

Elbow Lift Hold

ht) and t ilt d own rear e nd a m b ul a nce 0 t h at t retchers or w hee lc h airs can be easi ly w hee led straighl int o th e m

2. Em pl oy the neces ary a m o unt of li fter to move th e cas ua lty wit ho ut ri sk to h im o r yo ur se lf ego fo ur li fte rs h o ldin g o ne st retc h e r h andle eac h

3. Re m e m ber , yo u are of no use to a n yone if you beco m e injured. P rotect yo ur se lf a nd t hen deal w ith th e cas ua lt y

W ith th e im p le m entatio n of the St. John A mbul a n ce Co mmunit y Ca re Proj ect, ma n y carers w ill f ind th e m se l ves in hi g h ri s k categor ies. Ca ri ng fo r e ld e rl y or di sab led peop le in t he i r own homes ca n be qu ite da ngero u e pecially w he n bat hing , m ov in g o r c h a ng in g t he m

Bathing

Li f tin g a patie n t man u a ll y o ut of t he bat h is ex tre m e ly d a nge r o us and s ho uld on l y be done i n a n e m e rge ncy. Onl y if th e pa tie nt is s udde nl y take n ill w h e n b athin g, a nd ca nn ot be tr ea te d prop erly in th e b at h , s ho uld you e ve n co n s id e r re m ov in g him m a nu a ll

This met hod of tran fe rring i most u ef ul when trying to move a patient in a co nfined pace and i ea ily carried o u t by a carer w h o is tal l eno ugh to reac h over th e seated patient.

Care rs ho ul d stand in front a nd to o n e side of th e patie n t , wit h o ne foot be ide th e patient and t he other in front blocking t he knee s. Carer hould feel table and able to move weig h t freely from one foot to the other. Encourage the pat ie nt to lean forward from th e hips so t hat th eir near shou lder is firmly agai n t th e carer's tr un k. T h e patient can then lean across t he carer's ba c k and grasp the outsides of t he elbow w ith t heir fingers un dernea th them. To p reve n t th e tru nk f r o m rotat in g durin g th e tra n sfe r , carers sh o ul d lock I, the ir fa r sho ulder by bringi ng the p at ient 's arm in fro n t of it.

, This grip gives exce ll ent contro l of the patient's moveme nt and sho ul d b e peIfect ly co m fortable, wi th no press ure bei n g exe rt ed on th e head or neck.

Axillar y Hold

obvi o usly so m e fo rm of s up e rvi si o n m ay s till be neoessa ry.

July 1993

Ca rers s ho uld stand fac in g th e p a tient , w ith o ne foot b es ide the pati e n t a nd th e ot her i n fro n t, their knee bl ock ing th e patie nt's k nee On tl1 e side n ear the carer, th ey pu t tl1 e ir h a nd

OVe r the p a tie nt 's s ho uld e r bl a d e o r , as a n alternative can

Illse r u the ir f in gers fro m tl1 e back of th e axi ll a On the s id e

July 1993 away from t h e care

Handling-belt Hold T h e carer stands in fro nt a n d to one side of th e sittin g pa tient , one foot beside them a n d the o ther in front, b locking th e patient's knees a n d more partic ul arly a weaker knee. The carer's thum b s ca n be inserted insi d e th e waist-band

th

be

Alternative

und the patient's hips or

and

e

e carer, but it must be fastened tig h t l y eno u g h to ensure that it doe not sli p up round th e c h est. P atients can s upp ort th emse l ves b y pus h ing up o n th e arms of th e c h air o r by putting th eir hands on th e carer's hips or assis t by gras ping th e carer's own be l t.

At some stage in th e ir career , carers will co m e across a patient w ho fo r whatever reason is unco - operative. There are a n umber of points to be considered w h en this s ituation arises. First an d foremost it is th e carers duty to offer safe, competen t, effective care to the patient at all times. T h ey sh ould decide wh et h er th e situat i on is urge nt e n o ugh to re qu ire immedia te action or can be de l ayed until they have had an oppor tu nity to 'talk the patient ro und ' The needs and opinions of th e patient must be respected at all time (obvio usly if th e si tu atio n is l ife - threa ten ing it is the carer's d u ty t o remove the patient from the danger at first and then comfort the patient). Effective communica tio n between carer an d patient are es e n tial , as is a co nfide n t approac h by the carer.

The go l de n rul e w h e n dea hn g wit h aggressive or uncooperative pa tient is not to p u t yourself at risk any more so th an you wo u l d do i n any o th er si tu a ti on.

Th e ovelTi d ing message in The Guide to H an d ling P atien ts ," prod u ced b y th e ation al B ack P ain Associati o n in co ll aboratio n with the R oyal Co ll ege of Nursing , wh en dealing with an y patient is to b e aware of t he risks examine th e m a nd take all r easonab ly p r ac ti cal ste p s

IT A DATE

SEPTEMBER

Hall owe'en

NOVEMBER

C u)' Fawkes ighr Tchaikovsky, Ru ian co mpo er d ied 100 yea r ago Dylan Thomas, au horof " Under Mi lk Wood", died (40)

II BB e's "Pan oranlO" first transmitred (40) End of Firs Wo rld War (75)

15 Brirish liner "Queen E i7.JbC'th" ended her lasr voyage (25 )

19 Puerto Rico di scove red by C hri stop her olu mbus (500)

21 Vulcan ised rubber patemed

22 Edward TC':1ch, E ngli sh Pirare known as "Blackbeard " killed (2 7 5)

p a rt y; n ar io n al awa re n ess weeks co uld e nli ve n you r t r adi ti o n a l f undr a i s in g ac ti v iti es eg , a s p ec ia l vege t a ri a n safa ri up pe r du r ing Na ri o n a l Vege ra ri a n Wee k.

Fo r furth e r s uggesrio ns rela red to rh e d a res in thi s ca le nd a r, k ee p yo ur eyes o pe n in futur e edi t io ns of St J ohn Wo rld ,

Lorenz H art, of Rodge rs & H alT, di ed (50)

23 30th anni ve rsalY oH rs r b ro ad caJ r o f B BC's "D r Who"

Sco rt Joplin , pi an sr and composer, bo rn ( 125)

25 Natio nal Tree Week (WoodJand T rusr)

26 Bigges go ld mbbery in UK - Bri nks Mat robbe ,y (10)

Amer ican Tha nksgiv il\g

28 Chi ldren s writer Eni d Blyron died (25)

30 StAnd rew's Day

DECEMBER

2 First pub li c calJ boxes appear on streets of London (65)

3 C ur r e "Sal mon ell a in Eggs Scandal " - 5 year

ago F rst STD telephone service In Britain illaugurared (35)

Firsr moto rway in. Brita in (P reston by- pass secti o n of M6) opened (35) US cele bra tes the end or Prohibition (60 )

10 25th an ni versary of 1St edir io n of Whitaker's Abtlflnack 1st traffi c ligh rs appeared on Brirai n s ro ads (125)

15 Fats Wal er, Am er ican musician and jazz piall isr, died (5 0)

17 Sa rurnalia - Ancient Roman festi val of ea ting, drinking & parties W ri ghr b rot her mak e th e first po wered flighr (90)

20 J ohn S einbeck, Am eri can audlOr , di ed (5 0)

22 Beatrlx Porrer, children's aumor di ed (50)

29 Slil/cla)1 bpress newspaper first published (75)

EVENTS 1993-4

FEBRUARY

6 C hris ro pher Marl owe, d ralllarisr and poet, born (43 0)

7 Ado lph e Sax (i nve nw r o f Saxap hon e) di ed ( 100) Lond on, C haci12m & Do ve r Rai way ope ned 150 year ago

10 C hin ese New Year - Year of rhe D og

JANUARY

F rsr motor veh icl e reglstrari on plate in Br itain ss ued (9 0)

Wilkie Co Uin s, English detec tive StO ly wri er born (1 70)

25dl anniyersruy 0f Con cordc's firs tr al fl ig ht

11 C hru' i.n g Cwss sranon fo rmgJ],y opened (J 30)

14 Cecil Bearo n En glish photOgraph er born (90)

18 Cal)' Grant born (90)

25 W So merset M aughanl Britis ij wr irer, born (120) Buv lils NigJ1

HE Ba es, Engl sh author di ed (20)

11 Mru y Q uam, designer oF mi ni -skirt, bo rn (60)

12 Li ll y Langrree Brit sh act ress and C' nterta in cr, di ed (65)

14 C h"istOp her Sho es, in ve n tO r or th e cypewrirer born ( 175)

Valenr ine s Day

15 Gal il eo, rral ian asuo no mrr and phys icist, born (430)

S r Ern es r ShackletOn Bri ish Anrarric explorer bo rn (J 20)

Shrove Tu esday

17 Cero nimo laSt Apaohe ch ef to surrend er di ed in cuswdy (85)

BaI"), Humphri es, EcI!l;l Eve ra ge Fam e, born (GO)

23 Came of aw n re lij ni s parenreci (1_0) Edward Elgar di.ed 60 years ago

MARCH

St Dav id 's Day

G enn M ll er Amer ica n band eader, born (9 0)

Sir H enl),Woods, founde r of th e Promenade Concerts, bo m ( 125)

bu nch of Apo ll o 9 (25)

Dame Kiri Te Kan<lwa's 50th birm lay

Ke nn eth rah ame, aurh o r of "T he W ind in th e Will ows", born ( 135)

No-S mokin g day

14· Johann Strauss, Austrian co mpo se r and co ndl>lcro r born (190)

IS End of clOt hes, rario nin g in Britain (45)

17 St Patri ck's Day

23 Roger Bannis ter beCalll e flrsr arhl ere ro ru n th e m il e

ill less th a n 4 minutes

March 1,

24 Oudaw Clyde Barrow (Bonni e & Clyde) born in Tex, (85)

26 Dian a Ro ,American sin ge r and actress, bo rn (50) Uni ve icy Boar Race

27 Bi-c menary of creatio n o f US Navy

APRIL

C hange made ro mal )' COUIlt)' nanles and boundaries (20)

6 H an), Houdini , magician escapol og , born (120)

Rob ert Peat y - fu-st man to rcad1 NOrell Pole (85)

7 H ang ing o fh ig hwd)'l11ill l, Di ck Turpin (255)

9 25 dl ann ive rsary o f maiden f:Ii gh r of CO il corde

10 Safe ty Pin patenreci by New Yo rker Waltt'lr HlUlt (145 )

16 First Srock U race tn Bri tain (4 0)

18 Fil-s r aunde rette ope ned (60)

2 1 BB C2 1aul1.ched (30)

23 Sr Geo ra-c's Day

28 M u iny on th e Boun cy (2 05)

March 23

\ \ \\'1 " .JOI -Hj - PAIN KIL.v6l<:, rove.. THE JO(J::EYI JlrND S()G-A£. I-LJf-,n'Js TH£ rtoQ.SE::-r "

Horse-racing is big business these days. The most minor injury can put horse and jockey out of action for months and cause financial chaos, so the rules and regulations governing the provision of First Aid cover at race tracks are quite stringent. Gary Cooper takes a look at the cover provided by St. John Ambulance.

Stop the average member of the public in the street and ask them this question - "which sport do you most associate with St. John?". As far as I'm aware no-one has researched this, but I'd be willing to wager to a sturdy lOp bet that, more often than not, the answer you'd get would be "football".

While it's certainly true that St. John does provide First Aid care at a huge number of football matches there are many other sports in this country - and some of the most demanding of them all are those involving man's other four legged friend - the horse.

Like the horses taking part in them (lilOt to mention their riders) equestrian events come in many shapes and s[zes - from the local pony club meet, straight from a Thelwell cartoon, to professional National Hunt racing.

16 St. John World

St. John divisions across the country are widely involved in many of them.

Berkshire is, as you would imagine very much 'horse country', so I asked Tricia Earp, Divisional Superintendent of the Pangbourne Division , what sort of events they found themselve covering.

"We have a lot of cross-country horse events, show jumping, plus little local horse shows which include pony club gymkhanas and that sort of thing. We also cover polo matche s, Windsor racecourse and Royal Ascot, as a county duty."

From a complete outsider's point of view, the first thing which comes to mind when you think about these large, fast, often temperamental, animals (horses that is, not St. John members !) is the relative danger they present. Thankfully , Tricia has found that the sort of injuries received aren't as bad as one might imagine.

"Nowadays," she says "the top riders are very weU pliotected, with hard hats and back protectors, and professional jockeys are usually very skilled, trained at falling off as safe ly as possible. Fortunately, the little ones

serioLis so far. "

Meanwhile, in Kent, Colin Palmerton, Superintendent of the Faversham Combined Divi s ion, also looks after a lot of equestrian events and his reflection on the horse is much the sa me as your humble sc ribe 's"They've go t no brake s and they're very big! "

Ba sed in what is very much a huntin ', hootin' and fishin' area , Faversham Division has at l east one horse event a month to cover , many of which are key elements in the local soc ial calendar , which calls for a kn ow led ge of the local who's who as well a s a certain degree of political delicacy at times.

Although Faversham doe s n t cover any profe ssional ra cecour e, the division tackle s just a bout every other kind of eque s trian eve nt as Colin explains.

require a 4-wheel drive vehicle sim ply becau se of the terrain.

What particularly characterises the: equestrian event is not , Colin finds, quite what you might imagine. "As ide of the horses and the size of the events, what always stIikes me is that, becau se of the semi-rural area we're in , an equestrian event is really a social thing and that 's very important - it's very much like an extended fami ly a nd you become a part of the event."

but people aren't really going flat-out trying to win doing it becau s e they enjoy it , so they aren't taking ridiculous risks by and large , not at our type of event. "

Another part of the country where equestrian ism is a regular part of life is the West Country, which i s where Paul Crockett operates. As County Staff Officer (Communications) for Somerset , he is particu larly aware of the idiosy ncrasies thrown up by hor se s, their riders and spectators

at local gymkhana who do fa ll off a lot, tend to bounce! Obviou ly the worst case are neck and back sp inal injurie but , touch wood , we ve ne ver had to deal with that. We 've had hurt backs , but nothin g more se riou s than bruising. What we do get quite a lot of is hor e kicking and stam ping. But , in so me ways , the worst sit uation is when something happen to one of the hoI' es - and it doe s happ e n. Everyone get s very upset when one of th e horses ha s to be put down."

But there always lurk the danger of a fallen horse rolling onto a thrown rider, compounding any injuries received. To ensure that Pan g bourn e's members know how to cope with such an eventuality, or any other major incident, they have sought expert guidance , as Tricia explained.

" We've had Dr. Lloyd-Parry from the Medical Eque strian Association speak to the division on the subject of dealing with spinal injuries and have also been spoken to by Dr. Cooper from the British OLympic Equittation Team. We make sure that we carry the right equipment and update our skills regularly but, fortunately, we haven 't had to deal with any injuries that July 1993

"We're handlin g just about everything from two foot ponie s with four year olds on them right up to hunter trials - and they are big - the animals are bi g a nd the area a trial covers is big too. Without any doubt it the sort of eve nt where yo u r ea lly do ne e d radio; without them you would have to make every weekend a co unty event just becau se of the labour you d need ."

Without the benefit of radio eq uipment a typical hunter trial will be covered by about a dozen members , but even there conside rabl e experience is called for in judging where members mu st be s tationed Fortunatel y, Colin's right-hand person in the division is a professional groom and co urt esy of her expe rt eye, it is po ss ible to work out in advance which jump are simp ly high , and which are both hi g h and potentially dan gero us. Indeed, the question of pre -eve nt planning i s one which thi s division take very seriou sly.

A rigorous management procedure is adhered to for every event with as much infollTlation as po s ible being gleaned from the organi er , making particularly s ure that there are no nasty Su rprises on the day. It vital that aspects which wouldn t trouble an urban division - such as how muddy is the access - are worked Ollt in advance. l1he importance of a small detail like this is apparent once you learn that So me 80% of Faversham s duties July 7993

From a First Aid angle, as with Pangboume 's experience , injuries are le ss se vere than a dedicated townie horse-p hobic might predict. " Generally , the reality is collar bone s and kicks. " Colin says, "it i sn t terribly dangerous, per se, it 's spectacular but it isn t that bad. You're not talking about tIle Grand National. Other than the collar bone it wo uldn 't be fair to s ay that hor se events have any specific s, in oLlr ex peri ence. Again , perhap s beca u se of that socia l thing I mentioned earlier, there is a competitive element

"I'm fairly we ll involved with mo s t of the point-to-points which we cover , which are probably the majority of our dutie s in that area , although we do a certain number of cross -country events and we also help the Red Cross with cover at Taunton Race s."

A s Faversham ha ve found in Paul's experience, it isn't really the activities which tend to characterise an equestrian event. " It tends to be the people involved more than anything else -

they are a breed of their own. As far as injuries are conoerned, YOLl tend fLo be veTY worried about fractured spines, with the jockeys in particular. I certainly get very concerned about serious injuries because we've had one or two of those in the past couple of years and that is always a worry."

Perhaps amplifying his comments about both the risks and the people , Paul recounts a problem encountered at an event near Minehead last year "Two of us were crewing a vehicle and we had a jockey who fractured his spine. We discovered then that the crowd and the so -called Jump Steward were more concemed about the event and seeing the rest of the event than they were about the jockey.

Having said that , I think this year in all the point-to-points we've covered we've had no serious casualties whatsoever - in a year's point-to-points we may get two casualties which have to go to ho spital, so it isn ' t as severe as you might imagine. But we do tend to be a little on edge at these events because of some of the situations we've come across. We re ever co ncemed that something serious is going to h appen Horses tend to be unpredictable so one of my big worries is that they l et many of the crowd come into arenas where a horse co uld be r unnin g loose. I'm a lways concerned that someone is going to be badly hurt some day because of that."

Having said that , Paul feel s that things h ave improved i n the last year as communication between the local organisers and St. John has grown.

"We are now working towards a common goal as the Jockey Club keep

setting new guidelines on the requ irements they think t hey nee d at these events. Next year, they're looking a t having a defibrillator on all the course - well, it's u seful , but the chance are that it's more likely to be u seful fo r th e crowd than the jockey s, but the goalposts are definite ly moving from the Jockey Cl ub and we are havin g to be exceptionally professional at these events. "

The tou g h rules now being insisted on for the sort of First Aid cover required by the governing bodi e of equestr ian events a l so concerns John Restorick, Assistant Commissioner (Operations) with Cleve land Divi s ion. Although their equestrian event duties are mo stly concerned with local pony club events - the loc al point-to-point courses having been 'deve loped into a business park - the dem a nd s for extremely sop hi st icated care are starting to fi lter down (perhap unreasonably) to even the malle t events

" Alot of them are govemed by rules which do sometimes pose quite a problem from the organiser's point of

v iew There a re uppo ed to be two amb ulanc es on the g round - one of th e m 4-whee l driv e - plus a doctor re ident. To be frank , th e little pon y club ju t ca n 't afford that ort of coverage.

We do have Redca r racecour eon ollr patc h up here and we were involved with th at in th e pa t, but ince they tarted puttin g o ut co ntr acts, aga in governed by National Hunt Rule , we haven't bee n involved , a lth o ug h we have put in a quote for next year, taffing with St. John Ambulance with backing from Cleveland Ambulance. Perhap s ne xt year it might come o ur way."

In terms of the ort of injuri es rece i ved, Cleveland' expe ri e nce suggests that, po ss ibly , ome of the new rul e are a littl e exce s iv e. " From the ridin g point of v iew it across the pectrum rea ll y; we 've had broken collar bones, broken legs and ometimes s uspected back injurie but, 11l Cbly, even on the p o int-to-points, we've see n quite minor injuri es although the potentia l is there of course."

About as far removed as one can get from the inner- c ity duty at a football match , the equestrian even t i a lice of rural life which, lik e all duties, is enjoyed by so m e - and loath ed by other. It is, however , as everyo ne I s pok e wit h was quick to point out, as much a socia l event as a sporti ng onea characteristic of country li fe and one whic h eve n if it is n 't immediate ly associated in tbe public's m ind with St. John , is an area in which St. John members are very act ively involved. Jf there is a cloud h e mging over it, it 's that over-regu l ation mi g ht be tak in g the place of rea so nable concern - but that, as tbey say, is another iss ue altogether.

July 1993

when treating a casualty

1 What 15 your aim ? with angina pectorts.

3. When assessing unconsciousness what is AVPU?

6. How do you relieve cramp in the calf muscles? - ) l\ How ! are es caUsed?

7. What is this treatment used for?

8. When using an orthopaedic stretcher which end do you fasten first? 2WE ./ 2447 (0123) 45678

9. A lorry with this Hazchem sign is carrying what? July 1993

70. Vi!hat are the components In a tnang/e of fire?

County and Divisional News

is maintain ed with th e classic Resusci Anne face mask. A mgged dur able tors o completes the tr@.in er whiJch is lightw eight and portable.

Uniforms

NOT SHY OR RETIRING

Dear Editor,

As an 'old-timer' myself who has passed the magic age of 65, I was most interested to read Roland Noble 's letter (May 1993) who dreads the thought of retirement after 25 years devoted service to St. John He says he does not want advice but he will have it in spite of his plea. Mr Noble will find that though he can no longer wear a uniform, because he has become part of the history of St. John he has a unique role to play - he can pass on that experience to others who want to improve society and in spite of the youthful spirits around him he can temper thJeir eagerness with his maturity of outlook.

He will find 'out there' a great need in the community for the ideals of St. John - First Aid teaching in the local school, help with the local blind and disabled clubs and the nearest day centre is always looking for volunteers.

Why not adopt a school or day centre for older people and continue the aims of 'service to mankind' without the ufliform?

I look forward to another poem which recounts Mr Noble's 'Life after St. John'. Yours sincerely

Derek McLinden St. John Harlow Essex

Ed - Mf' Noble has caused quite a stir with his of May '93. One or two St. John members have decided to offer some solutions which he may find useful

Dear Editor,

read with interest and sympathy Roland Nobl's letter in the May issue of St. John World. I have also heard these concerns expressed, on more than one occasion, by long serving members, who have given many thousands of hours of service over a number of years, in my own county

I do feel however, that Mr Noble is slightly misrepresenting the situation, as I understand it, nobody is being told to "get out", no more h an we tell Cadets aged 16 or 18 to "get out" , it is simply time to make the transition to a different part of St. John, namely the Fellowship.

Each month· there are reports of the many and varied activities of Vl1e Fellowship. In the same issue, Fellowship Chairman, Major General Leuchars says "Counties were 24 St. John World

increasil'lgly coming to regard their Fellow s hip Branches as positive assets". I am sure that this statement is correct and will continue to be so, as more older members of quality like Mr Noble with a lot to offer, continue to join its ranks

Young members of the Brigade have a great deal of respect for Mr Noble 's generation, who have given so generously of their time and talents in order to make St. John what it is today On the other hand I have aJso witnessed lack of development and stagnation when a person has not recognized that it is time to call it a day and make way for new blood.

So come on Mr Noble think po s itive! We of the younger generation still value your time and experience and desperately need the contribution that you can continue to make.

Seek out your local Fellowship Branch or even start your own! 1 am sure that rather than having one big hoJe in your life you will be even busier working for St. John than ever before. SI. John is not finished with you yet!

Yours faithfully

Mike Dickinson County Staff Officer Cleveland

Dear Editor,

I fully endorse the views of both Ronald Noble and Mrs Thorn (May issue). These members have hit the nail on the head and show just what the feelings are of our colleagues today.

Time and money it would appear in many cases is used with gay abandon by those who seem to be totally out of touch with 'the facts of life that our members in Division s experience.

One wonders just how much time and money was spent on deciding to change the time honoured word Instructor' to some new type of footwear, namely Brigade Trainer!

Our top policy makers should visit the Divisions on their home ground without a host of chiefs' in attendance and listen to what the 'indians' really think and lis te n to them with great care and consideration, then just maybe there will be enough volunteers around the Brigade to continue into the next decade

Yours faithfully

Peter Howard A/SIO R etired Surrey St. John Ambulance

T OP OF THE LEAGUE

Dear Editor,

I was interested to read in th e May c o lu mns of St. John Wor ld New s th e item concerning the tr ainin g co ur e 10 be offered by St. J o hn and th e Football

A ss ociation fo r foo tb a ll c lub

In co njun ction w ith the N E Hams Youth Leag ue, we at A h V a le hav e been running suc h courses for two year. It is a requirement of thi particu la r league that each team h as an adu lt helper tr ain ed in ba s ic Firs t Aid, atte ndin g eac h match

To date some 261 people have been trained , e n abling over 3 000 youngsters to e njo y their footba ll eac h weekend wilh so m eone on the s id e lin es trained in basic Firs t Aid , s ho u ld th e nee d a ri e.

More r ece ntly we h ave provid ed First Aid training for t he s teward s at Aldershol FC, alt hou g h n o lon ger a m e mber of Ihe Football League their g round s till co me under

St. John Crossword

Responsibilities will include investigating and deve oping exist ing programmes, course design and development, course del very and writing tra ning iterature.

The

Person

We urgently require an energetic trainer , with at least 3 years training experience , who has a good understanding of modern training philosophy and practice and can translate this into practical programmes

You will have excellent presentational skills with the ability to communicate at all levels

You wi ll have proven creative and analyt ca skills and be able to work closely in a team

You will probably be a graduate, wi t h a training qualification, and have gained some of your experience in a commercial environment. The position involves travel around the UK and weekend and evening work

Interested in applying?

Please

St. John Ambulance

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This also means that no time-consuming interna l cleaning is required.

Respirationlikearealbaby

The closed hyg ienic system ensures absolutely realistic reactions. During ventilation , the rib cage rises and falls just as if the manikin were a rea baby - and if the ventilation is too strong or too rapid , the stomach in flates letting you know at once that the trainee 's technique is incorrect. The air blown in through nose and mouth can only leave by the same route and it can be fel t and heard.

Ambu Baby corresponds to a baby up to one year old. It is the latest addition to Ambu 's family of training manikins.

Teaching Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) with Ambu manikins gives a totally life lik e simulation.

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To Resuscitate or Not to Resuscitate

T

FIRST AID Competitions

Th

Food for Thought

Wheels of Fortune

C o mmun ic a tion bet ween s ta f f isn t

a d e qu ate to e n s ur e th a t doct o rs in st ru ction s a re c an-i em out prop e rly ac c ordim g

M e di ca l J o urn a l. Th e s urv e y ca n-i e d o ut in f iv e ac ute m e di cal ward s , s h owe d th at in 15 p e r ce nt of nur ses' d ec is o ns s ur veye d th e re wer e mi sa ppre h e ns i o ns th a t " d o n o t re s u scitate" ord e rs a ppli e d to parti c ular p a ti e nt s. In a ddition n earl y on e in fiv e nur ses b e liev e d that a tt e mp ts we re not to be m a de to sa ve a p at ie nt , eve n wln e r e th e re w as no s upportin g doc um e nta rye vid e nce.

Dr Gilbert P a rk , a Con s ult a nt An aesth e ti s t w ith the help o f a co mmittee, e xamined d iff erent situ ati o n s wh e re th e need for res u scitation aro se , in orde r to dr a w up the Addenbmok e's g uidelin es.

T hey :fiol!llild t h a t only [ 5 pe F c e nt of terminally in pa tien ts s urviv e to be di sch a rg ed afte r cardio-pulm o nar y res u s citation.

" Th e d e ci s ion not to re s u sc ita te will b e made by do cto rs, p ati e nt s and th e ir re lativ es. It won t b e impo sed on an y body b e c a us e the pati e l1it 's vi e w pma I1'lOun t," D Ii Park s a ud Howeve r , Je f f Smith G e ne ra l M a mag e r of Coun s el and C a re, a n

News

An Eye Opener

WOt'k packa ge?

• Not working hand in glove with your fundt'aisers?

• Nervous about media interviews?

• Want to s hare g t'oan s and moan s or s uccess sto rie s with fellow PROs?

Follo w in

a trainin g, w ritin g ski ll s, th e l ates t inform ati on o n forthcoming initi ati ves, publ ica ti o n s upd a e, internal co mmuni ca, ti o ns a ll w ill be dea lt w ith ove r th e wee k end of 10 - 12 th Sep tembe r , at Milli s H ou se Th e co ur se f ee s £40 00 w hi c h includ es all m ea l s bu not tr ave , and an yo n e int er es ted (e ven if yo u r e no.t a

PRO but mi g ht lik e to be) should co nt ac

Richard Searson 011 071 2355231 Ext. 256.

Wiltshire's New County Commander

Wilt shire St. John ga in ed it s fir st em a l e Commande r , w he n Lad y H aw ey assum ed th e se nior unifo rm ed appointm ent on St. 10hn 's Da y (25 Jun e)

She suc cee d s Bri ga di er Jo hn B adl ey who retir ed af er fillin g th e ro l e w ith great di stin c tion for th e pa s e g ht ye ar s

Mrs J G Elsden

Deput y Coumy Pr es id ent , Stqf/ordsh ir e

Mrs B J Jarvis

Services to th e Brigade in Barr y & Va le

Mr I Phillips

SeJ"l'ices 10 th e Bri gad e in Mid Glamorgan

Mrs M M Starling

Volul1Iary Service in th e Co mmunit y and th e Bri gade, Essex

Miss M Ward

SeJ"\'ice s to th e Bri gad e in So uth & Wes t Yorkshir e

Lad y Ha w ey· s previou s pos t as Co unt y Pres i de nt goes t o. he t· D

In a Iditi o n t o havi n g se r ved as Co unt y

Pres id ent for Sl. Jo hn Amb u la nce sin ce 1983, Lad y H aw ey s a Direc tor o th e Will shi re H ea lth Ca re Tru st and a m emb er of her oca par h co un c il. She has pro ve d an ef fec ti ve fundrai se r for Sl. 10hn as we ll as a kee n fir st aid er w ho m a intain s he r First A iel at W o rk qu ali fi cation.

100 Years

Ago

( Th e following is 0/1 old press Cllllillg f irs ! prim e d in 1883) O

n Whit -Tue sday eve nin g w hil st a numb er of yo un g peo pl e were pla y in g " ki s - in - th e- rin g" in th e Old Cas tl e g ro und s, K ate Bart ett , of Newland , co llid ed w ith a yo un g m an w ho lik e her se lf, was runnin g ro und th e rin g. Sh e was kno cked down and rend er ed in se ns b le, in w hi c h condition she r emain ed fo r up wa r ds o f thr eequart er s o f an h our. Pc. G. Mill er, a m e mb er of th e Sl. Jo hn Amb ul anc e Soc e y, appli ed res o rati

th e U K o co mpl e te th e ir trai nin g.

Council Fails

Mentally-III Man

A ment all y- ill m an i ' set o rece iv e £550 co mp ensa tion rom t h e L ond on boro ug h of Tow r Haml e ts, following a lo ca l gove rnm en t rulin g that th e oca authority had fai le I to pr ov id e ade qu ate ca re for him

The rulin g, th o u g ht to be th e fir st und er th e new Community Care Act, stat ed th at "Towe r H aml e ts was g uilt y of maladmini str ati o n in fa ilin g to supp o rt th e m an o n hid i sc h ar ge from ho sp a and asse s hi s nee d s It ca use d him inju sti ce throu g h wo t:ry and stre

Th e man w ho li ve s in Stepney , L ondon h as a hi stor y of depress ion , att em p ted sui c id e and a co ho li sm. ]n 1989 he was dee m ed a vu ln erabl e, in g e, homele ss per so n and wa s ho u se d by T owe r Haml et s in a co un c il tow er block.

In January 1992 he wa s di scovered wanderin g about co nfu ed and wa aclmiLU ed to ho pital. H e was di sc h ar ged n Marcin " w ith o ut any k m l o f supp o r for Over a month ", according to th e olllbudsma n in vesti g atin g th e cas By th e end of M ar c h he had pent a ll hi s

August 1993

ST JOHN / Reunion for First Aider and Heart Attack Victim

Eri c Timp er ley. a se ason ed m arat ho n runn er co ll ap se d as h e cr ossed th e fini sh n e of th e 1992 F lee H a f Marathon

Eric R ob in so n , a St. John Ambu ance m emb er , wa on duty th at day and ga ve Er c mouth - to - mouth re su sc itati o n in th e

m o n ey on a co hol and had run out of food. H e h ad failed to arrend any ho spita o utpati ent app o intm ent s or Alcohol ics A n o ny mou s meetings.

v tal f ew minut es b efo re th e param edi cs arrived.

Eric aged 53 was advi sed n o to run i n th e 19 93 mar ath o n and in stea d h and ed out m ed a a th e fini sh lin e.

Th e Fl ee H al Marathon m ark ed two sp ec al occasions ; th e fi r st m ee tin g of th e victim and th e lifesave r sin ce the in cide nt and th e aunch of th e Brea th of Life ca mp a g n Even af er the co un cil beca m e involv ed , th e ombud sman says th at " th ere was no ev id enc e th at hi s needs were tru c tured in an y way "

St. John World 7

A Fond Farewell

e Some Madeira My Dear

w it h t he ir loca l Cadets a n d Badge r s fo r th e past 12 years.

Ap ril a nd Co lin are d u e to board h e Canb e rr a o n D ece mb er 22 fro m So utham p ton a nd

woma n Pete r Mars ha ll , Ho pi ta l Repre se ntative for Camb ri dge h ire, a d, " it wi ll be immed ate ly of u se to t he hosp i ta l to exte n d its se r vice s and res tore s ight to hu nd reds of patie n t ."

Mr Mar s h a ll a tt e nded the f un e ra l on be h a lf of t he K ni g hts of Sl. Jo hn Medical Staff Lack Resuscitation Skills T

d fo r t un e H e r co nn ec ti o n t o S t. J o hn is via h e r hu s b a nd , C ol in w h o h as bee n in vo lv ed St. John World

1993

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A Land Down Under

S t. John in Australia as in this countr y, has a wider responsibility than providing First Aid cover at public duties as Reverend David J Hart found out when he went down under to study the Aussie way.

One of the fea tur es of life in Au st ralia that very diffe rent fr o m the UK s di ta n ce. In Queen s and i t s ov er 200km s from HQ in Fortitude Yalley , Brisbane to the northern Illo st d i v i sion a C airn s, and over 1500 km s to th e we stern mo s in C h arl e v ill e d ee p in th e outback. Th e metropolitan area of Bri b ane i s covered by two corp s with adjoin in g corp s on the Go ld Co as t to the sout h e ast and to th e we st. In Queen s and , there ar e 676 o pe r ation a members and 46 1 cad e members divid ed ov er 32 adult di v s on s, 18 c adet d vi s on s and 7 combin ed di v i sion s In 1991 14,446 c asu al ti es were treated state-wide dur ng 6 0 675 duty hours Su c h a large di strict demands huge comm itm e nt in term s of bo th memb er s in the divi s on s and at HQ l eve l.

The l ast two y ears h ave see n th e intr od lllCt o n of a numb e r of inn ovatio n s in St. Jo hn Queen s and. Durin g the period , o peration branch m embership h as grown by 10 % and ne w divi sion s are b ein g formed an d e ven more ar e in the p peli ne Th s pro g r amm e of e x p an sion aim s to put St. John into all m ajor ce ntres of pop ul at ion ove r the ne x i ve yea r s The growth s bein g co-ord in at ed throu g h a deve opment plan whic h set s goal s and aim s fo r eac h e v e of th e org anisation. T h e re spon sibilit y for ov er seein g th e p an ie s with th e state HQ and it s f ull time staff he ad ed by Operat i on s Man age r Brian Murphy.

A practical o u tcome of the Dev e l opment p an ha s b een the c r eation of the Op eration s Branch , as w ell as c o mmuni ca tion s through a VHF radio netwo r k and technical training and as st an ce to divi sions Probably the mo st import ant part of the work o OSU i s the training of members through the Train in g School. Th e schoo l , w hi ch at the moment provide s induction tr a inin g fo r the recr uit s to Bri bane metropolitan d v sion s i s not re pon sible f o r First A i d nr ainin g All First Aid co ur ses are run by t he train in g branch ; th e job of th e Trainin g School s no prepare member s of Operation s Br an c h to undertake Public Duties. It doe s so by offerin g a cour se in thr ee parts. For t he irs six week s a n ew recruit atte n d s ectur es on cond uct at public duty, drill and adm ini strat o n. In th e ec ond training block recruits atte nd a minimum of four ni ghts in th e division to w hi ch hey wi ll be all ocated and undertake n o ess than 20 h ou r s of public duty. The r ecr uit hen ret urn s to the Tra inin g School for a fi n a bl ock of ec tur es o n commun i cat o n s, st r ess m an agement and he Skills Maintenance programme.

Th s p r ogramme rakes in t he ob li g at ory annu al update of sk ill s se down by the C hi ef Surgeon St. John A u st r al ia , und ertaken by all members o Operations Branch. The va lu e of c entr ali sed t

The speed of growth in membership has meant that a dynamic way of training people thoroughly through St. John has had to be devised.

A n e w inn ov atio n h as bee n th e intr odu c tion by St. Jo hn A ustr alia of a book c al ed " Sur v v a ! Rem o e Ar ea Firs Aid ". V er y mu ch in lh e tradition of th e R oya l F y in g D oc to r Ser v i ce th e boo k aim s to p l ac e into th e hand s o som e of th e es timat ed 27, 000 Au str a i ans who c amp out eac h ni g ht, th e ba s c info rm ali o n required to dea w ith often quite minor njuri es whi c h can , b ec au se of re moten ess and da n ge r , bec o m e maj o r di saster s in he o utba c k

For on e coup e in th e r fifli es wh en their our- wh ee l dri ve wago n brok e do w n in t he G bson D ese rt in Apr il 199 1 a f au lt y t wo-way radio m ean t the y w ent f o r 15 day s be fore b ein g o und. In th at kin d of situ atio n , Sl. John, throu g h it s pub li cation, s e nco ura g in g peo pl e to prepare prop erly as w ell as bein g ab l e to app y Firs Ai d w hen it i s nece ssa ry. In Q uee n and a on e d urin g 19 9 1 nearl y 34 000 indi vid ua s took part in St. John spon sored cour ses T h ese ran ge!l from sh o r t "Sav e A Life" co ur ses n ba s c CPR thr o u g h no Fi rst Aid a.t Sea cour ses, advan ce d res u sci hatio n and o cc u patiomti First Aid Many in stru c tor. are al so m e mb er s and off ce r s of Op erati ons B ranc h and eac h instru c tor op erat es

Horsing Around

Saudi Arab ia 's Prince Khali A bdullah watc hed a disappointing Derby for his three yea r old colt Tenby, ranked favourite. However, Prince Khali wasn't the on ly one who needed careful handling on De rb y Day. Anne Reilly r eports

Th e f i r t e ver D erb y was run on 4 Ma y 178 0 , attr ac tin g hirty -s x ent ri es , whittl ed dow n o nin e t alt er s. It was wo n by Sir Ch ar es Bunbur y'S co l t Di o m ed, ridd en by Sam Arnull. (Th e Diom ed Slak es

cO l11m em o ntin g th at fir s w inn er s no w ad ay th e m ain supp o rtin g race on Eve r R eady D erb y Da y ) I t has g row n int o o ne of th e m os t fa mous r ac in g eve nt s in th e co untr y with hundreds o f th ousa nd s of peo pl e r1 0ck in g o th e D ow ns eac h y ea r t o w itn ess th e ra c in g ex tr avag an za. Som e o b v i ous y w ith drea m s of a bi g w in and oth er.

ju st o enjo y th e r ac in g and th e beautifu l surro und s of th e D own s

Back CI S far as th e irs eve r D erb y, on thi s da y a on e, c la ss barri er s were supp ose dl y rem o v ed " F o r o nce, peopl e spea k t o ot her peo pl e to whom th ey hav e not bee n form all y introduced , and po siti ve y hob and nob with th ose pa pab y inferi or o th em in tati on " w rot e t he lilu tr ated Lond o n ews. Now ada ys, it stil attr ac t as bro ad a c r osssec tion of spectator s fr o m th e ri c h and f amou s who sit in th Qu ee n

Sta nd. ippin g c hampa g ne and nj oy in g a li ght ob ster lun c h, to the work in g ass spec tator who se sum total of w age r s f o r t he da y po ss ibl y wo ul dn c on st i tu e th e c ost o th eir lu nc h !

Horse- r ac in g is b g busin es s n owad ay s T h e c o sts in vo l ved in trainin g and keepin g h or ses of thi calibre are ph enomenal and the fi nanci a impl i c ation s of an injury to a jock ey are va , 0 eve ry e ffort s made to have the be st po ss b le trea tm ent av ail abl e for jock eys and August 1993 punt

Aylsham Division - Norfolk

tre c he r f ro m a n adv en in S t. J o hn W or ld a nd co ll ec tin g th e th in gs we nee d e d befor e l'iJ an d , as w e w e n t a lo n g, befo re ac tu a ll y bo ug ht th e ve hi c e . W e did as mu c h as p oss ibl e o ur se lv es w h e n co nv e rtin g it, to sa ve m o ney, lik e mak in g th e s ink fr o m a d og's bo w (a n ew o ne !)

Whi c h cos t u s a bo ut s ix p o und s in stea d of tw o o r three tim es

Halkney Division - London

One important area whi c h neeo eo atten ti on L ee(ls dec id ed, was th e provision o f' four wh ee driv e vehi cles for cove rin g even s such as hal' e <1 tri a s " We wanted a ve hicle that wo uld wo rk as we ll on road as ofT road , so we we nt

Avon

Mrs Vicky Ru ss, Co unt y Transport Offic er fo r Avon, repo rt s th a Avon s another 51. John st rong hold of th e Ford Transit range. in thi s case eith er Wadham Stringer conv er si ons. or what they call the 't in Tran sits' - nO[ a disparagin g reference to th e quality of metal u ed by Ford. but to differentiate the metal-bodied van conversions from the coac hbuilt fibregla ss type s.

" Our policy s to ook fo r spec ifi c wo rkhor ses for spec i fic job:' he says. "50 wh ere we are running. for examp e, a welfare unit. we found a Ren ault Ma ster wa ri ght for that but where we needed a four w heel drive ve hicl e we weill for a Land Rover. For a front lin e ambul ance it wou d, I think. ha ve to be a Ford Tran sit. converted in th e way y ou can afford They're cost effective o run. hey're extre me y reliable they re ni ce thiflg s to driv e and when yo u compare them costwise with other vehi c les they are mile s ahead. The only thing th at comes anyw here near clo se s the Renau lt , but the Renault s ex tre me y expen sive on spare s, so really y ou've go nothing e se that will do. "

In enns of advice for other divi s ons who ma

veh c e which th ey bou ght from East Dyfed Area Hea lth Aut hority " We ran th at for two yea rs to augment th e fund s th at we were tartin g to bllild up. We we re th en ab le o se ll th at and put th e mon ey towards our new ambu ance," Pam says " Th e choice for us was between the Ley and Oaf and a Ford Tran sit. bu th e Ford wa a bit more ex pensive. We found th a th e Ley land Oaf was within our gras p and th e l oca authority we re a so co nv ertin g tho se. The ba se ve hi c e was cheape r and so was th e co nv er sion aga in st th e Ford. "

A sked fo r her op tip or any d v s ons ca n id erin g a purchase now. Pam ag rees that it i s always a difficul decision to mak e. "You've got to consider the money yo u have or are lik el y o gc t and th en it s a case of cuttin g yo ur coa t to su it you r cloth. You should look aro und ve ry ca refull y to see what i s avai ab le and check w ith yo ur conve rt er th at the y are prepared to do what yo u wa nt rather th an ju t offer in g a fi xe d pa cka ge. You can look at oth er ambulan ces when yo u are out and see what th ey have go and build up a picture of' wha t yo u need to do th e work yo u are go ing o und ertak e Although our ambul ance s to he l ocal authorit y'S pec ifi ca tion. we have so me variat ons for ourselves. lik e th e arrangemen t of the she ves and cupboards. Also, beca use we are primaril y a Firs Aid po st, we've had so me sli ght alt erations in th e seat in g Mo st converte r are prepared to do what you wa nt bu t need to work out fir s of all what it s yo u want."

Leeds Metropolitan Area

During th e pa s two years, Leed s' vehi c e poli cy has und ergo ne a thoro ugh re-apprai sa wh i ch ha s re sulted in some major ,c hange s, says Gordon Tollefso n Area Staff Off icer, Operati ons

" What we have don e i s l ook at th e situation and see wha we want and what is th e bare minimum we can opera te w h Althou gh the Leed s area covers so methin g ike 200 square mile s we didn ' n want o get too many veh c les. Th e [DGlicy in th e Leed s area for many yea rs ha s been that all vehi c es are held by the area, th e divi sion s don't hold ambulances beca use we ee l hat ambulances are spec ali se d pi eces of eq uipm em whi ch need to be kept on top of."

Another VW3l is opet'ated by Leed a a co ntrol and First A id unit. alth ough th at mod e l acks the tur bo-c harg in g whi ch Gordon say s mak es th e wo rld of di ff'erence on th e ong di stance mOlO rway journeys w hi ch th eir main VW frequ en tl y use d or

Armed with th e new Bedfo rd and th e Volkswagen. Leeds were th en in th e fortunat e po iti on of being offe red funding for a spec ific emerge ncy ve hi c e suit llb e 1'0 1' long d stance s "We simpl y went for the Ford Transit with th e CuslOml in e co nv rs on." Go rd on says. "We're ve ry pl eased w ith th at. It 's go t th e 2.9 Scorpio petrol inj ec tion engi ne, it '5 ve ry fa st, ve ry smo oth runnin g, ve ry co m fo rtabl e and good for pat ent ca re, but of co urse it ha sn t go t th e space in it th at th e VW has."

Asked what s hi s advice for oth er di v s on co nsid erin g th e purcha se o a new ve hi c e Gordon say , " l would say , sit dow n and wo rk ou t ve ry very ca refull y what th ey need the vehi c e For. If yo u are talkin g about ju st one division on th eir own with one vehic e, rath er th an an area

ha it ow n, very spec ific, nee ds. To o mu c h in th e way of ce ntral con tr ol. too many thou shalt not s ', would achieve nothin g other th an cries of "they don't und erstand th e oca condi tion s".

Th e difficult y we've got," Stu art ays, " s that what uit s Cumbria, doe sn ' t suit Sussex and doesn ' suit Cornwa ll - so th er e s li cense und er the g uid ance for divi sion s o buy th e ve hi c e w hi c h suit them and r th nk it 's ri g ht that th ere should be ."

Thi s d ive r sity of requirem ent r efl ects the probl em faced by the vehicl e m anufa c turer s th em elv es, as Stu art ex pl ai n "Th e motor manufactur er wou ld be delighted if t hey w ere ab e to produce a vehicl e which wou ld be suitable for all se r vices, but is n't go in g to happen Geca use he needs are so different t hrou ghou the country."

As far a ' buyin g new v ehi c les s co nce rn ed phe fl ex ible policy of buy what suit you be s s adm ir abl e and und er s andabl e, but seco ndhand vehicles could prese nt problem if divi s ons were unwi e enough to opt fo r runnin g unreliable ru st-buck ets. As id e of th e potential danger to c li ent memb er s and othe r road use r s, th e im age

August 7993

pre se nted by Su. John arriving (0)1" failing no a rrive) in a veteran loanger would hardly be in keeping :w ith the St. John replllna tion. F@r all that, the rule s fer divisions who have dec id ed a seco ndhand vehicle is not only what need , but all the y ca n affo rd aren't over-strict

.. We talk about PR - the ambulance on duty with the ambulance man or woman is our greatest PR

" If a division s buyin g a secondhand vehicle, the polic y s th at they have to have an RAC or AA repo rt , so that we know we ve got a standard which is acce ptable. They ha ve to be MOT'd annually, so th at mechanically they re kept in the order that th ey should be, eac h division s then in spected every yea r by the repre se nti ve of the Commis s ion er-i nChief, ie th e Commi ss ioner or hi s re prese ntativ e in the co un ty, so th e re again we should have a standa rd form of the eq uipment caITied."

In telm s of that equipn:Jenr, again there is recog nition of the need for fkxibility. " There isn t G;e ntral g uidanc e as to what equipment shou ld be G:arried on each vehicle becau se their duti es do alter. You cannot say that a vehicle with a tai l- lift , doin g da y centre work, for example, ne eds to have a defibrillator and so on. Where the y do have to co nfo11n is so th at they are recog ni se d as an ambul ance, in that they a re ca pabl e of ca lT y in g a stretcher becau se that is part of the exemption we ha v€: with the lic e nse fee.

" Where we do have strong guidelines is how the ve hicl es have to look , and that s laid down in poli cy as to the marking s on the ve hi cle in tenns of what they should have on them, th e co lour of the stripin g and so on Having go t all that in place, thou g h, I ca n st ill go around th e country and in every county there is so mebod y doing so me thin g different - that isn t what the y a re to ld to do , but it does happen , regretfully. "

If that sounds like nit-picking over det a il it needs to be recog ni sed that a charitable body ha s the sa me need to pre se nt a unified 'corpo rate

ima ge' as a nmli t- nan ional oil co mp any or a national railway system W it su il l have one). In's no t ju st unirfor mi uy for unifo rmi ty's sake, ti ne public needs to know ju st whom it is dealing with on an in stantl y recog ni sa bl e ba si.

Unexpectedly, thi s ha co nnot ation s wh ic h the unw ary a narchi ca ll y_ ,minded division mi

Were St. John a co mm e rc ia l orga ni sa ti on, as Stuart point s out, any e ri o us analysis of th e fl eet be in g run wo uld prob ably ha lve he number of vehicles , but th e role of the a mbul ance wit hin St. John i merely functional.

" If yo u looked at it from a tri ct bu s ine POiIll of v iew a nd took tho se ambulances out of th e s ma ll divisions yo u wo uldn t have Illan y me mb e rs left. Peo ple are so proud of lheir a mbul ances, th ey will s pend ho ur s po li shin g th e m and look in g after th em and th ey take rea l pride in them. One wo uld be ve ry oat h to be heavy- handed, e ith e r beca use you mi g ht not, str ict ly, need the ve hicl e, or wilh over-zealous regulation Ye , th ey've go t to confonTI, ye th ey've ga lla have th e ri ght tand ard and carry th e equ ipm ent we wa nt to see o n the m, bur we have to strik e a en ibl e balance. We talk about public re lations - the ambulance on dury with th e ambul a nce man o r

512611

"Volunteer" sign 3 60 x 2 6 0 mm large r size for Mobi le Units/ Fir st Ai d Po st s S12614

Preserved Ambulance Devioe 512610

REVERSING ALARMS'WARNINGS SAVE LIVES"

Every ambulance should be equipped with this audible reversing alarm to alert un seen pedestrians.

Easy to fit [full in st ru c tions ar e giv e n) th e St Joh n Reversin g Alarm has hi gh teChnology el ectronic sp eec h with th e llles sage "Attention - St. John Ambulance Reversing". Not o n ly good for sa fet y Purpo se s it is a lso ex ce ll ent Publi c Relations. F40030 to id ent ify

arr i va l s an d d epartur e tim es. 501300 i'i-

A va luabl e r ecord of amb u lan ce us e including a ve hicl e ch ec k lis t, tyre pr ess ur e, fu e l l evel, etc, equipm ent c h ec k , pur chases and ex p endi ture.

AM8EX International 93

ftec

He

Essential Medical Equipment

Pla

Sanitary

IMMEDIATE CARE (fli

PREMIER HAZARDWarning the World

Sabre Medical have a product to meet your needs - whether your requirement is for oxygen for resuscitation, the treatment of traumatised patients or oxygen therapy.

All Sabre products are robust, require minimum servicing and are designed for ease of use. This enables the carer to concentrate on his or her patient and not on the operational details of the equipment.

The range includes:

• Manual and automatic resuscitation systems conforming to BS 6850, AHA guidelines , etc. (The MARS).

• Manual only resuscitation systems with 100 % oxygen on demand (The DVRS).

• Portable, refillable oxygen cylinders with easily adjusted flow rates

• A range of easy to adjust Multiflow oxygen regulators for use on pin index and bullnose cylinders or for piped systems with BS 5682 connn®ctions.

For full details on the Sabre range - or to arrange for a demonstration or field trial- please contact Ken Perry O li Tom Knight.

around the worl d we have been able to enjoy yea r on year growth, all owing us to re-invest profits in the design and ntroduction of new techniques and products- for the benefit of our customers" says Managing Director, Bryn Tennan t.

Contact: Premier Hazard Systems (UK) Ltd, Moorfield Estate, Yeadon, Leeds, LS 19 7BN Tel: 0532391111. Fox: 0532 391131

Mattleslield Motor Bodies (UK) Ltd

Is there a roll for the 'small' ambulance within St. John? Our experience would indicate a firm yes, with more divisions opting for the single stretcher ambulance with its initial lo w purchase price and low operating costs With first line ambulances now getting into the £30,000-£35,000 price range, can the extra £16,000 for the faci ity to carry two stretcher patients simultaneously be cost effective? The Vauxhall Midi carries a York IV, or Easy Load stre tcher, carry chair, locker space, attendant etc. at around £16,500. The 2.00 litre engine gives an excellent performance and the narrawer body is ideal in heavy troffic. The St. John divisions operating M.M.B ambulances are now far too numerous to mention, we are proud that the personnel of each division became friends

Contact: M.M.B. International, Unit A, Colamine Street Macclesfield Cheshire, SKll 7HU Tel: 0625615025/511421 Fox: 0625511513

SABRE - The Oxygen Specialists

Sabre Medical are specialist manulacturers 01 emergency equipment for use on ambulances.

The "flag ship" of the Sabre range is the MARS (Manu al and Automatic Resuscitation System). MARS, conforming to the requirements of BS 6850, combines Manual and Automatic Resuscitation and Oxygen therapy facilities in the one unit and has the ability to treat up to 3 patients at the same time. Thedesign ph ilosophy of MARS sone of simpliciN, leaving the carer to concentrate their ski son looking after the patien t, not remembering how to operate the equipment.

The Sabre" Multiflow" range salso wide y used by public and vo luntary ambu ance services: "Mul ti flow" is a simp le to operate and accurate medica oxygen flow system that is ava il abl ein four permu tations; permanently connected to lig htweight refillable portable cy inders, with pin index or bu nose connections for use with rented cy nders and fitte dwitll BS 5682 probe connectio nsfor use with piped supp lies in ve hcl es. "Multiflow" un ts can De used fo r oxygen enriched bag and mask resu sci tation, the treatment of traumatised casual ties aru dfor oxygen theropy for patie nts wth breathin gdiff icu l ies.

Thenew Sabre EASE (Entonox de very set) is also proving very successful with ambulances, indee dtwo publ ic se rvces, Cle ve and and Mid Gl amo rgan areboth n theprocess of ful ly equ ip pngwth EASE. Augu st 19 93

10th National AMBULANCE RALLY & EMERGENCY SERVICES SHOW

Billing Aquae/rom, Northampton - 4/5 September, 1993 asma ll acorn to a mighty mega shaw, that in anutshe ll is the story of the National Ambu ance Ra ly and Eme rgency Services Show.

Ten years ago the event was started as a funday at Windsor Safari Park, by the Mid· Be rksh ireArea of St. John Ambulance with a handful of vehicles. With the Bri t sh Ambulance Preservation Society, joining farces with them thereafter, the event sudde nly took an anew meaning with more and more Divi sians and Ambulance Services throughout the B ri tish Isles wanting to toke port

In 1992, the event which had for the previous three years become a two day affa ir, saw the attendance of no less than two hundred and twenty three N.H.S County Ambulance Services as far a field as Northern Ireland and Scotland. Added to this, eight ambulances travelled from Germany

WADHAM STRINGERCoathbuilders Ltd

facilities helicopter rides, fun entertainment, arena displays, bands, trade stands and much more.

For further information and full details: Please write enclosing a stamped addressed envelope for reply to: B.A.P.S. Head Office, 21, Victoria Rood, Harley, Surrey RH6 9BN.

Why not let your division be repr.esented this year or make it a divisional weekend outing? Write now lor details.

Sf. JOHN SUPPLIES -

Your First Choite lor FIRST AID

Whether it's a bondage or a plaster, stretcher or resuscitator you'll find

Addressing the issue

SCANCOM RADIO COMMUNICATIONS

H. ·W. PICKRELL LTD

- Determining Customer Needs

MERCEDES BENZ

it m g ht be an app r opriate poem for SI. John W o rld and ho pe yo u w ill co nsid e publi shi ng it in th e ma gaz in e. You rs failhfull y Sa rah C hamb ers Cran e ig h Comb in ed Cad e t Divisioll Sur r ey

T end er ov ng ca re one thin g y ou nee d H aVin g th e kn ow edge to succee d, Ev en wh en you are und er pr ess ure, Makin g ur e t he ca sualty ge t s bell er

Ambul an ces ac in g everyw here,

G o ng to th e scene, tota y un awa re, nvolved with peop l e w hom yo u don kno w Ca ualti es in pain , life sudd enl y goes slow

O rferin g yo ur se rvi ces free o r c harge, F aint ing peopl e, small and arge

SaVi ng li ves, wh at ca n yo u do?

ABC w ll he p yo u thr o ugh

FA W - Too Expensive?

li Ving in a world of dan ger.

Injuri es oc cur w th Fri end or str anger

Vindi ci ve remarks gno ed by om e

Em crg ency staff go and come , Seeing thin g s nhat mak e yo u numb.

Sarah C

co urse are seen as nothin g but a li abilit y , every th ing now being gea red to how much can be ex tra c ed from indu stry Ho w , otherwise, can £200 a tim e, as quoted for the new forth com in g FA W co urse pa ckage be ju stified?

If m y di v s on need s to d o a co u rse, who w ill pay for thi s at es confectio n -the di vi s on the in stru c or, area, co un ty or who') To a firm suc h a th e one 1 wo rk for thi s sum wo uldn even show up in th e petty cas h bo ok but it wou d mak e a me re mortal co ug h the y had to hell o ut for it.

Ano th er de erren for in sru cto rs w ho onl y do Bri gade co urse s th e fee c harged to r enew th eir instr uctor ce rtifi ca tes. I a p resent, am lu cky hat m y ce rtifi ca e s renewed at work, and as suc h it cos s me nothing to do o (The stu pi dit y of my hav in g to do re fr es her at both wo rk and co unt y becau e one do es n t recog ni se th e other. ha for the pre se nt bee n resolved ) 1fT had to go on a co unty co urse alon g w ith rh e major ty. then I wo uld have to fork out £50 or the pri vi ege of teac hin g on free co urses which co t me mon ey eve ry tim e I do one After al it co s enoug h to bu y th e ins tru cto rs manual , updates. and co urse books w ith ou anyt hin g el se adding

Becau

25. Se cr c c d hy th e kidn ey' (5) 26. Fi \! aiel in Ih e beg innin g o!' rea l1l enl pr ot uccs ,y ncopa at ad. (5) 27. Sa i l<, o r ro pe- ma ki ng fi b re. (5) r - ------------------------, i St. John Fellowship

: If yo u ha

..

Medical Conference ... Medical Co ence

'

he 1993 Medical Conference was held over the weekend of 23-25 at the University of Nottingham. Over 200 St. John doctors and nurses attended the conference, chaired by Dr. MacPhie, Medical Director at NHQ. "The programme aims to cover a variety of what we hope are interesting, social and topical subjects," said Dr. MacPhie. St. John World covers some of the highlights.

Th e Medi c al Confe rence ha s a re putation for cov e rin g controvers ia l , li ve ly topi cs which are certain to s p a rk off heate d d e bate - thi s y e ar wa s no diffe re nt, s o oxyge n a nd entonox were on tap for tho s e who overdid it! Dr. MacPhi e wa s the fir s to bra ve the brilliant coll e ction of medic a mind s. Hi s talk on the Tripartite Committe e and th e Re s uscitation Council s parked off s ome lively comments from the floor as Dr. MacPhie c overed two main bon es of conte ntion , following a report of an updat e meeting of the European R es u s cit a tion Council in Brus s e1 s in March of thi s y e ar.

Fir s tly , the "s hould we leave t he c as ualt y and go and g et he lp dilemma. The ERC were unrepent e nt about thi s advi ce a nd maintain it 's s till th e bes t proc e dure to follow Obviou s y, thi s throw s th e qu es tion of how far away from help do y ou need to be before you follow this ad v ice , e s pec ia lly in rural area s. Considerin g thi s el e ment , th e ERC have charg ed the BLS Workin g P a rty with lookin g at it and making a ny se n s ibl e addition s, but to date there is s till no chan g e in polic y -g ettin g profes s ional help for the casualty mu s t be your fir s t priorit y.

Secondl y th e ongoing a s pirin d e b ate.

" There is a wide s pectrum of view s from members of the medical profe ss ion about the u s e of aspirin within the four hour period after the onset of cardi a c arre s t ," s aid Dr. MacPhie. " The general feelin g is that, in particular condition s a s pirin will do more good than harm ."

The introduction of the 1992 Manual Handling Operations Act ha s re s ulted in quite alot of conversation and d e liberation about tlute very re al prospect of becoming injured by way of manual handling In 1991 the Post Off ice lo s t hundred s of working day s due to injurie s s u s tained a s a re s ult of thi s and almo s t 40 % of their employee s take early retirement becau se of thi s problem. The Manual Handling Act 1992 replace s patchy old fa s hioned legisl.ation with a modem ergonomic approac h to the problem and implement s the 1990 EC directive Oft manual handling

Dr Michael Webb, Senior Occupational Physician in the Post Office Occupational Health Service and Medical Director (As s ociation) St. John Ambulance, s aid that 28St.JohnWorld

s ta nti a l inte rn a ti o nal acce p ta n ce o f th e

sca le of th e m a nu a l handl ing probl e m a nd method of preve nti o n. M o d e rn m e di c in e and s ci e n t ifi c kn o wl e d ge," he s ugge s "stre ss th e impor ta n ce of a n erg onomi c approach in re movin g o r re du c in g th e ri s k s of m a nual handlin g injuri es."

Disorders

FACET OF SACROIL JO INT

INTERSPINOUS LIGAMENT

CAPSULE OF APOPHYSEAL JOINT «; NBPA

Th e e rg onomi c a pproac h i s s om e tim es describ e d a s fittin g th e job to th e pe rso n in s tead of vi ce v e rsa. It look s a manu a handlin g a s a whol e e n a tur e of ta s k , load workin g en v ironm e nt and th e individu

Alre ady four month s b e hind in complying with th e new r eg ulation s s aid Dr W e bb " W e n eed to a ppro

of b a t o ns a nd protec ti ve e quipm e nt is n t s e mmin g soci ety's v io le nt tre nd. P eo pl e d o n 't see m o be af ra id o f ge ttin g hurt a nd it' s lI1 ev it a bl e t h a t St. J o hn m e mb e r w ill be in vo lv e d in th e c ea nin g up o pe rati o n afte r a riot. Sup e rint e nd e nt Dou g la s Br a nd Commandan o f th e Publi c Ord e r Tr a inin g ex pl a in e d th e g rea t n ee d fo r c h a nge III Ollr soc ie ty to c op e w ith occ urre nces of thi s nature He is res p o n ibl e fo r tr a ining

hi s me n and wom e n in Firs t Aid Augu st 799 3 s o th a t w he n th ey d o beco m e in vo lved in vio le nt s itu a ti o n a nd if th ey d o ge hurt th ey w ill be a bl e to t reat eac h ot he r. Sup e rint e nd e nt Bl a n d ugges t s th a t th e re is a g rea t n e d f o r th e '- d eve lop m e nt of tec hni q ues base d on rea life pr ac ti ce a

Medical Conference ... Medical Co

is s ue of pa ying our membe rs, as is a lrea d y the practice in the Channel I sl and s Australia and part s of N e w Zeal a nd. Thi s, he s ug ges ts, could help us so lve o ur recruitment and retent ion problem s, a there is a po ss ibilit y th at we ar e go in g to run o ut of members to do pub lic dut e s, as much of these are alre ady carried o ut b y older retire d peopl e. Instea d we co uld ha ve a gro up of paid staff wh o could be available for dutie s on a guaranteed bas is. The two main advanta g es of h a vin g s uch a gro up are : there will alw a ys be a nucl e us of fu ll-time staff avai l ab le; it is po ss ib le for that nucleu s to g ain and maintain standard s that other St. John member s ma y not be able to achi e ve.

B u t can we afford to pa y our memb e rs and wou ld thi s not be a contradi c tion in te nns of our charitable statu s? " I believ e that th e introduction of t he conc e pt s of profe ss ional service , pro fess iona l standa rds and profe ss ional orga nisatio n and mana gement don t in a nyw a y or at lea st ne ed not in anyway de tr act from t he voluntary princip les of which th e St. John fami ly a ll over the world is ju st ly proud ," he sa id.

Obvious y thi s is not a concept that co uld be implemented immediatel y nor did he h int that St. Jo hn intended to imp lement s uc h a strategy bu it did provoke much food for thought.

Audit

According to anot her s peaker, Sea n

B ren nan a member of the Med ica l A udit Committee at the Department of He a lth t here is ab s o l utely notlhi ng that ca n't be a udited from tract u res to tea bag s App lying th s to St. John Ambulance , he s uggested we need to in stigate a programme of a u dit, for o u r stand a rd s, comp lai n ts, patient comp l ica t io ns, waiti ng

an a udl it unit

to m a ke reco mm e nd an ion s of pr act ice On e of the importa nt pa rts of the a udit cyc le he su gges ts is " to reassess th e s itu at io n to see ho w you 've bee n ge ttin g o n". Th ey ha d successfully condu c ted an audit int o a nkl e fr ac t ur es in va riou s ho s p ta ls thr oug ho ut the county reco rdin g c h anges in proced ur e, waitin g tim es a nd rec ov e ry pe ri od s.

Ke yn ote S peak er Co l in Ralph Reg is tra r and Chi ef Exec uti ve of th e UK Ce ntr al Coun c il e mph as sed th e imp orta nce of th e re ati ons hip be twee n medi c in e a nd nurs in g

He spo ke of th e need fo r c hange , but no t ju st chan ge for ch a nge ' s sa ke Cas tin g as id e tr adi tion s beca use you think th ey' re o ld fas hi oned a nd outdat ed is not a goo d id ea, b ut in s te ad f indin g a co mmon g round whi c h will lead to prog ress is th e o nly way fo rwa rd.

" Our ch alle nge is to take th e bes t o f th e pas t and prese nt a nd take th e m into th e f utur e," he sa id Good hea lth ca re need s goo d nursin g and me di ca l s kill s an d it s imp e ra tiv e t ha t nurses a nd d oc tor s wo rk to geth e r to pro vide th e bes poss ibl e se rv ice.

Nagorno Karabakh

B aro ness Cox o Ffe re d a sta rk a nd moving acso unt of th e ma nm ade d i o rde r in the be leag ue red and bo mb a rd ed agorno· Ka ra bakh Th ro ugh he r eyes th e a udi ence wi tn esse d th e horri fic res ult · of wa r on a c il y a nd its inh ab it a nt s. B a roness Cox has v is ited K a ra ba kh wi th t wo hum a n ri ghts o rga ni sat o ns, th e A ndr e S ac ha roff Fo und ati o n, w ho a re co nce rn ed w ith the vic ti ms of oppress ion rega rdl ess o f colo ur , creed o r race. a nd C hri ti a n So lid a rit y Inte rnati o nal , wh o s pec ia li se in ta ki ng aid to v ic tim o f re press ive reg ime a nd be in g a vo ice fo r th o e w ho h ave no vo ice.

" Nago rn o Ka ra ba kh is a bo ut t he size of No rth e rn Ire la nd w ith a po pul a ti on of a ppro x im ate ly 120 ,0 00, 4 0% of w hi ch has bee n o ve r- run by th e Aze ri a peo ple who a re c ommitte d to re mov in g every A rm enian o ff th e so il o f Ka ra bak h - it 's a case of e thni c cl ea ns in g. Th e 120,0 00 A rm enians a re th e prim a ry v ict im a th ey fig ht for s ur v iva l aga in st the 7 mi ll io n s tr ong Azeris. S adl y, but und e rs ta nd ab ly th e pli ght of th e Arm e ni an d oes n t hit th e head lin es as th e o ve rwh e lmin g tr age d y fo r th e medi a is stili : th e form e r Yu gos la via - how e ve r their

s uffe rin g is b y n o mea ns a n y lesse r.

And th e re e nd ed t he 60th S t. J ohn

Ambu an ce Me di ca l Con fere nce. T he re is an old medi c al o ke in St. Jo h n Ambu lan ce t hat if y ou p ut fo ur doctors in a room y o u ll e nd up w th s ix opinions H ad h is hap pened! time ? " Mo s of 200 de legate s pres ent ex presse d at le ast on e op inion , so y es I do fee l that the co nfe re nce ac h iev e d it s aim and I look forward to th e 1994 Medi c al Con ference ," said Dr. Ma c Phie

In J a nu a ry 1992, o n m y fo urth v is it with a m a ll c on sig nm e nt of medi ca l s upp lies I was a pp a lled by th e s itu a ti o n in K arabakh. Th e ca pit al c it y wa s und e r s ustai ned bomb a rdm e nt th e vi ll age rs suf fe rin g th e e ffec ts of a blockad e impo se d by th e

he re. Dea d an d mutil ated anim a ls cove red th e path to the v il age I n a num ber o f ho ur s, w hat ha d once bee n a bea uti ful mo unt a in v ll age had bee n red uced to ru b bl e. Leav in g th e vil lage, o ur jeep beca me th e prim e ta rge t, bu I th a nk my l uc ky s ta rs for t wo mir ac les - "[1 bri lli a n t A nne ni a n dri ver a nd a lo usy Aze ian g unn e r "!

Sub se qu e nt v i its showe d th e s itu at on esca la tin g beyo nd a ll co mpr e he n io n In April, acco mp a ni e d by Dr. No rm a n Paro , a me m be r o f th e Sl. J o hn Ae ro medi ca l Co mmittee, I v s ited a s ma ll v ill age o th e north of Ka raba kh , ove r- run by Aze r is. l Ho uses had been to rc he d , th e v iIl age h ad < been ra nsac ked a nd p ill aged a n d 45 bo di es lay in th e s tr eets -a ll had had th e ir hea d s saw n off.

By Jun e, th e Aze ri s ha d un der take n a majo r offe ns ive aga in s Karaba kh 80.000 refugees now co nve rged on S ep ta na ke rt wi th abso lute ly no thin g left, so me peop le we re eve n l iv in g in wa te r ta nk s. A ug us t saw th e use of ae ri al bomb a rd me n t and by Oc obe r th ey ha d reso rt ed to th e use o f clu ste r bo mb s with ho rri f ic e ffec ts in e rm s of c ivi lI1 cas ua ti es. By J anu a ry 1993, th e Aze ri s we re II ' in g g ro und - to-a ir mi ss iles, de ton ated to ex pl o d e ove r th e c iv ili a ns of Slepta nk e rt.

"Houses had been torched, thevillage had been ransacked and 45 bodies lay in the streets - all had had their I!eails sawn off.

Aze rb iya lil a round K a rabakh T he Azeris had c uu off a ll food , fu el and wa te r s upp l ies to th e c ity A vi s it to th e ho s pi ta l offe red e vid e nce of the horri fiC c as ua lt ies res ul uin g from a war of th is kin d. Me n , wom e n a nd c hi ldre n w th bull et August1 993 wo und s, burn s, wo und s from fl y in g g lass and s h ra pn e l. S e ve ra

August 7993

In th e mid s o f th e ir te rro r a nd s uffe rin g th e peo pl e of K a ra bak h tri ed to ad o pt a po li cy of no rm a li sa ti o n a n d ma nage d to put o n a p lay (a co medy?) in th e ir o ne re ma inin g buildin g , a th ea tre. Th ey a lso tri ed w hen poss ibl e to se nd th e ir c hildre n to sc hoo l

Th e peo pl e of Ka ra ba kh ha ve wo nd erful c h a rac te ri s ti cs of ge nero it y, d ig nit y a nd co ur age."

Generosity

A littl e o ld ma n li ve d in a vill age th a t th e Azer is had ove r-run th e prev io us day, kil lin g hi s son. Re lumin g th e nex d ay th ey no ti ced th e new ly- du g g rave a nd rea li s in g th e Arm e ni a n res pect fo r th e dea d a nd t he ir tr aditi o n th a t the bo dy wo uld be dr esse d in hi s bes t c lo th es, they d u g up the gr ave, re moved hi s cl oth es a nd go ld tee th a nd left th e bod y d esec rate d AFte r he had fi ni hed te l lin g u what h ad ha pp e ned , th e o ld m an inv ite d us int o hi s ho me - w h at was lef of it. In th e co rn e r o n tJl e floor was a pil e of wa lnut s and a ppl e a ll he had left to see him thr o ugh th e lo ng , bi tt e r w inte r. He in s i ted t ha t we took th e ap pl es

Courage

C hil d re n q ue ued in la

J a nu a ry, in th e bitt e r co ld fo r up to five ho ur s, und e r co ns ta nt she llin g to ge t wo bu c ke ts of wa te r from a s prin g we ll. A g ro up of yo un gs te rs re turn ed w ith th e ir tw o bu c ke rs o f wa te r. On e 14 year o ld boy s lippe d a nd s pill e d bo th bu c ke ts. La ug hin g

a nd m a kin g a j oke of it , he turn ed an d

wa lke d bac k towa rd th e we ll fo r an o th e r 5

ho ur s, to co ll ec t t wo more bu cke ts of wa te r.

Dignity

Af te r a te rrib le m assac re in Ma la ha r I vi s ited a hos pi ta l wh ere I po ke to th e

S e ni or Nurse w ho had 36 ho ur ea rli e r los t

14 re lat iv es a nd h ad see n he r so n 's hea d sa wn o ff in Fro nt o f he r. Afte r th e nurse had

T op: Wou n ded are hro Ll g h to hosp i ta l hy a t ippe r r uc k

B Oll om: Th e r ema i ns a/Main S t reet, Step ana k ert.

c ri ed a nd ago n ise d ove r he r so n' s dea th , I aske d if she had any message fo r th e o u ts id e wor ld. Th e n ur se re pli e d "r wa nt o say th a nk yo u A s a nurse I have wo rk

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c hang in g adv ice co nt

S t. Jo hn H ea dqu ar te rs, B all ym e na , a nd includ e d an exce ll e nt lun c h fo r some 48 m e mb er s w ho incl ud ed he Com m ande r ,

No rth ern I re la nd , M r Cl arke. l'h e A G. M was c h aire d b y Dr. Ni c hol beca use s ad ly ,

th e B ra id C h a irm an , M rs Bi sh o p co uld

n o b e w th us.

was im pre ss ed by th e ev ide nt de dica io n of al l m e mb e rs o St. Jo hn T he

Fe ll ows hip gives ge nerously to the H ospi tal in Jerusa le m thro ug h heir own

Co mmand er y .Ho s pi tal ler and are a g reat

s up po rt o eac h oth e r in d iffic ult ti me s At th e end of he meet in g the B ranc h

Secretary , Mr Bill y Gr aham pre sen ted me with a de lig htful ma t of Iri s h lace. I am so pleased to have me t them all, and am

gr a eful to th ose wh o trave ll ed a lon g way

f rom B elfast and Lo nd o nd e rry to m ee t me

It was nearl y twe nty years s in ce m y la s t

vi si t o Northe rn Ire la nd (fo r a B r iga de

Tra inin g Weeke nd ). T he d iffere n ce is

am az in g. Th e n it wa s d e pre ss ing in atm os ph er e a nd appeara nc e. Now it fee s pros p e ro us a nd c heerful. Ev e ryw here bu ildin g is in prog ress , ho uses are p a inted and h ea d s a re hi g h It is ev ide nt t hat m uc h mo ney a nd effo rt is be in g

ex p e nd e d to re s to re hope a nd s uccess to th at tr o ubl e d la nd Th ey want more to uri st s I ca n reco mm en d it "!

Th e pa ti e nt wh o was ru s hed to h e

St. J o hn A mbul a nce stat o n in h e

S o uth West Ha ll h ad fa ll e n f ro m a bo ve t he A ll E n gl a nd C lub 's ba lcon y mito he m ai n wa lkway.

Th e F irst A id peo pl e co uld not co p e. Th e re was a pa n ic-st ri cke n call to t he poli ce w ho in tu m pull ed o ut a ll th e sto ps to take th e cas ua ty o a m or e aJD prop r ia ne ce ntr e -the R SP CA. T

s po s t on

S t Jo hn 's D ay. He a lso a d vi sed Dav e

HU Ilila n nfnla,t h e h ad bee n a w ar ded

MB E in th e Birtfu d ay H ono ur s Li st D

Cru sade r ' prov idin g a mu c h acc la im e d carin g se rv c e for t he e lde rl y a nd hand ic a ppe d b y takin g t he m o n free tri p s acro ss t he r ive r Tre nt.

I nadverte ntly in th is y e ar 's A nnu a l

Re port th e ph oto g r aph a t the top of page

17 wa not th e Cr u sa d e r a nd in s tead

s howed the i nterior of a narrow boat.

We hope the above ph otograp h set s th e record tr aig ht.

Me m bers of C raw le y St. Jo hn divi s io n welco med the Mayo r and Mayo re ss o f Craw ley, Co unc ill o r a nd Mrs Art h ur Nick son to th e ir P ub lic Awar e nes s D ay in May.

Th ro ug ho ut S uss ex div is ons se t up di spl ays in v itin g loca l d ignita rie s to s ign a co mm e m ora t ive pa rch m e nt sc roll which wa s la te r pr esen ted to th e Lord L ie u te n ant of S uss ex Cadets, B a d ger s a n d Fe ll ow s hi p me mb ers fro m Crawley di vis io n pu t o n a f in e d is pl ay of th e work of

e Che l sea F l owe r Sh ow n ex t year, w h e n St. J o hn w ill b e co -b e n efic i ary (w ith th e R oya l Hort c ultur a l S oc i ety) of th e

C h e sea G a l a

Prev iew We now n ee d to

c h o o se a n a m e whi c h co nv eys the esse n ce of St. J o hn an d w a nt St. John m e mb e r s to co m e up w ith an a ppr opri ate n a m e f or th e ro se.

Septemb er 79 93

Ent r i es pl ease t o: A nn e R e ill y SI. J o hn Wo rld , 1 Gr osve n o r Crescent , L o nd o n S W I X 7EF

Name A ddr ess

Su gges ted n a m e f or th e r ose :

Ent r ants mu s t b e ove r 1 1 years o ld A ppli ca tion s fro m HQ s t aff w ill n o t b e co n s ide r e d. (A f ull se t o f rul es avai l a bl e o n r eq u es t ). St. JohnWorld5

St. John Ahoy

T

rese n t to

£ee h ow N ottin g h a m 's C aptain h a ndl es a

cra f much smaller h an th a t w hic h h e norm a lly co mmand s !

D e rb ys

J ohn Ambul a n c e.

Colo n e l S ir Pete r H ilto n , L ord

L ie lli tenant of D e rby s hire an d Pres id elil t

o f the S n. John C (') un c il p e rform e d

Firs Aid u11li s. T h e PA TC i s al s o he main mo tor vehicle cero tre for so ut h DerlD y shire , tlrre

e x ten s ion being reqblired to hO lUs e so m e

m e mb e1'S ' ow n f undra s in g effo r ts a nd f r o m its ow n wo uld n o t h ave

bee n poss i ble with o ut th e ge ne r o s ty of sever al loca l s p o n s or s.

Integration necessary step for children with epilepsy

Acc ordin g to the B r i t is h E pi lepsy

Assoc i at o n c hildr e n of sc h oo l age a re m o r e li ke l y o deve lo p e pil epsy rh a n any

ot h e r age gro up Th e c har ity rece ives a o t o f en quiri es fro m pa re nts w h o are

wo nied a b o ut nhe effec ts of e pi lepsy o n

th e ir c h i ld 's ed u cat io n

O f t he 3 0 ,000 peo pl e w h o deve l op e p ile psy eac h year , up to thr ee -qu arters are und e r th e age of 20 , thu s co in c id ing

w i th th e p e r so n 's m o st im po rt a nt edu cat o na l yea r s.

On e fo rm of ep il ep t ic se iz ur e a lmos t

ex clu iv e l y co nf in e d t o c hi ld re n looks

l k e not hi ng m o re th a n a bl ank sta re

Thi s ty pe of se izure ca n ofte n be

mi sta k e n fo r dayd r ea min g , lack of co n cen tr a ti o n or l az in ess a n d can ofte n go undi ag n osed fo r q ui te so m e rim e.

A a co nfe re nce h e ld to d isc u s

pa ed i a tri c e p ilepsy , M r R o n R a dl ey a

m e mb e.r of th e Briti s h E pi lep sy

Assoc ia ti on 's gove rnin g b o d y tol d of th e

imp o rt a n ce of int egrat in g e pil e psy int o m a in s trea m sc hoo lin g a nd covered t he

19 81 E du ca ti o n Act w hi c h is c une n t ly

th e m aj or legis lat ion rega rdin g pu pit s

w ith sp ec ial nee d s.

Dr. R adl ey st ressed th e need fo r pare nt s to d isc uss op e nl y w t h th e ir doc tor s <lind teach er s, he i r as pir a t ions f o r

th e ir c hil d. T oget he r th ey s h o uld ag ree

ac ti om to b e take n to minimi se h e effects

of se izures o n nhe c hild s sch ool wo r k.

Ho weve r , th ey s ho uld a l so ag ree o n an y selilsl bl e safety preca u i o n s o be ake n within t he sc hoo l en v iro nm e n t. i s th at pro fessio nal s a re " not af r aid to t he

St. John Wo r ld of t he ve hi cles T he exte ns io n , w hil s t m a inl y b e in g f unde d by S t. J o hn

of Life

In Ge rm a n y, th e r e s a co n s tituti o n a l ob li ga ti o n on re la tiv es to prov ide ca r e w ithin th e fa mil y w it ho ut p ay m e nt. Only w h e n t hi s is n o t p oss ib le ca n Care r s c lai m b e nefi t th ro ug h th e e mpl oy m e ntb ase d s c he m e or m eans- este d s oc ia a ss ista nce

Downpour keeps Dame Barbara indoors

r 92 n d b i rt hd ay and a lso fifty years of ser v ice fo r St. J o hn Amb ul ance

Howeve r, d ue to to lTent iaJ r a in i t prove d imp os ibl e.

Community Care

Grow in g co nce rn at Br itai n 's Care in t he

Co m m uni ty syste m has p ro mp ted t he

Gove rn me n t 's advi s or y body, the So c ia l

Sec ur ity Adv o r y Co mm ittee (SSAC) to spo nso r re searc h i n to h ow ot her co untri e co pe a nd c o mp are w h th e e v e r in creas in g numb e r of di sa bl e d an d eld e rl y in o ur co mmunit y. T h e r esea rc h

sp a ns se ve n co un tr ies - th e UK, I re l a n d, F inl and , Swede n , I ta ly, Fra nce a nd

Ge nn a ny. T h e UK Ire la n d, Fi nl an d and S weden offe r p ay m e n ts t o Care r . T he UK offe rs th e lowest p ay m e n to Ca re r of a ll fo ur co un tr ies. Ita y , Fra nce a nd

Ge nn a ny d o n o t offe r p ay m en t a t all.

I is imp o rta n t to note t he m o ney

rece ived b y d sa bl ed p eo pl e t h e m se lves as this m o n ey is ofte n poo le d w ith th at rece ive d b y th e Car er. On ly Ire l and offe rs l es h a n Br ita in o th e disa bl e d

Ire a n d h a a sta te sc he m e fo r Care rs simil a r to th at n B r it ai n alth o ug h unli ke vhe Bri t is h syste m u t is m ean s- tested

Sh o rtage of Ca r e rs m ea n s he use of res id e n ti a l h o m es fo r th e e ld e rl y s qui te

hi gh s o t he Ir is h gove

't's a 'rime!

Jerusalem Casebook

Dr Roger Bu xton recently visited the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital in J erusalem Here he offers an in sight into the work being carried out by the Outreach team.

" On my arrival I anan ged to see Dr Magaumn. She told me that the outpatiemt attendance had fallen by about a third because of the interfada, but the need for Outreach had increased in proportion as the Arab population were finding difficulty in entering Jeru salem, and the facilities available to them in general were being eroded. In consequence , instead of tllle sjngle Outreach activity in the G aza strip , the Hospital was ananging Outreach three to four days a week On 17 May I acwmpanied a team to a new location outside Haifa. As road blocks had been set up on many roads into Jeru sa lem , on leaving the Ho spital the van had to make a considerable detour to pick up the Doctor and Sister who were often delayed for up

Ahoy me hearties

St. John Norfolk

to a tW0 hour period when tryi ng to reach the Hospital. The clinic wa s to be helm 1 an empty but Iilew building which didn have e lectricity. The team had brought a generator as well as the instrum e nts and drug s which were ne eded

A number of Arab s were waiting to help set up the equipment and a few patients were at the door on our arrival. The van had left Jeru s alem at 7.15am and the team started to see patients about IO OOam

The clinic sys te m worked well a nd seemed to fit local conditions. A s tim e passed many more patients appeared and hied to force their way into the buildin g.

As a re s ult, the Si s ter was unable to tak e their historie s and it was impos sible to test visual acuity so it was decided that the clinic could not continue. Th e te am was in an imposs ible pos ition as so me patients were pre ventin g care proc edures while others were apologising for thi s behaviour. Th e clinic was clos ed at 3.00pm with many pati e nt s un see n. "

(The Gaza Clinic wa s opened by th e Lord Prior in Decembe r ] 992. It is now

Competition was s trong and th e Co unt y HQ mo ni tored prog ress, se ndin g performa nce table s to eac h divi s o n at reg ular in terva l s. As OTYJ drew to a cl ose, exc ite me nt mo unt ed as divi s ion s v ie d w ith eac h ot he r for lea de rship

very bu sy becau se of th e diff iculties creatt€ld by the security si tuation , makin g trav el between the Gaza Strip and Jeru sa lem difficult).

ST. JOHN LIFESAVERS

Three first aiders save heart attack victim

Three St. John Ambulance first aiders saved th e life of a young woman who co ll apsed at th e whee of he r vehicle se ndin g th e car plou ghin g into a wa ll.

Mandy Pearce , aged 35, of Melksham Wiltshire ca n thank her lu c ky s tars th at thr ee tra in ed Sl. J oh n Ambul ance fir st aide rs were nearby whe n s he had a heart attac k whil st dri vin g her car. -

prop erly following a coll ision with a nother pla ye r.

Mr Ginn s, who run s First Aid courses at Northbrook College, is calling for mor e qualified fir st aiders at sportin g events.

Mr Ginn kn ew so methin g was wrong whe n so me of the pla yers bega n screa min g fo r he lp He ru shed over to hi s so n who had fallen .to the ground and be ga n to check hi s breathing " He was blue in th e face. I mana ged to ge t hi s ton gue out and after a few minutes put him into th e recove ry po siTion ."

The first patient to undergo s lIrge ry at th e n ew Gaza c lini c.

Then at th e final co unt Harleston e me rged as Norfo lk ' top di v i io n havin g exceed ed the ta rget by 273 %

When the appea l was la un c hed Colo nel Bob Knight Comma nd e r, St. John Norfo lk prom i ed th e wi nnin g divi sion

a n eve ning o ut as a rewa rd for the work and effort put in by its member. So off trooped a ll seve nt ee n membe rs of Harl es ton d ivision to a D " Oy ly Carte performan ce of the Pirate s of Penzance' at th e Theatre Roy a l, Norwic h Afterward s they we re introdu ced some membe r of the caSll - a n e njoyab le f in ale to a s uccessful appea l!

In the July iss u e of St. John World

we incorrectly stated that the Tankerton R es iderttia l Home was in Surrey - it is actually in K e nt. A lso

we would like to acknowledge that Mr R @bert Percival took t he photograph tha t app ea r ed on t he front cover of that issue. September 1993

The three, nurse Pauline Short-Mirzayi, form er nurse Valerie Hilli er and Joa nn e Di xon ru shed to treat Mandy as she lay un co nsc io us in the wreckage. They gave her Card iac Pulmonary Res u cita ti on and managed to re start her heart. Luckily an ambul ance whi ch happened to be in the area wit h param edic on board a rr ived within th ree minutes.

Mandy 's hear t had stop ped bea tin g again befo re the ambu lan ce arrive d and the Paramed ics had to use a defibri ll ato r to get her heart goi ng again, before ru shin g her to the intensive care unit of the Royal Uni ted Hosp ital in Bath.

Mandy sa id , " I di scove red I have thi s heart proble m whi c h has bee n with me si nce I was born but whi c h I kn ew nothin g about. "

Th e thr ee ' lifesavers' have since rece ived letters of co mm end atio n from Dr Anthony Blow ers, Direc tor General of St. John Ambul ance.

Mandy now plans to take First Aid lesso ns.

Father is life-saver

A father sa ved hi s so n' li fe when he co ll a psed a nd swa ll owed hi s tong ue in a freak soccer accident.

Th e incident ha pp end ed 35 seco nd s into a Worthin g League Premier Di vision mat ch be nween Wes t Tarri ng Workin g Men's Club and RDl sse ll Bourn e at Fishergate Rec reat ion Ground

Wes t Tarring Trainer Roy Ginns, aged 59, helped hi s son Dav id , age d 28, to breath

1993

Mr Ginn add ed "I' m s ure if it was so mebody e lse I co uld h ave coped with it mu c h better. I t was such a shock treating my ow n so n I really think it is ve ry important fo r e very foot ball eam to have a qualified first aid e r. "

Line sman Roy Burrow s sa id " Dav id went in to co nvul sio ns and hi s fat he r ru shed over.

If the oxygen had not got to he brain with in three mi nute that co uld have been it. " Dav id was ru s hed to Worthing Hosp ital where he was kept und er obse rva ti on until Sund ay even in g.

Speak in g from hi s Fletcher Ro ad home on

Tu esday he said , " I was totally obli vious to what was goi ng on. It was cri tica l that my dad was here but he wo uld have done it for anyo ne. r feel fi ne, except for a black eye. 1 wi ll be taki ng a little bit of a res fro m football. "

Teenager nearly drowns in pool incident

Tee nage r Carl Rowl ey nearly drowned afte r suffe rin g a hear t att ack in th e deep end of Pin gles sw immin g pool in Nu neato n

19 yea r old Carl praised hi s friends and lifeguard s fo r their "qui ck thinkin g ac tion s" which saved hi s li fe. Carl of Kl evedon Clo se, Whitestone sa id , "1 ce rt a inl y wouldn't be here today if it was n ' t for th e qui c k thinkin g ac ti ons of my mat es an d th e li feg uard s at th e pool. r ca n' t thank th em e nou gh."

Carl suffe rs f rom a rare heart' condition and is fitted with a pa ce make r. He go t into difficulty while sw imming and sa nk to th e bottom of the po ol after bJ acki ng out in pain

" All I remember is feeling like I was go in g to pass out and attempting to get to the side ," he sa id "My friend Duncan Carter saw what happ e ned and di ved in to try to re sc ue me but I was too hea vy for him. Another frie nd sho uted to one of the lifeguard s and Orle di ved in and dr agge d me to the sid e of the pool. "

Th ankfully , Carl is now fully re covered after hi s ordeal.

Toddler saved with kiss of life

A two year old girl was brou g ht back to life by St. John Ambulance vo lunteer Mavis Slater at a garden fete in Burg ess Hill. Mavis re susc itated two year o ld Sophi e Pi ck twice when she had a co nvul sion s parked off by the hot weather. Mavis , aged 53. said, " I saw the baby in a pram Her eyes were g azed over and she was starin g. I ran across to her and laid her on the ground and

8St.John W0"hd

FAW.· Out with the old...

First there was the Energy Programme: now, this August, comes the launch of a completely new St. John FAW training programme which, by early next year, will become mandatory for all St. John FAW trainers. Is there no end to the of these Ghange s? What 's wrong with the systenn we hav e now?

l f that seem,s an overly negative attitude to the launch of what could tllm Ollt to be one of the most important introductions St. John has made in recent yea rs, it s nonethel ess a reasonable impression of the reaction almost any change is lik e ly to provoke in so me quarters. Which make s it all the more vital that, this time, the planned c han ges are exp lained - the whats , the whens and, perhaps, above all , the whys.

There 's no doubt that St. John 's exis tin g programme of FA W training has been a resoundi ng success: St. John is th e clear market leader of th e 1.200 organisations cUITently regis tered wit h the H.S.E.

But it's that figure - the growth from a mere seven approved organisations when the sc hem e began in 19 81 , to over a thou sa nd today - which gives the clue to why those responsible for the new programme feel that chamges are needed. Competitors are grow in g in number and, inevitably , ability. One doesn't stay ahea d simp ly by being ahead, the prop€)I1ents of change say. Competition is the spur which makes one need to continually improve the product or ervice that one offers.

But what are words like 'com pe tit io n ' a nd product' doing in a publication for members of a humanitarian, charitable organisation?

Isn ' t St. John in danger of treatin g itse lf like a brand of petrol or washing powder if it starts us in g the same lan gua ge as Esso or Unilever? We ll perhaps. But the ine scapab le fact is that the money to fund the humanitarian and charitabl e act ivit ie s has to be raised so mehow , and providing FA W training is one of the mo st important (perhaps the single most important) way of doing this. Philip Gee , Director of Training and Operation s, puts it thus.

"My belief is that unless we adopt a professional and commercial approach to the marketing of products like FA W, then in the lon g run the organisation is not going to have sufficient f und s to und ertake all the good work which it wishes, and ought, to be able to do. If you want to spend money on charitable works, then you've got to hav e a

commercia l approach to rai sing that money You can't re y on gra ce and favour for the next two hundred yea rs."

It' s clear that the on ly way St. John can compete in thi s vita l area is by offering the hi ghest po ss ible q ua lit y, If se llin g on pri ce implied a second rate product, he a rgues, th at wou ld be totally incompatibl e with St. John's aims 'lnd reputation. It' s quality , Philip Gee maintains, wh ich is th e wa tchword of the new sche me

"There is an enormous amount of competition now. includin g organisations lik e the ambulance services organised by th e ational Hea lth tru who are able to come into our marke t with an imm ense amo unt of credibi lit y, and ca li und e rcut us , So , if St. John wan ts to retain it s mark et share, and hence protect il. incom e, the on ly way it ca n do it is eit he r by slas lTin g price s to the bon e, which 1 do n't think is the way to go abou t it, or by estab li s hin g ourselves as th e quality provider, by offer in g a premium product, albei t at a premium price. The key word is quality - and that is wha t we wi ll be orfer in g."

This philosophy is n t restricted to FA W training a lone. There is more in the pipeline apparent ly, a lthou gh Philip was reluctant to be too specific at this stage, In ge nera l terms , however he confirmed that the quality theme was going to be e tabli s hed in thi s new sc heme - and then expa nd ed beyond it

"We are rev iewing the whole First Aid training area because we get asked by so many people for so man y different courses. What we are trying to do is package gro up s of material toget her so that we can build new courses very quickly. This is not just a one-off good idea in isolation. it is part of a str ategy and it 's a st rategy that wi ll address both the commercial needs of St. John and th e internal need of St. John and that will sta rt filtering through in the Autumn and the New Year."

" The FA W course was introdu ced in 1981 and at that stage St. John designed its co ur se programme and materials and th ose mate rial s have se rv ed us very well - but they are ten years o ld now. In that time the re 's been a c hange in the perception of what people require from training. The old days of go in g on a course for four days, li steni ng to someo ne talk and then at the end re gur gitating all the in format ion for a skills test is so mewhat outdated now. People are expecti ng to be more involv ed in tme training an d learnin g process and are expecting no have eXj90sure to more so phi s ti cated training med ia - in particular videos."

As a direct res ult of this, the new course will lay more em pha siS on st udent participation and will include a video, as well as other elements such as st udent s' workbooks - signi ficant ly lar ger than the

September 1993

exis ting course book and the in c lu sion of exerc ises, There will also be a new trainer's g uid e, which clearly estab li shes the new tr ainin g sty les to be adopted and exp la in s how and when the new visual aids s hould be used.

As well as the des ire to offer the hi ghes t quality teaching ava il ab le, and in a way co mpatibl e with the methods people are co min g to expect from all aspects of indu str ia l and co mm e rcia l training the se day s, part of the ne ed for c hange has come from the body responsible fQr the whole sche me, Nic Sugget ex plains.

"The Hea lth and Safety Executive has becom e more co nc erned about the overall retention of lea rnin g, and although the exist in g cou rse was very good at training people to get thr oug h the exam in at ion (here was a ge ne ral question mark about how much peop le remembered a year or two later, becau se it 's not a skill that peop le pract ise. They come on a training course but th ey mi g ht not see any one req uirin g treatment for a yea r and a half, then suddenly they ca n have a heart attack to treat.

"The H.S.E is aware of the dilemma but isn 't in a position to make eve ryon e go on, ay, a one day refresher co ur se every yea r, which would be the ideal solution and wh ich is what we encou rage people to do anyway. So, what we thought was that we shou ld design a course wh ich wa more participative , which in vo lved the students much more in the learn in g process and whi ch would be much more real, so that they wo uld retain the know ledge for longer!'

The ne w course reta in s the exist in g sy llabu s (w hi ch is dictated by th e H.S.E) but ha s been designed to avo id the worst a pec ts of the 'c halk and talk approac h which is now so unfas hion a bl e in ed ucation a l theory. Perhaps the key e lement of the new system is the 90 minute video. News o f th e introduction of this has a lready begun to raise questions abo ut cost; not just of the tape itself (w hi ch will se ll fo r £45) but also of the eq uipm ent req uir ed to how ir. For tho se who find it impo ss ibl e to provide facilities for lI s in g th e video , a se t of overhead projection foils is being offered - a lthough they too are ran her costly at £77 for a se t of fourteen. Nic Suggit is ada mant however, that these pri ces do fairly reflect their production costs.

First there is a very sma ll market for the video - we won' t be se llin g a huge number of them as they are only going to be for sa le within St. John for ollr own co urses which will probably be over £100 ,000 for nhe video alone. A lot of the other mat erials in the package are highly s ubs idi sed too."

De sp te any questions abo ut the cost of usimg the video, it rema in s a cornerstone of the new course and, although the option to u e static OHP foils is there, use of the video is hi gh ly reco mmend ed, Nic ays.

"The way it's set up produce a number of sce nario s of short sce ne s lasting a minute or two showin g act ion , for example of so meone having

Lynton has a full range of trailers to suit all the needs of a modern suppo rt service such as St. John Ambulance

We can meet your requirements for:

• Equipment transport. Area control

• Treatment facilities

• Promotions and Exhibitions

If you need short term support for exhibition/ promotional exhibitions or additional load carrying capacity, we have a wide range of units available for hire at competitive rates.

Trailer based facilities offer the advantages of:

• Go virtually anywhere

• Short notice response

• Operate at known efficiency with familiar facilities.

Whatever your needs, contact Lynton for prompt and efficient service and value for money.

12 St. John World

BRITISH AEROSPACE

DEFENCE

MILITARY AIRCRAFT

British Aerospace (Delence) Ltd

wish to thank St. John Ambulance

lor the

expert training they have given to the Fire Crew at BAe Dunslold

an angina attack. There is then a pause and the attention goes back to th€ trainer, who will ask what signs and symptoms people see and what they think is going on. It 's designed to get people participating in what is going on by giving them direct examples so that they can learn and what they've seen. It's not a teaching video, it's a scenesetting aid to introduce issues and help the trainer.

"For those people who can't use the video, a very second alternative is a set of 14 photographiG OHP veiwfoils which will cost £77. We are encouraging people to go for the video option though , as it's so TlI1 uch better. "

The new workbooks, meanwhile, (which will cost £9.95, a modest £2 increase on the previous version) come in modular form, Nic explains.

"The first section is what we've called the First Aid Foundation Course, which is basic life support, the essentials. The second is on First Aid at Work and the third is the First Aid - General Module, which explains all the other work undertaken on the course. The idea behind this is so that where there are otro€r COl!lrses, such as bhe four hour Appointed COl!lrse, they W.m just use the First Aid FGhl<mdation Course and the First Aid at Work Mooule. As a result, these workbooks wi11 fonn the basi s of every course rum by St. John ."

In addition to the vide(') and the s tudent 's workbooks will be a new Trainer 's Guide and a set of 120 colour OHP foils (costing £35.00) which will be used in addition to the video.

The new course has already beern trialled by three counties to ensure thlat the Iilew programme aC!:tuaUy wgrks - a vital p recaution lbecause, while orne can eFlsure than the course's contemt is rigl'll winhout testimg it, details like timing can onJy be che<eked in circumstances.

]n summation, Nic says, "tirle whole programme is about quality. We need to raise the quality of our courses, we need to raise the standard of first aiders - that's a soc ial obligation as wei! as a business

14 St. John World

oiDligati@Pl. We are he mnarket leader and if we are going fio remain bhat, we hav e to enSl!lIe Vha t what we are offering is of po ssib le quality. I beli eve chait when people see he quality of the course they will be won over."

It's hard to see how anyone can object to a move d esigned to ensure that, whatever St. John does, it does it best - particularly in an area of s llch crucial importance the f inances of nhe whole organisation. Even resistance to tlile new programme on the grounds of cost fades f one averages the increases out Gveli the numb e r of sntldents trained eaoh year. And then, of co ur se, there is the pro spect for the future, Nic says.

The FA W package can provide the basis for other courses. It can be altered or added to, to s uit other co ur ses. Likewise, if we want [0 develop f uture courses, say for sc hool s, they can all make use of the same material. There is a flexibility here which a llow s this to be vhe basis of our future plans, all based on the same high quaLity material and methods ."

Following the announcement of the details of the new co ur se comes a period of intensive promotion throughout the Autumn to St. John itse lf, says Philip Gee, beginning with a m ajor promotion at the annual conference in Harrogate. There will a lso be an in temal marketing pack explaining the details of the course a nd a se ri es of presentations throughout the co untry Beyond that, at the time of writing, precise details of how the package s going to be marketed to industry and the genera public remain uncertain other than that Philip says, it definit e ly will be properly promoted to prospective customers.

Philips pu ts the sit uation into perspective. "The new course is about qualit y, it 's about retention, it 's about market leadership and, at the end of the day, it's ab.out having a s uffi cie ntl y professional commercial arm to finance the charitable works w hi c h everybody wants us to be ab le to do." It's hard to ima g in e how anyone co uld di sag ree with that.

Lynton Commercial Units Limited

Over many years Lynton Commercial Units Limited have had the pleasure of working closely with a large number of St. John Ambulance Divisions and also County Organisations, in the preparation and supply of Mobile First Aid Units.

Lynton's technical abil it y a nd design capability is seco nd to none. Our appreciation and understanding of your operational requirements is extensive With our policy OF continually improving design and constructional methods, we are ab le to offer very competitively priced high quality units that offer value for money.

Please do not h esitate to contact our office where arrangements can be made for our Regional Sales Manager to visit you, or indeed for you to visit our premises to discuss your requirem ents individually I n addition Lynton Showpoint h as avail ab le for short or Long term hir e, a wide range of display a nd promotional unit s which will en hanc e your image at events or provide ad ditional working and s upport faciUties.

COlfJlfJunity Care lNith Wings

Busman 's holiday or unique experience becoming a Winged Fellowship volunteer provides many St. John Ambulance members· with an opportunity to spread their wings in a rewarding exhilarating way.

Winged Fellowship provide s holiday s and re s pite for 5 , 000 seve rely phy s ically disabled people and their carer s at five UK holiday centres eac h year. In addition , th e organisation runs overseas and touring or " di s covery" h o lid ay programme for tho s e with a ta s te for adventure Guests are cared for on a one-to-one basis by a team of full-time staff, upplemented by over 6,000 vo lunt eers each year. Being a volunteer means taking over a ll the caring duties from the full-t me Carer fo r one or two weeks. This might in c lud e getting a guest up in the moming, was h ing , dressing, feeding and pushi n g the wheelchair on outings.

Winged Fellowship exi ts as an altemative to hospita l for many severely disabled people whose carers get to the end of their e nergy reserves and desperately need a break For many disabled people being ent to hospital is often an unhappy experience and one whic h cau ses guilt for both them and the Carers.

A lex, 42, w h Q s uffered a road traffic accident that left him paralysed from the neck down, di covered the organisation a few years ago. Previously he went into hospital to g ve his wife a break. He recalls: "I used to dread going there. I COunted the days before I had to go It felt so unnatural and depressing st uck in bed with doctors rushing aro und when I was n 't ill. My wife knew I hated it and she fe lt compelled to visit me every night, so it was no break for". Alex felt he couldn't take any more of people fUSSing around him. He stayed though.

September 1993

By the end of day two he was the life and so ul of the h o liday centre and entirely comfortable in the one -to-one caring role.

Volunteers are not s impl y thrown in at the deep end. They receive advance material de s cribing lifting techniques, different disabilities and awareness issues. They are a lso given a talk and demonstration on arrival at the centre. A new volunteer is always accompanied in any demanding task. The main point al ways stressed is , as John w h o suffers from cerebral palsy puts it: " The disabled person a ways knows best w h at they want, how they want to be lifted , to sit or li e and be fed. It's no good yakking away to your other neighbour , s h ovelling food into somebody who s had e nou gh and who may not be able to tell you. "

Dave Markham a St. John Ambulance member in Weston Southampton, first discovered Netley Waterside House Winged Fe ll owship s Southampton centre , last March. He said: "I felt taken aback at first. I don t often come into contact with many severely physically disabled people through my work with St. John. I have done some home nursing but when you come down to the nitty - gritty of doing jobs for people 24 hours a day, it 's very different. " Dave enjoyed his stay so much that since his introduction he has spent every Saturday at Ne tl ey Waterside. Saturdays they are busy; there is always a change-over with outgoing and incoming guests and volunteers , so an 'old hand' is highly valuable. " When the [lew g u ests co m e in they do n 't know anybody and they're in unfamili ar sUlToundi n gs so we a lways give them a cup of tea" says Dave. It is amazing h ow important that cuppa i to

make them feel at home."

Some of the jobs volunteers are asked to do are not as easy, but even personal tasks can be carried o ut with a smile. Most vol unt eers manage to make the guests feel at ease. Dave for example, recalls a young man who was paralysed from the neck down. "He wanted to have a shower every morning , so I had a shower too. I just got completely soaked , but I felt really great that I had done something to help people. It s marvellous to be a part of a team of voluntee rs and I really got to know some of the guests well, too. D ora, a woman I met there cried when she had to go home She said that she d had such a good time and that at home s he never went out or saw anyone except her parttime Carer. Do you know, she sent me a Christmas Card".

What makes disabled guests and volunteers enjoy being at a Winged Fellowship holiday centre? Each centre provides a programme of daily outings, ranging from a place of history or mystery to a trip to the local pub or bowling alley In the evening entertainment is l aid on, whic h may be bingo , a sing-song or an outing to the theatre. Outings are often exciting for many otherwise housebound people. At a recent day at the races a group of g ue sts and carers all bet on the same hor se and wo n To cap it all they met Bob Champion!

For many g u e ts who come from institution the freedom is a novelty.

One vo lunteer wrote: "For some of the gues ts sitting and drinking their beer

St. John World 15

from large straw s (try it some time it takes some doing to drink a pint that way) thi s was the first time they had been allowed to stay up until they were tired. At home or at a long-stay ho s pital they were put to bed to suit the Carer. Thi s meant some pretty tired helpers couldn t hit the sack until all the guests had decided to retire for the night."

For volunteers, spending week or two at Winged Fellowship is a learning experience that can change the course of their lives. One volunteer wrote of a youth fortnight: " The reality was hard work, long hours and more fun than we could lilanGtle. I suspect the male gLlests enjoyed the spectacle of the belly dancer more than the females, but everyone enjoyed the nerve of the female volunteers who also bried their hand and other parts, at it."

Sadly , one long-term volunteer has now become a guest, having contracted multiple sclerosis. She writes of her first visit as a gue s t, following the diagno s is.

She says: "Touching was an integral part of the centre. Staff and helper s seemed

16St.JohnWorld

to reali se it wa s vit al to touch , hug and ki ss g ues ts who probably had little phy sical contact be c au se their di s abili y mad e them le ss attractiv e to le ss di scerning people. "

Perhap s a good summary of what it is to be a volunteer come s from one young wom an who wrote: " It 's so hard to know where to begin, but probably the be st description is that it wa s such an enabling experience in a sadly disabling world. The saying s ' live and let live ' and 'live life to the full took on for me a new and deep e r significance during my stay ."

Round the Bend

Know/edge of the Order

ThiS is the first of a bi-m(imthly series of pages about what we are doing in the Youth Services Department. We are putting it together so that everyone involved in St. John gets to know what we are doing in Youth Services. The projects are all aimed at the Youth Sections but they have an eFfil:ct on the whole organisation so it is important that everyone is kept informed.

Your first que s tion may be what is the Youth Service s Department? Well it i s the Badger Department (although B a d ge r Administration is in Record s nowad ays) plus the " Cadet" bit of Cadet and Tr a inin g and the School s Proj ec t Three Cross Award).

Through thi s page we aim to increase awareness of our projects , give s upport to l e aders of Badger Set s, C a d et and Adult division s etc and provide g ood ide as for activitie s (otherwise known a s curriculum support). If you have any brilliant ideas for teaching Badgers, the Proficiency Sch e m e or First Aid in general let us know If anything written in this page catches your interest or worries you plea se feel free to write to us here at NHQ. WE ARE HERE TO HELP

A plea from the Badgers

As you might already be aware, Autumn 1993 sees the launch of the Badger Leader Recr u itment Drive. The Recru i tme n t Drive was proposed with the aim of attracting new adult Leaders to run Ba@geli Sets Many Sets are overcrowded and have huge waiting li sts of children hoping to join Without more Leaders Sets may have to c ose down. Many of the Badgers of today are the Cadets and adult members of the future. Witho u t more Badger Leaders, the Badger movement, and conseq u ently St. John memoership as a whole, wi ll s uffer Ca n you help? Do you kl1lOw anyone who might be willing to he l p run a Badger Set? Or co u ld you help by di sp laying

As 'K

* Im ag in a tiv e a nd s timul at in g assess ment ac tiviti es which offer a range of c h oices and nake into aooo unt di ffe re nt ages and leve ls of maturity of Cadets.

Full g uid a nce fo r Leaders and s u ggest io n s for us in g the p ack effec tiv ely, w ith li s ts of re leva nt di sc u ss ion points on eac h unit.

* Clearly prese nted a sess m e nt c ri te ri a

I is written a nd designed to

that trainers find it accessible

and

I t co nt a in s:

* Six te ac hin g units , each dealin g with a significant as p ec t of the hi sto ry of the Order.

* The Ho s pita ller tr aditio n

* The Kni g ht s Ho s pita ll e r

* The Ord e r of St. John i n Britain

* The origins a nd ear y years of St. J o hn Ambulance

* St. John Ambulance in modem Britain .* The Cadets

* Each unit is betwee n four and six p ages long , fully i llu strated and with an informativ e and inte resti n g acco mp a n y in g te xt.

recr u itment materials in your neighbo u rhood, at your work place or at any events this Autumn? The Recruitment Drive will concentrate on the months of August September and October and free recruitment packs (containing information on Bad gers, the role of Badger Leaders, and re cr uitin g volu n teers) are avai lable while stocks la st, from the Youth Services Defl artme n t.

LINKS members in Divisions

Brigade Finals First Aid Competition

at F a irfield

Hall s ea rl y in th e momin g and were imm ed iat e y iso a e d to e n ure th ey were g ive n no previ ew of w ha wa a bo ut to face th em.

Apart from th ose co mpeting in th e First Aid a nd Nu rs ing (Cad e t)

Qu z, eac h tea m faced a variety of e n ac e d sce n ar ios. Mark A ld e n and Andy Sumpner wer e re pre se ntin g As h Vale in Surre y for th e D ewar

Shie ld co nte ted by ad ult fir ai d e rs. Th.eir fir s task was to look afte r a youn g man a t a n unm a nn ed rai lway s ta ti o n who, th ey di scove re d ha d bee n t a bb ed. Andy dr e e d the ma n 's c hes wo und a nd ta lked to him to ge t es e nt ia per o na l a nd medica l det a il w hil e M a rk tr ea e d a s hin njur y.

on th eir

BFl as a LINKS member. A ll the YOl!lng perso n' s du t ies a nd re qu a lifi ca tion s are put on a LINKS form VI a nd can b e co pi e d and se nt

There i s of course

reaso n

LINKS member can't d ec ide to

ur divi sio l1 properly e ith er during OF after their COUlise and th e n a pp ear on y o ur Bf1.

Th e re is more to LINKS than this and ['II attempt to exp l a in it n more d eta il next time.

Th e ir inte nse co n ce ntration e nabl e d th e m to co mpl e te ly ig n ore th e moan s c om in g from a pa ti e nt a few fee t away in a imu late d fa irgro und acc id ent in w hi ch Cadets co mp et in g For th e White Kno x Cup had to treat one un co nsc iou s cas ua lt y, and o ne tr a pp e d und e r a bumper car.

HaVing m ad e an initi a l c hec k , dr e e d th e wo und s, e nli s e d a by stander 's he lp a nd monitore d th e ca ua lty co nditi o n a nd hr o u g ho ut the exe rc ise ta lk ed co ntinuou Iy to th e pati en t to ga in hi coopera ti on "y ou re a b rave lad , Ri c h a rd ", th e eam endeavo ured to e li c it information o n hi ge ne ral me di ca l co nditi on, s uc h as a ll e rg ies a nd on th e atta c k itse f.

As s oo n a s the Jud ges ca ll e d tim e o n the exe rci se th e pa ir mo ve d on to the individu a l te t s Andy had to loo

1993 Robert Balchin Awards

Sir Robert B a lcrun Chairman of the St. John Ambulance Nation a

hopes that "all schools in thi s country will

ns id e r teaching so me Fir Aiel by lI si

Three Cro ss Award Schem e It is simple and effective and tak es up ju s t a little time once each year. "

Mr Bill Gartland, Managing Director of Thomson Directo ri es who s pon sore d th e award ce re mony be li eves "the awards encourage children to leam th e importance ski ll s of F irst Aid and, as rec ipi ems of th e 1993 award th ese children have demon s trated that First Aid sk ill s can save li ves in emerge ncy s ituations ."

The winners of the 1993 awards are:

Fourteen year old T e rina King. One of her teach ers who is a n ep il ep tic , s uffere d a f it and becam e unconsciou s. Terina ensured the re was no danger to her or

checked the level of unconsciousne ss, cleared the airway put

called for assistance.

Terina ha s previously assisted a fellow pup i who also was epilept ic and had help e d another pupil in an emergency s ituation who cut her wrist badly

Fifteen year old Rhian Mahoney a nd fourteen year old Beverly Morgan saw a five yea r old bo y thrown five m e tr es

position and called an ambulance stay in g with him until it a rriv ed.

Lisa Cox was in her home when s he saw a visitor's c hild was c h ok in g on a piece of food. Lisa a cted promptly and effic iently a nd ad mini ste red b acks la p s The baby coughed up the food and recovere d completely.

Anthony V a rney was called at 3am by h is s is ter-in - law b eca u se hi s broth er had been found in his hou se unconsciou s The cause of thi s wa s not clear but Anthony acted sw iftly and effectively. H e told his s

St.John Crossword

Jo hn 's Gate, C le rk e nwe ll , Lo nd on ECIM 4DA : Name of Bran ch

CALLING ALL OVER 50s!!!

loca l

mee tin gs and evenLs. Yo u also have acces to free 24 hr do mes ti c and lega l he lplin es (promp t adv ice by te lep hone, in c lu di ng Iri ed and tes ted' loca l suppl iers)

Wh at 's more, a lso free , yo u rece ive aut oma ti c in come wo rth LI p to £3000 (£30 per day) if yo u are ho pi tali ed due to an acciden t A D £ 1000 com pensat ion if you are th e vic im 0 f reported assau lt and need med ica l trea tm e nt. Un happil y mu gg ings do happe n and it 's reas uring to have thi upp ort.

Sin gle members are n fo rgo Lle n, they have th e ir own Compa nion s direc tory 0 rh at th ey ca n j oin with oth e r li ke mind s fo r outi ng s an d hoiid ays. Whil e memb rs wi th pa rtn ers ca n ave mo ney with th e specia l jo in t membe r hip rate of onIy £ 15 (d irect debi t) or £ 17 for the two.

Enrolment Form

Pl ease co mplete and retu rn th e who le fon11 to: ARP Ove r SO/S !. John Worl d, FR EEPOS T, Londo n SW IP I YY (110 lamp needed),

* I/we wish to appl y fo r '2 fo r I membel'ship of ARP Over SC

'" I/we have co mpl e ted th e direc t:c1ebi tm andate be low fo r £ 0 (£ 15 to in cl ude my pou e or partn e r)

'" I/we have enclosed a cheque/pos al ord er fo r £ 12 (£ 17 to inc lu de my spo use or partner)

'" I/we wis h to pay by c red it card at a cost of £ 12 (£ 17 to incl ude my s pouse or partne r)

(BOXES FO R CREDIT CAR D NUMBE R AND S PACE FO R SIGNATU RE TO AU TH ORISE T\--[] S) I und e rstand th at memb ershi p will co mm ence from th e day of payment for two yea rs.

OH, MYBACK!

Dear Editor,

Well done to Mr Burke for hi s comments in your letters page (June 93 ) regarding the s afer lifting of a s tr e tcher. I would however like to draw your readers attention to a lifting te chnique that appear s in a picture illu s trating the article " A Final Choice " in the s ame iss ue. Whil s t applauding t he exceJlent work done by the Carers de s cribed , I am concern e d' by the use of thi s lift.

A s a Chartered Phy s iother a pi s t actively involved in Back C a re programme s for Nurs ing Staff, I believe that the reg ular use of thi s lift is probably re s pon s ible for numerou s liftin g injurie s. Many back and neck lI1June s are repetitive s train injurie s, a s a re s ult of repeatedly perf01ming one action incorrectly. There is no more rep e titive handling action required of Nur sing Staff than toileting patients. One nur se counted that she perfonned 30 toilet transfers during a s hift - is it surprising s he went home with an aching back?

The technique shown is often used for toilet transfers, but has many faults

The patient's weight is taken through his axilla which is the least uncomfortable and the Carers use their anTIS rather than their legs to lift , and whilst taking the patient ' s weight their backs are bending and twisting. In addition, one of the Carers in the photo cannot get close enough to the patient as a table is in the way An alternative based on ergonomic principles, or a lifting aid would be far better.

This is just one example of the problems involved in bfting and handling patients being addressed by the Health and Safety Department in the light of certain cases of litigation

September 7993

by s taff injured whil s t handling patient s Nurs e s are now being taught to a ss e ss and reduce the ri s k s involved in caring for patients.

St. John Ambulance is spendin g a lot of time and money on advanced life s aving s kill s and equipment. Should we not al s o be looking into protecting our members from injury a s a re s ult of liftin g and handling , both in the Fir s t Aid and Caring field s by improving training in the s e s kills?

Yo urs s in ce r e ly Judith Moore M.C.S.P. Bailiwick Staff Officer Guernsey

OFF THE WALL

D ear St.J o hn ,

Thank you for being there for everyone We love you!

I hit the wall at 23 mile s and two of your ladie s treated me I eventually managed to finish the marathon in 3 hrs 40 mins - it was my fir s t marathon I enclose a cheque for the s um of £50.

You r s faithfull y K enn y A y ton Hampto n Wi c k Surr ey

Ed - One of the many thousand London Marathon runners treated by st. John personnel wanted to express his thanks to the two ladies who gave him First Aid during his first ever marathon Many thanks to Mr Ayton for his very generous donation.

D e ar Editor

It was with s ome s adne s s that I read the Letters Page in the April is s ue of St. John World regarding the role of the Regi s tered Mental Nurse within St. John

Firs tly , c an I s ay that throughout my 41 years in St. John , of which 29 have been a s a re g i s tered Mental Nur se , I have found it to be an advantage and not a disadvantage. I have throughout been accepted a s a lecturer , examiner a nd competition judge and fully accepted as a profes s ional nurse at di v i s ional area and count y level.

Surely it i s the individual pers on and not the qualification which play s the mo s t important role.

With regard to the Regi s tered Mental Nurs e being in a position of " Decision Making ", thi s ha s never been a problem and I am now fortunate enough to work at National Headquarter s as Nursing Director Community Care, Come on RMNs , let s not get hung up on a name and get on " In the Service of Mankind " Yo urs faithfull y

Cardiac anests are always critical- within seconds vital decisions lUUSt be luade. In these circumstances you need a defibrillator that is quick, reliable and easy-to-use.

The new Cardio-Aid LS and MC defibrillators from S&W are not only the lightest around but also the most technically advanced.

Available in three different versions, features include hands-free defibrillation , customised configuration and a comprehensive event reporting system.

And with options including a data-storage memory card you're assured of a defibrillator which is right for you now and for the future.

•

•

•

•

• EXCELLENT ACCESSORY RANGE

•

GazaClinic UPDATE

Janet Bowman, Matron of the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital, charts the progress of the new Gaza clinic.

"Last year at this time , fifty or more, frequently blind and elderly people , or mothers with young children boarded a bu s

Young People's Overseas Fund

Last year, a Nottingharnshire St. John expedition became the first group to benefit from Georgina Phillips' generosity in establishing a fund to help groups of young St. John Ambulance members visit their counterparts overseas. This fund was established in ] 991 on th€ eve of her Iietirement from the appointment of Chief President.

Eight members of the Nottinghamshire team spent 24 days in Kenya , where they renovated the children's ward at Vipirgo Hospital monitored child development, recorded the results of a local immunisation programme and helped to build a walk-way and observation platform for observing wildlife at close range. In linking up with local St. John Cadets, arranged by the Overseas Department in conjunction with the Commissioner in

4 St. JohnWorld

daily somewhere in the Gaza Strip. Their destination - the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital , Jerusalem

Thi s joumey, often commencing at break of day , could be a hot and gruelling affair, culminating in a weary wait in a busy clinic after which they faced the long travel home again.

Last December. the Lord Prior , inaugurated the latest humanitarian project of the Order of St. John, when he opened an extension of the ho spital in the centre of Gala city.

Thi s clinic with it s s urgical facility , came to fruition with the help of the ODA the European Commi ss ion , the German Government , & the City of Berlin It s mis s ion : to extend to the population of Gala the services of the St. John Ophth almic Hospital , without subjecting them to the onerou s Gala - Jerusalem journey

We had anticipated it would be quite slow to start with but we were soon proved wrong. Before long we were treating primary health care problems and referral s following inpatient care from Jeru salem.

Two weeks after opening , the venture dramatically proved it s worth when a total ban on travel out side of the Strip , was instituted. This resulted in a sudden up surge of attendance at the clinic

Kenya the te a m mad e many g ood friend s.

The Tru stee s of the Fund and our benefactor Mr s Phillip s (now on marriage Lady Geor g ina Ke nnard) are kee n for other groups to take adv a nt age of the se opportunitie s, if project s come within the scope of th e Fund. Principal criteria for qualification in c lude the caveat that group members mu s be member s of St. John Ambul a nce under 25 year s of age of any nationality and their visit/expedition ne ed s to be officially sponsored with clo se Sl. John links in the country to be visited.

Financial assistance from the fund would provide a cost- s haring contribution and not a sub s idy to cover all expenditure.

Applications from counties for as s istance from the Fund with full details of the project including ca stings should be addre ssed to the Director Overseas Relation s who is a Trustee of the Fund.

Thi s increase ha s steadily continued ov er the months as, although permits to travel are available once again for unaccompanied patients, they are frequently only obtained after an arduou s wait.

For the truly incapacitated includin g the blind, s Llch pennis sion is useles s

To date over 6000 have pa ss ed through the clinic. In spite of thi s activity the Outreach service must continue vi siting the refugee camp s of the Gala Strip. Shee r numbers and al so curfew s/ tran sportation diffi c ultie s en sure thi s service remain s of paramount imp ortance to th e communit y

In Marc h, the mobil e oper atin g theatre pe rmanentl y station ed in th e c lini c. com me nced ca tar ac t s ur ge ry Thi s surge ry include s len s impl ant atio n Carried out as a d ay car e se rvice. up to ten pati e nts wee kl y have reaso n to be grateful for th e of th e Orde rh ow n in th e pro vision of thi s unit.

Lid sur gery, la ser therapy , refr action and orthoptic erv ices are al so part of the day to d ay activitie s of the Ord er shown in th e provi sion of thi s unit. All pl a y their pa rt in en suring the Sr. John Clinic ha s in this short tim e becom e th e major ophth a lmi c facilit y in the Gaza Strip.

Sometime s , we are a little more maj or' than we intend Althou gh mo st diffi c ult cases are tran sferred to th e main Ho spital in Jerusalem. sometime s permit probl em re sult in sev e re ophthalmi c probl ems requiring treatment locally The clinic is not equipped to deal with the se emergencie s, but still they come and are cared for. For , as the hospital video says , " If not here , then nowhere ".

Casualty Programme Helps Save a Life

Firs Aid lip s p k d . c 1 lC e up whIl s t watchin g asua ty the TV 110 pltal soap helped save a lIfe.

Carol Smilh a d L . 'ge 42 , gav e Sammy am, aged SIX the ki ss -of-life wh en he was dragg ed '. uncon scIOu s from a SWImmIng pool th B Tn e ur/in g ton HOl el orquay, Devon. '

Carol copi ed th l' c I h e IJ esa vln g technique s 1e ad seen Brenda F' k who play s Nurse M egan Roa ch fitC h eTISye, Prog' III e ramme Ca s ualty ' " H e s tart ed to breathe b t

r U It wa s only w e n heard him Cr I th b ya s 1e was carried by e am ulance me n th 1 all ri h '" .a t thou ght he d be g t, saId Mrs Smith

St. John

Ambulance

Teaches the Teachers

It is estimated that there are over 40 ,000 injuries to children in playground s which require a ho spital vi sit each year, according to the Department of Trade and Industry. Poorly s upervi sed or badly de signed playground s are re spon sible for many of the se Admittedly, not all accident s can be prevented Children being what they are , will inevitably find something that they can climb or jump off!

Firs Aid doe s not yet form part of the National Curriculum , although St. John Ambulance feel s that it should We al so feel it is important that all schools have a number of suitably trained personnel on hand to deal with emergency situation s involving children The Health and Safety Executive requires that there is at leas one trained fir st aider on hand , per 50 employee s in ca se of emergencie s.

In a bid to improve safety standard s within school s and in the fir st ca se of its kind, St. John Ambulance in association with the Roehampton Institute has taken measure s to en sure that teachers are on hand who are equipped with the knowledge and confidence to save lives in emergency situations.

Dr Anthony Blowers, Director General of St. John Ambulance masterminded the coalition between the Roehampton Ins titute

and St. John Ambulance, and both in stitutions feel strongly that First Aid is an essential component of the Sc hool of Education' s commitment to health education provi sion

Two people Jean Hurst, Deputy Principal of Digby Stuart College and Frank Pope, - Head of Security became St. John Ambulance 'trainers ', so that they in tum could train their student teachers.

¥{hen fully qualified they offered their final year B.A (Qualified Teacher Status ) students the opportunity to do a First Aid course on a voluntary bas is, after their formal timetable ended.

That wa s in May of thi s year, a time when many s tudents are searching for holiday work or teaching po sts - but the take up was very promising - forty-seven student s volunteered

The comments received from all who participated were very positive; "1 was very impre ssed with the course it was interesting and practical. I would recommend it to anyone ." Many stressed that they felt more confident should they have to tackle First Aid emergencies in school s and requested further services within the in-service provision

"This is an e xciting new venture because up until now there has been no recogni sed course of training for trainee teachers," said Dr Blowers This is undoubtedly a big step forward for Sr. John Ambulance and plans are afoot to operate a similar scheme with other training organisation s

Abo ve - Resuscitation [raining in pro g ress.

TennisFansget HotUnderthe Collar

Over 50 tennis fans were treated for Wimbledon Neck' during this year's Wimbledon Tennis Championship.

Incidences of this injury, caused by moving the head from left to right to watch every rally, are extremely common during Wimbledon. A St. John Ambulance spokesperson said, "the incidence of this increases in good weather as there is more tennis to watch."

During the two week tennis extravaganza both spectators and players alike were warned to take care as the temperatures soared to over 100F First Aiders treated over 100 people - one every three minutes - on the hottest day of the championships.

One first aider explained : "It s sometimes busier in our tent than it is on Centre Court. "

Bottom left - (left to right) Professor Graham Welch, Louise 0' Connor Dr Stephen Holt , Dr Anthony Blowers and Jean Hirst are all delighted with the suc c ess of the proje c t.

St. JohnWorld5

If the Worst Happens

"Would you know what to do if your child had an accident?" , a sk s pre se nter Gavin Campbell in the eight- part seri es on emergency Fir s t Aid from BBC Education , If The Worst Happen s'. The series , which ha s been runnin g since August 8 , and is the first televi sion dedicated First Aid serie s, dr a w s to a clo se later this month

Children parent s and friend s te ll th e ir own first-hand s torie s of recent emergen c ie s in which a child ha s needed Firs t Aid E a ch ten-minute programme include s a filmed re- c on s truction of these real-life dramas and a le ss on for Gavin and hi s three dau g hter s on c orre ct Firs t Aid procedures

One of Britain 's l eading p ae di a tri c re s u scitation experts Dr David Zid e m a n is Con s ultant to the serie s Dr Zidem a n s Medical Director , Speciali s t Tra ining of the St. John Ambulance M e dic al B oard St. John hav e provided support to BBC Education in making the se rie s b y producing a booklet and po s e r , generou sly s pon sored b y Boot s the Chemi s t pic , that v iewers GaTI write in a nd obta in.

" Every da y 3,000 young children are t aken to ho s pital a s a re s ult of an accident ," say s Alan Ro gers, BBC H ea d of Continuing Education and Tr a inin g. " Health experts tell us that many pare nt s don t feel competent to give Firs t Aid, yet thes e basic skil ls, applied promptl y and correctly can con siderably enhan ce a child 's chance s of a full rec overy In order to addre ss that need, If Th e Wors t Happen s' joins BBC Education 's gro wing family of programmes fo r parents."

a " First Aid for Children " is a ne w St. John booklet, produ ced for the BBC serie s, but given a new cover for lon ger life Do you want copi es? If so , contact PR Department , mIQ );:.'1' .-'"i,-, :.: - r_ First Aid f or Children

Badgers Launch Appeal to Help Wildlife Sanctuary

The Burstow Wildlife Sanctuary is a registered charity based in Surrey. Over the past eight years, thousands of animals have been brought to the Sanctuary - ,_"' ,,-.. neglected or ill-treated pets, abandoned fox cubs, otters and badgers, sick or UI injured deer, hedgehogs and birds , even unwanted "exotics", such as monkeys , meerkats, chinchillas and Vietnamese pot-bellied pigs. The Sanctuary also houses many "refugees", victims of zoo and wildlife park closures.

The Sanctuary was set up by Penny Boyd who continues to run it today , voluntarily providing a 24 hour lifeline for many thousands of animals. She relies heavily on the generosity and support of the public and the Sanctuary's many 'Friends', without whom it could not continue to exist. The Sanctuary requires huge quantities of · dogfood, catfood and fresh fTuit for all its inhabitants, as well as plenty of volunteers willing to give up free time to help with the endless tasks of cleaning out cages, constructing, tidying nursing and feeding.

The Badgers are launching an appeal to help the Burstow Wildlife Sanctuary , by collecting tins of petfood and fruit. Please contact the Youth Services Department if you can help, particularly if you are in the South East.

In 1992 alone, sixty-eight fox cubs were rescued by the Sanctuary, sixtyseven of whom were returned safely to the wild (the remaining one became too attached to its rescuers!) The annual total of animals rescued also included between five and six hundred baby birds, a of badgers, several hundred hedgehogs, numerous "exotics", two hundred terrapins and many other animals in need.

To become a 'Friend' of the Sanctuary (£5 single membership per year, £12 family membership per year or £50 life membership) or to offer help or donations, please contact the Sanctuary at the address below. As a 'Friend' you will

6 St John Wo rld

receive regular newsletters updating you on the Sanctuary and its residents and offeririg you free entry to its Open days (£2.50 for non-members) Alternatively , it is possible to sponsor a particular animal such as Jimmy the Shetland Pony, Stanley the Gibbon or Annie the Fox!

Kent County Director Retires After 55 Years

Af er 55 years work i ng w th St. John A mbul a nce in K e n t, Co un ty Direc tor

L es li e As hm an s to re ti re.

At his offic ial farewe ll party, Mr As hm an was presented w i h a go d pen a nd pe nci l by Doug las E ll is St. John A mbul a nce Com m a nd e r fo r Kent.

Durin g his 55 years w ith St. Jo hn , Mr As hm an has a tt e nd ed

FELLOWSHIP

Centre for Disabled is on Target

Two years of planning by S t. John Ambulance and Cheshire Homes ha s resulted in a Tee si de re source centre providing services rarlging from welfare rights advice to computer courses for disabled people.

Initially the pilot scheme plan s to help 20 people, two days a week at the Teesside Cheshire Home in Marske.

" We have got big plans for this. We are on our way to raising £38,000 for two specially adapted minibu ses and as it gets more popular and we get more re so urces we may open seven days a week," said Adrian Beadnell , Regional Development Officer, St. John Cheshire.

"We decided to join up with Cheshire Home s for the first time and give disabled people the services they wanted, not dictate to them what we thought they ought to have , as often used to be the case," he said.

The centre is organised and financed by the Leonard Cheshire Foundation but other organisations including Cleveland College and South Tees Hea lt h Authority provide services to the centre.

The centre opens on Wednesday s and Thursdays between 11 am and 3pm.

5000Casualtiesfor St.JohninWales

St. John Ambulance in Wales gave over 240,000 hours in voluntary work during 1992, the Priory revealed at the start of St. John Week.

They also treated over 5,000 people during the year. Around 20 per cent of those were subsequently transferred to other facilities for further treatment.

"The statistics confirm that St. John Ambulance is stin Cme leadeli in the provision of voluntary First Ai.d services in the Principality," said Mr Alan Bourlet, Commander of St. John Ambulance in Wales

8 St. JohnWorld

ON THE RUN

1993 really is a marathon year for St. John! Following the fundraising success of the Nutrasweet London Marathon, St. John was granted nominated charity status of another prestigious event - the 75th Polytechnic Marathon.

The 'Poly' has a heritage that stretches back to the very beginning of marathons in the capital. The first marathon in London was held as part of the 1908 Olympics where the universally recognised marathon distance was first established - 26.2 miles was the distance between the start in front of the royal bedrooms at Windsor Cas tle and the finish by the royal box at White City.

Capitalising on public interest generated by the Olympic s, the first Polytechnic Marathon named after its organi sers the Polytechnic Harriers, was run along the same course in 1909. Between 1909 and 1965 eight world records were set in the Poly , with atheletes competing purely for the s port and not prize money.

The event fell into abeyance betwee n 1988 and 1991 having been badly affected by traffic restrictions and the appeal of mass marathons with big money prizes. In 1992 it was revived with a new course between Windsor and Chis wick taking in Hampton Court, Richmond riverfront and Kew Gardens.

The Poly however, is for serious atheletes only - only runners with a marathon time of under four hours can enter and there is a cut-off of two hours at halfway.

The race took place on 26 September 1993 with a 9.30am start in Windsor Home Park.

Co-ordinated by London District, St. John members from Berkshire and London provided First Aid cover for rhe ey,ent.

It was another great opportunity to emphasise the relationship between St. John and running.

New Children's Playground Safety Campaign

Given that there are approximate y 40,000 injuries to children in playgro und s which res ult in a hospital visit eac h year, what could be done?

The Department of Trade and Industry collects stati stics and these show that injuries as a res ult of acc id ents h appe n for several reasons.

Management Causes:

* poor equipment design or fai lure to compl y to standard

* poor design and layout

* unsuitable eq uipm ent for the intended age group

* incon-ect installation

* poor in spect ion

* poor maintenance

User Causes:

* lack of sup ervisio n

* 'mis- use ' of equipment

* un suitab le c lothes

* weat her conditions

The British Standards Institution CBSI), The Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) and the Townswomen s Guild (TG) have launc hed a joint venture called "P layW ATCH". The main objective of the PlayWA TCH campaign is to improve c hild safety in playgrounds. This can be achieved by identifying the dangers in order to reduce the number of avo id ab le injuries.

The three organisations have combined reso urc es in a campaign pack to raise awareness of safety issues. Its aim is to improve the play environment, e n courage the educat ion of young people in the management of play risks and increase the s up ervisio n of c hildren at play.

The PlayW ATCH Campaign Pack contains: The PlayW ATCH Code leaflet created by the TG; the Playground Safety video and Playground Safety booklet, produ ced by BSI for local authoriti es and sc hool go vernors; and a project-centred Defect Detective Kit for adult s to use in work with children.

F or further information contact: BSI Press Office on 0908220022.October 1993

Schoo/boy Saves Bus Passenger's Life

Bu s passenger Gareth Jone s thanked the schoolboy who saved his life when he had a seizure.

37 year old Gareth from Hillcrest View, Abertillery, contacted hi s local paper (the Argus) to see if they could track down the young lad who came to hi s aid.

After finding 15 year old Karl Robin s, the new spaper put them in touch Karl learnt hi s First Aid sk ill s in a PE course at Abertillery Comprehensive School and was ab le to come to the re sc ue when Gareth collapsed after complaining of feeling unwell during a bus journey.

"Gareth just fell off hi s seat and thought he had bumped hi s head ," said Karl. "He was completely s till and I thought he had had a heart attack so I started massaging his heart. "

Bus driver Jason Ford sto pped his vehicle as soon as he could and he and Karl pulled Gareth into the recovery position.

Mr Ford then tried to make Gareth comfortable while Karl ran to phone for an am bu lance.

Gareth remembers feeling unwell on the bu s, but the next thing he knew he was coming round in Nevill Hall Hospital, Abergavenny, over an hour later.

"I had no idea who had helped me , but I thought the papers might be able to help me find him," said Gareth. " I just wanted to say thank you becau se I was absolutely helpless ."

The doctors told him he had s uffered some form of se izure, but they did not know at the time what had caused it.

"I think Karl did show the value of schools teaching young people lifesaving techniques and I think he deserves an award for what he did," said Gareth.

October 7993

Q THE BEND•••

.. This is the second in our series of pages ___ dedicated to St. John Youth matters.

(Yes, we are aware t ha t we said i t would be a bi-monthly addition to Sf. John World and no, the Editor has not gone mad, but such was the response to last month's page that we decided to run another one this month!) Any contributions to this page are welcome! Contact the Youth Services Departmen t at NHQ.

Developments i n Badger Leader Training

Ambulance Nati on al Youth Cou n cil

FUNDRAI

to the magnet then it is aluminium and is worth s omething to you; if it does stick it is s teel and can be thrown away or taken to a local steel can bank.

3. En s ure your can s are dranined of the content s an d that collection sack s (in particular tho s e provided at p ublic event s ) are free of other rubbi s h ego app le cores, burger boxes , dead cats (it has been known!)

4. Bag your can s - in a bin liner or supermarket s hopping bag - and take them to your mobile recycling van or Alcan recycli ng centre and collect 4Sp a ki lo!

*

Badger

d ( March 18 -20 , Millis Hotl se, D e rb y) wi ll th erefo re be s truct ure d s imilarly - book no w to av o id di sappoi n tment! See the Co ur se s Book le t for bo o kin g form s and fu rth er detail s of these and all ot her co ur ses

Pl a n s are afoot to provide a new Re g ional Trai n in g Sc he m e for B ad ger Leaders, in volvi ng a Re g ional T r ainer providi n g two J3adge r L eader Traini n g Sessions im eac h re gion ove r a n 18 p e ri od, starti n g in 1994 T hi s wi ll provide p otential Bad ge r L ea

ppropri a te bo dies fOf co n s id era tio n T o pi cs und e r di sc uss io n h ave in c lud e d :

• U niform

• S e rvi ce A ward s • D isability/Discrimin a ti o n

• Equ a opportuniti es w ithin S J o hn

• R ec o g ni t io n f or B ad ge r Lea de rs

T he NYC h as a n imp ort ant p ar t o p ay w it hin S t. John

Ambu

of

themselve s and with very little effort on their part or yours. All they need do is drain their drinks cans, check they are aluminium and pop them in a bag to take to the Alcan van when they go shoppin g Don ' t forget, Alcan ha s a network of recycling centres too (although certain area s of the country are c atered for by a list of ACRA approved merchant s) which are open 6 day s a week. For details of h e Aka n mo bil e recycling va n s, loca recycling ce n tres, a n informatio n p ack a nd free mag n et, co ntact t h e Aka n hotline fr ee on: 08 00 262465

* Fo r a listin g of y o ur l oc al ACRAapproved m e tal m erc hants in En g land Sco tland and Wal es , pl e a se c onta c t The Aluminium Can Re cy clin g A ss oc iation free on 0800 444223 A limit ed numb e r o ACRA d ealers also have a m o bile van ser vice.

RUBBISH TIPS:

1. Co ll ect can s at home , at work and particu l arly at public event s (this is where St. John Amb ulance really shou ld be quids in!)

2. If th e tin has an alu s ymbo l then it is al uminium, if i does not , c heck the s ide of the can with a magnet (if you don't have a magnet, e st in on the sea l aro und yo ur fridge w h ich is also mag netic). Do not c heck the top as 99 % of a ll cansstee l or al uminium - have a lumi n ium tops. If the side of he can does not s tick

Octob er 1993

R ecy clin g takes to th e ro ad with Alcan recycl in g vans!

Here we come awassailing among the leaves so green

But amongst us all there's not a licence to be seen

Wo uld - be wass a ilers this Chris tmas should beware of falling foul

London you are advi sed to check with your Dis trict Council before undertaking any carol singing (contact them at le as t one month beforehand) whil s t in s ide London you will need to a pply to con sult either the relevant London Borou g h, the Common Council

conta in tw e lve popular ca rol s and are a tt ract vely presente d with a gree n and red holly border. To place yo ur order pl ease c ontact Lucy Gwynne-Evans or Barbara Rayner on 071235 5231

The 1m licatio sfor First Aiders.

The recent introduction of air bags to supplement the protection offered by seat belts to stop drivers from injuring themselves on the steering wheel is a huge step forward in terms of car safety. But what are the implications for First aiders who may have to treat victims of road traffic accidents?

Ford's decision to fit a driver s side air bag as s tandard on every model in its new Mondeo Range which replaces the popular Sierra is a breakthrough for car safety experts. Until now air bag s were more commonly found in American cars and only a few manufacturers offered them in this country and then only a s an expensive option in luxury models eg o Mercedes Benz, Jaguar and BMW. Increasingly, air bags will be found in popular model s. Vauxhall will be announcing them f or their range of cars in th e Spring and Volkswagen are already offering both driver and passenger a side version as an option Safety expert s predict that eventually bags will be provided for all occupants even though the benefits are les s clear cut for passengers than the obviou s benefit of stopping the steering wheel hitting the driver. Bag s are only designed to work in frontal or near fronta1 crashes. They will not work in reM , side or roll over crashes

In a severe frontal impact (19 miles per hour or more) s en s ors in the vehicles detect sudden deceleration which triggers a chemical igniter in the steering wheel hub which causes the chemic a l propellant to undergo a rapid reaction. Thi s reaction produce s mainly nitrogen ga s which inflates the bag packed like a parachute into the steering wheel hub or the instrument panel for front s eat passengers. The bag inflates in under half a second. As the occupant strikes the inflating bag, the gas escapes through apertures at the back of the bag, thus c ushioni n g impact a11ld protecting the driver from head and chest injuries.

First Aiders will have a

An

YToOU can hardly escape the word 'marketing' these days. It has crept into our vocabularies with an ease wholly appropriate to its slick connotations. Unfortunately (that is if you are of a resolutely traditional frame of mind), marketing works. The same techniques which persuaded us to turn otT our kitchen taps and buy water in bottles at a thousand times the price, and which have transformed the humble GPO telephone service into today's flashy BT, also drive the ways in which we are encouraged to give to charities. Like it or not, marketing is here, it won't vanish and the company - yes, even the charitable organisation - which fails to make use of it is playing a dangerous game with its future. Gary Cooper reports.

It has to be admitted that St. John came relatively late to the realisation that everyone else out there was marketing like crazy. But that flO longer pertains and Tim Gauvain, Executive Director, St. John Ambulance, is the man whose ultimate responsibility it is to propose a strategy which will ensure the continued success of St. John (extremists might even argue its survival in a form we would recognise) in this climate, where people have less and less time to give, where they have little money and where many other charities are using some of the most sophisticated marketing strategies to make their claims on the public's attention. Recently, I asked him to share his thoughts on this complicated subject - to review what we have been doing and where St. John might be going to ensure that we have our share of well, yes what we can only call 'the market'.

To begin with, I asked, just how serious is the Gompetition which St. John faces?

"I think the competition is such that if we were to do nothing, Gould very easily be marginalised without even noticing it, and I think that such are the demands on our volunteer members that they have quite enough to do without having to worry about out-gunning the competition. So it's entirely reasonable that Headquarters seeks tel do mwch as possible fOF the membership in that regard.

"The charities market nas changed very rapidly in the past two or three years to a conventional bl!lsiness market. We are now in an era of perfectly conventional corporate disciplines, and not only do we need to impose thQse disciplines <;>D ourselves - and indeed the Charities Act requires that of us - but those who might support us, donors or sponsors, ex-pect the same thing."

14 St. John World

HOW MUCH FUN CAN YOU HANDLE?

Nintendo ' s marketing strategy has a less radi c al , more solid feel to it whereas Sega is very much product-led and less overtly creative than its rival

One of those major corporate disciplines - aside from the obvious sound management of finances and resources - lies in the area of marketing, both to the public and, perhaps apparently oddly, within the organisation itself. It is an area which, Tim Gauvain say s, has only relatively recently been attended to.

"We've never really addressed as an integrated subject what you might call "marketing St. John", which covers the whole range of marketing and awareness issues," he says. "It's the key to holding or even enhancing the position we currently have and is also the key to where we might wish to put ourselves in the future.

"Many people over tli!e years have made magnificent contributions to the public profile of St. John and to the essential business of fundraising. But marketing, appeals, public relations and publications as we know them did not really exist before the Centenary Appeal in 1987 and whatever there was before then could certainly not be regarded as a basis for the sort of developments we are experiencing today. We have come a long way since then, but we have only recently begun to Fegard these ind'ividual activities as an overall armoury of weapons which we call marketing afliIlOuryand that applies right across board, to the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital as well as to St. John Ambulance.

"We're now addressing this whole question for the first time by bringing about an overall integration of all our marketing activities

October 1993

80 that we have a consistemt, coherent, co-ordiJnated maliketing st:rategy To do that we've integratted three aspects of marketing under one directmate of marketing - fundraising and appeals, public relations and publications. The other aspects, the marketing aspects of Supplies and the national marketing of training products have yet to be integrated, but there is no question that they wjJJ have to be if our overall marketing effort is to be the pillar of the organisation which it really should be Marketing shouid be one of two central planks of the organisation, the other one being the training and operations. "

We've never really addressed as an integrated subject what you might call marketing St. John _

One of the first tests of that strategy will be, of course, the marketing of the new FAW training programme: A further development may well be to employ the enviable reputation and reach of St. John Supplies as a marketing tool beyond its already vital role.

"There will always be a need for the specialist nature of the supplies operation to be regarded as a separate function," Tim says , "but there are other ways in which supplies is a very powerful weapon in the marketing armoury."

"The other thing which we have always regarded as a separate issue is the marketing of our training products. Because they have always been delivered by the Counties, all the marketing effort for the training products has also been the responsibility of the Counties , with very little guidance from headquarters at all , other than in a general sense of awareness created by the Public Relations department. Not surprisingly, the performance in that area has been quite variable, depending on the resources which any particular county can assemble in terms of marketing and sales expertise. Historically that hasn't mattered a great deal because, until fairly recently, the competition was neither pressing nor terribly voluminous, but that is certainly no longer the case, there are many powerful competitors out there now ."

Tim Gauvain agrees , however, that considerable sensitivity is called for in any area where Counties might feel that their own autonomy was being threatened by Headquarters taking matters too

far into their own hands. He agrees that while the Counties are responsible for their own financial solvency they must also be largely responsible for the delivery of their income-generating activities. It is in the marketing of those activities that Headquarters has a role to play, bringing national resources to bear on the competitive positioning of the county operation.

"So far as the headquarters effort impinging on the marketing of the training products concerned," he says "there's really no such competition as we are never going to be a competitor in the provision of training courses. The point is that whatever headquarters does has to be beneficial to the Counties You could say that the Counties are entitled to better service from us to make us a stronger competitor nationally for the First Aid training courses."

What Headquarters can do, he argues, is offer an all round better service. "There are areas where headquarters can playa better role. The first lies in Pubhc Relations, which is already well established. We have for some time now been supporting the Counties in the public relations arena in two respects; firstly seeking benefit for them with publicity opportunities which occur nationally -for example the annual national awards to children for distinguished acts of First Aid. We always arrange for publicity on an occasion like that to be transmitted to the media in their local areas. Secondly, we provide guidance and assistance for local PR people via conferences , training weekends and by providing as much material as we can to support and encourage them.

"Where we can develop further is shown by the way the new FA W training scheme is being launched. Here we have our first opportunity to make a significant national contribution because it is a new programme and it affects all Counties equally."

Another important area, very obviously within the marketing armoury of St. John is product endorsement. How successful has St. John been?

"It remains early days yet. We expected it would take a number of years for us to position ourselves as the leading authority to which major companies will turn for the right sort of endorsement, but we have already been successful in establishing ourselves with a number of significant manufacturers or suppliers and we have plans to extend our influence in the areas associated with our core functions. "

Another area which Tim Gauvain sees as having great potential is the field of publications, now incorporated under the general wing of the marketing directorate. It could be possible for St. John to tiein with a major publisher and produce authoratitive publications which could become best sellers. The PR value , not to mention the financial benefit, in an exercise like that is obvious.

Notwithstanding a concerted marketing approach from Headquarters, covering all the above areas (the marketing of Supplies, FAW training, public relations publications , product endorsements and promotions) Tim Gauvain feels that it is vital not to neglect the marketing of St. John within the Order itself and especially within St. John Ambulance. It is obviously vital that volunteers do not feel that 'their' organisation is being taken out of their hands by a team of people from Headquarters who are imposing new ideas from above which the members neither feel comfortable with, nor understand. It is to avoid this happening that 'internal marketing' takes plaee - and he places a lot of emphasis on it

"It's a common enough feeling in voluntary organisations that the sort of corporate disciplines and the emphasis on management which I've been talking about is simply not consonant with the St. John World 15

e fo r this product World's l a rgest markets outs Id e the US are the UK and t h e n France , G e rman y and th e Netherlands. " The company claims are no plans to build similar to the Disney Vaca tlOn Club at Euro Disn ey the large tract of land stIll ing to be developed at the P a n s site th e idea could prove to b e a po"':erful mone y -spinn e r

voluntary ethic. I think the answer to that is simply that the two need to be complementary. The volunteer member really needs the support taat the Headquarters team is there to give and the only purpose of taking disciplines on ourselves is to support the volunteer membership - we have no other purpose in life. But equally, if we didn't exist, the volunteer membership could so easily be overwhelmed either by the competition or by failing to match-up to the increasing expectations of the public we serve."

One case in point where, it has to be said, internal marketing within St. John was less than a perfect success was with the Energy Pmgramme wbich, though successful in some areas, was poorly received in others and and, worse still, perceived by some members to be, in blunt terms, 'a lot of fancy ideas imposed from the top'. He accepts there were problems with the Energy Programme but feels that the necessary lessons have been learned.

IiWe can accept that in the past we might have appeared at times to be a kind of autocratic, top-down organisation

"We needed to, and have learned lessons. I think we can say that our approach to selling the Energy Programme to mu members was insufficienbly sophistieated and insufficiently across the country. We didn't take tnto account the numbeli of variables that would apply across tme C0UFltry and we also made tIoe mistake of promoting the Energy Programme before it was fully ready for delivery. If you compare that, however, with the new FAW programme you'1I find that we have a much better sequencing running this time. We have learned our lessons and members will

16 St. Jol:1n World

see from the way that the FA W training package is being presented that there have been considerable improvements.

"As for where the policies originate I think everyone knows th at the policies of St. John Ambulance are all determined by volunteers anyway and we have here at Grosvenor Crescent our resident senior volunteers who are, in effect , an essential bridge between those wh o work here in the business team and the volunteer members acros s the country. In addition, the widest-ranging consultation programme that the organisation has ever done, the Paterson Working Party, has spent over a year visiting every county , conducting over five hundred interviews with people at all levels and addressing a whole range of topics. Those recommendations have now been returned to the Counties for them to comment on and the expectation of th e Grand Priory is that once those comments on the recommendations have aU come in we shall proceed to implement them , over a realistic timescale. The important thing is that the consultation and debate have been the most thorough we ve ever had and will result in our implementing what it is that the members have told us they want.

"We can accept that in the past we might have appeared at times to be a kind of autocratic, top-down organisation but we have gone to great lengths to understand and implement the desires of our members ang, when there is something which we believe is in our member's interests, it's our job to make sure that we explain why we believe that. And that is what internal marketing is about.

"The thing one has to bear in mind is that we are only six years down the road from having only an embryo marketing capability , and a fragmented one at that, to where we are now, having moved a a pretty steady pace to having an integrated marketing capability which is going to serve the interests of our members, our public and , of course, our customers."

Marketing, like gunpOWder, doesn't have to be put to ignoble uses. In the right hands it's an invaluable, even essential commercial skilL And one that St. JJiohn has to karn to use as well as all otheli skills we possess. fortunately, seems to be a lesson we are learning - and fast.

October 1993

na Kin gs ton-Jone s, O verse a s Project C oordinator , t ook to the C aribb e an to anal yse th e pr ogr ess of S t. J o hn memb e r s in s unn y Jamai ca Her e, she r ep o r ts

Come to Jamaica and fee l a lright! I went to Jamaica and fe lt fi ne, I also fou n d St. Jo h n Ambu lance. St. John in Jamaica ha a variety of ro les and activities_ Amongst a large members h ip in the pub lic services there is a Primary Hea lth Care Project in Kingston and a strong tradition in Home Nursing.

The purpose of my visit was to eva l uate the current activities and development of the Primary Hea lth Care programme. It was also my inte n tion to assess the need for trai n ng projects, twinning, youth service and Brigade membership. As a re ult of this visit a UK county has proposed to twin with Jamaica and a Youth Leader training course is currently being planned to take place in Kingston within the next six months.

SL. John in Jamaica has been involved with Primary Health Care since 1988 in All man Town, Kingston. A l lman Town is a high density urban area with a population of 4,000. The project targets mother and child health and caring for the e lderly. Currently there are eight Community Hea l th Workers who work four days a week in Allman Town. They are all trained in Primary Health Care, further training h as been given in caring for elder ly, alcohol! dr ugs counse ll ing a nd other appropriate topics. T he project ha been managed by Nurse L u rline Watts since its inception. The credibility that it has been gained ince 1988 is reflected in app lications for shortterm placements from student nurses in the West I ndies who accompany the health workers to gain experience i n community me dic ine.

Over the last five years he project has become we ll established and we are now looking to expand into the ad j acent areas of Woodford Park and Campbe ll Town.

Pop ul atio n estimates are 4,000 and 2,500 res pecti ve ly. T h ro ugh their comm un ity invo lve me n t, the health workers have bee n appr oached w ith req uests from comm un ity memb ers of these two a reas to provide care fo r hose most in need.

Th ere are a nu mber of ong-term prim ary heal th care proj ects th ro ug ho u t St. Jo hn Wo rl dw de a n d he Overseas October 7993

Department is c urrently setting up a St. John PHC Netwo rk for all PHC Coordinators as a forum for the exchange of news, discussion and information.

The public health services in Jamaica have been subject to closure and cuts due to the national economic situation. For in stance, the hea lth clinic in Allman Town has been closed for a number of year now and 5t. John provides twice-weekly transport to clinics in Kingston for those who do not otherwise have the means to travel. The Nur ing division in Ocho Rios maintains such a strong training programme that members have been employed as nursing auxiliaries in loca l hospitals. Dr McKay, the Area Surgeon for Ocho Rios praises the skills of these n ursing members, "Th ey approach the patients with knowledge and experience and their attitude is reflective of the good training they have received from St. John Ambulance".

St. John members througho u the island are also present at a wide variety of pub l ic d u ties. These include car racing eve n ts, sport gatherings, carn ivals and ridi ng for the disab led. T h e visit of His Holi ness, Pope Jo hn Pa ul II gave St. John members the opportunity to provide First Aid cover at this very specia l and memorable event.

Among t the cl o ed divisions of 5t. John in Jamaica is the divis ion at AJcan Al um ini um Ltd in Mandevi ll e. I enjoyed a fasc in at in g site-to ur aro un d th e mi n i ng an d processi ng wo r ks T h e J amaican terra in is ric h i n ba u x ite, the raw mi ne r al of alumin a. With the in c lu sion of associa ted in du str ies s uc h as s hi p pi ng and agric ultu re, the ba u xite companies have an imp ortant

economic and community role throughout Jamaica. Safe y is the number one priority in Alcan Ltd. The company's safety record ranks high amongs t the safety at work standards and the "Safety R ecorder" by the entrance is an acknowledgement of the AJcan concern

The Alcan closed divisio n is gene r ously supported by the company in the way of facilities and equipment. Members work closely with headquarters in Kingston and participate in the national competitions

St. John in Jamaica deserves its reputation for First Aid training. With developments in Youth Services and Primary Health Care, the organisation w ill go forth and contin ue to flourish with its vitality and charming membership. My grateful thanks and appreciation go to all St. John Ambulance members who I met and worked with in Jamaica.

P ho tograph op right: Members o/Sf. John Ambulance Kingston_

P ho t ograph boltom right: Transportation 0/ patients fO comprehensive clinic.

St. John World 17

It has been said that the advantage of voluntary groups over statutory services is their ability to be flexible and innovative when developing services. One Community Care project which is both of these things and more is that of the St. John Ambulance Water Wing in Nottingham. Anne Marie Barnard, Community Care Project Leader reports.

For those of you who mi ssed the last article about this project the Water Wing is a 94ft long boat, the 'Crusader', which sai ls the Trent between its mooring at Colwich Park Marina, downriver to the lunchtime stop Uust outside the pub !) a t Gunthorpe. For you poor souls who have not had th e Crusader experience this will mean little but , speaking as one who has , I can tell you that it is a beautiful stretch of water.

On the day that I visited Nottingham to take a trip on the boat the group booked in for sai ling were the Nottingham Partially Sighted Club. I must admit that I wondered about the value of beautiful scenery for those who are barely a ble to see it. I was soo n to find out.

To the Water Borne

"Change course twenty knots east" - Anne Marie Barnard, Community Care Projecr L eader , lakes 10 Ihe water.

The boat sai ls every day .from May to September (weather permitting) and the trip takes five h ours, from lOam to 3pm. A wid e variety of organisations use the boat whic h can take 12 people per trip including those caring for disabled chi ldren and ad ult s, peopl e from care and residen ti a l hom es, the Nottingham Hospice and also co ll eges for those with spec ia l needs. Indeed th e project h as proved so popular that it is fully booked for 1993 and for most of 1994.

I met John Carter, County President and driving force behind Crusader at 9am and we boarded the boat ear l y. We were not the first on board however, as we were greeted by the Captain, George Sweeting. George is a full-time e mpl oyee of St. John in Nottingham and is responsible not on y for captaining the Crusader but also for the upk eep and refurbishment of the vessel. He has recently installed a new toilet on board, whic h is pecially designed for wheelchair u sers It i.ncludes an emerge n cy access panel in the door.

IIlt's nice to be together somewhere, where people don't treat you as though you're deaf or stupid or something."

C rewing the boat th is day was John Cooke. John is a full-time fireman and had just finished a night shift. Such is hi s dedication and e nj oyment of hi s involvement with Crusader that he had come directly from hi s night's fire fighting to the boat. He exp lained to me th at St. John h ad always been o n duty w hen he was playing sport "T h ey gave to me," he explained "a nd now I h ave my chance to give somethin g back."

A n lOam promptly a minibus drew up a nd d e livered its pas sengers to the quay. l1 he n ten of the noisiest women I hav e ever met, strode onto t h e boat. These were the m embers of the Notting h am Parti a ll y Sighted Club ed and organ ised by their Social Secretary, Joan Ca in ey. Jo an h ad seen an advertisement for the Cr usader in her loca l p ap e r a nd h ad immediately telephoned to book a trip. That was in July] 992. She h ad re-booked in 1993 and before the day was half through had secured a date for 1994! She sa id : "I've al ways h ad an ambition to go o n a cruise! " Though many of the gro up h ad only very partial sigh t this did not seem to m ar their e njo yment of the trip in a n y way. Eve l y n Bowley, who suffer wit h severe retinal detatchment said, "thi s is a first class outing It's a real privilege to be able to come out on a boat, yo u don't often get the opportunity unless you know so meone who own s one. It g i ves me a fee lin g of exhi aratio n and freedom, it wide n s my vision and gives me something new to talk to my frie nd s about."

G enys Sullivan is a young woman who was born sadly, with sig ht in only one eye , a lth oug h she remains undeterred. S h e was a member of St. John for three year, eventua ll y eavi ng w h e n she had children. Her husband wa s al s o a member and did hi s ambu lance training with the organi ation. She felt that the day out gave h er t h e opportun it y to sit and relax wi th her frie nd s a nd added , more tel l ing y "It 's nice to be together somewhere where peop le don't treat you as though you re deaf or s tupid or something. "

Connie Humphreys a nd Ivy Wilson were enjoy in g the trip tho u g h they preferred to remain in s ide the boat's large cabin. They had met through St. John Ambu lance as their husbands had both been Brigade members.

III think it's ace! Why doesn't everyone come and join us? You don't know what you're mising!"

The weather was not particu l arl y kind to us but it did not seem to matter. We cruised down-river for the morning and moored at Gun thorpe to enjoy our home packed lunches The su n chose to show its face at thi point and we s pent a c h eerful hour feeding the ducks with mo st of our sandwich es People on pa ss ing boat s called greeting to us and everyone wanted to be photographed s tanding in front of the St. John flag flyin g from the end of the Crusader. W e all took great pl e asure in feeding the two very cheeky dogs whic h s lavered at the tow-paths edge. At one point it looked as thoug h they would j ump down into the boat it se lf to fetch their regu lar bi s cuit - we humans were just not fast enough off the draw for them

The fresh a ir and relaxation lead to a gradual decline in conversation and the return journey wa far quieter than the outgoing However it was a very happy group that finally reached the starti ng point of the day's trip. T h eir trip for the follow in g year had already been booked so the ad es were not too disappointed to be leaving.

I think that Eve lyn s ummed up the whole Cr usader experience Whe n s he said, "I think it s ace! Why doesn ' t everyone come and jo in us ? Yo u don t know w h at you re mi s ing! "

IMMEDIATE CARE (lft

D o ri s Barber, Glenys Sullivan a nd J oyce Ferris sit back and enjoy the October 7993

I wou ld like to add the same sentiments and to s ay a hu ge thankyo u to John Ca rter, Co un ty President and th e rest of the crew and to th e ladies of the Nottingham Partially Sighted C lub If there s anyone o ut there who wo uld like to spend a day on the Crusader please co nt act John at Cou nt y HQ. He s a lw ay s happy to welcome fe ll ow St. John member aboard (a long as they don't mind making the tea!) and talk yo u thro u gh the development of th e Water Wing service. October 1993

SabreMedicalhaveaproducttomeetyour needs-whetheryourrequirementisfor oxygenforresuscitation,thetreatmentof traumatisedpatientsoroxygentherapy.

AllSabreproductsarerobust,require minimumservicingandaredesignedfor easeofuse.Thisenablesthecarerto concentrateonhisorherpatientandnoton theoperationaldetailsoftheequipment.

The range includes:

• Manual and automatic resuscitation systems conforming to BS 6850 , AHA guidelines , etc (The MARS)

• Manual only resuscitation systems with 100% oxygen on demand (The DVRS)

• Portable , refillable oxygen cylinders with easily adjusted flow rates

• A range of easy to adjust Multiflow oxygen regulators for use on pin index and bullnose cylinders or for piped systems with BS 5682 connnections

For full details on the Sabre range - or to arrange for a demonstration or field trial- please contact Ken Perry or Tom Knight.

AMBULANCESIWELFAREBUSES

When

lance workers sat in the front row rather than lurking, poised fo r the worst, at the back , you know you're going to be watching something a bit different.

In my experience, it is rare to leave a theatre feeling both thoroughJy entertained and al 0 extremely uncomfort able. First Aid' , the latest play from Northern Theatre Company, a growi ng se mi-profe ss ional company ba sed in Hu ll is one of these rarities , drawi ng the audience into he mys tical concepts and tec hnjq ues of First Aid whi lst defying us to a k ourse lves questions that we may rather not an swer.

Written and dire c ted by Barrie Wheatley , a worker with the visua]]y impalied , the ac tio n takes place over three weeks in the lecture room of a First Aid class, in spired by a First Aid cour e that Barrie had taken him se lf.

" I was on a job related course and as part of it I decided to take a two day First Aid course as I thought it would be an easy option. I found it both a httle surrealistic and threatening. However I recognised that because of these e lements it wo ul d be a very interesting subject to write about and wo ul d also serve as a perfec t cata lyst for iss ues I wanted to rruse within the play."

Looking initia ll y at the motivation behind people offering help to others, the play deve lops as the co nflic ting and jjfestyle s of the students emerge, forcing them into an entanglement of truth mi sco nception and prejudice , centred around the varied attitudes of society towards sexual behaviour and the widespread ignorance toward HIV and AIDS. So had the intention been to write a play on HlY ?

" No , no", says Barry " Agajn , it wa s ju t somet hing that came out of the course The subj ect of HIV came up fairly qujckly between group' members whe n we were discu ssi ng mouth -to-mo uth re suscitation. No t that the people in my group reall y resembled the c haracters in the play."

I was glad to hear it ince suc h a djverse throng of individ ual s could certainly be construed as unusual: rangi ng from Ian , the well meanj ng but taste less comedian who ran aro und sport ing a fe tch ing bandage to the head and a long tubular bandage from the front of his trousers (I), to Sue, a strajght talk ing lecturer whose husband had eft her for anot her man. Bri nging them togethe r is Mary , the high ly animated tutor, whose blood thi rsty zest and enth usiasm as he de monstrated a stagge rin g array of First Aid tec hni ques, rubbed wonderfull y aga in st the ofte n te nse atmo phere created by other characters.

So, whe re did Barrie find hi s charac ters, then?

" Some of the ideas fo r th e charac te rs' ant cs came fro m sto ri es abo ut what rea l people had got up to in Firs Aid lec tures. I wanted charac ers th at co uld ge t across cer tain ide as and view point s. Fo r thi s re aso n ther e had to be a characte r wh o was gay and there had to be th e in sufferabl e com ic, Ian I put stereo types in th e pl ay in ord er to kno ck them down alon g the way. Th e kind of perso n I was aimin g to ge t at were the peopl e that would lau gh alon g with Ian and th en be sudde nl y confro nte d with why th ey were aughin g."

Des pite the subj ect , humour ce rt ai nl y had a maj or stake in th e pl ay. I wo nd ered why he had decided to emplo y co medy when the subj ects of AIDS and HIY are so dis tre ss ing. Afterall , we re talkin g life and dea th here.

" Becau se the subject of AIDS is not ve ry humorou s," Barri e co mm ents, " Pe opl e find it offputtin g and threatenin g so I wanted to brin g peopl e ge ntl y to th e subjec t wit h a bi t of humour. Mo s of it was double entendre but the main th ng was to ge t peo ple laughing as I think that lau ghter and sadne ss are ver y mu c h ti ed toge th e r. There's a ve ry thin div iding line betwee n the wo."

Thi s was som ethin g that becam e appar ent as th e pl ay dr ew on Crack in g y funn y line s rained down steadil y whil st the ple thor a of myth and f ictio n surr oundin g HI Y and AIDS became more and more star tlin g. As did th e audi ence s fasc in ati on fo r what Fir t Aid technique s were actuall y bein g tau ght in th e on s age lec tur es. For so meo ne with no experience of First Aid at all , the y were introdu ced to th e pri oriti es wh en assess in g a cas ualty, the clearing of air passages, mouth- to-m outh res usc ita io n, th e band ag in g of head wound s and putting peopl e into th e rec overy po sition All hi ghl y fasc in atin g and useful stuff! The role of Mary, the co ur se tutor , was pl aye d by a Fir st Aid tut or herse lf which certainl y highlighted th e auth e nti c it y of th e le cture s an d made learnin g about th e technique s very understandable Was thi s inten tion al , I wo nd ered?

" No ," Barrie admits. " It wa s ju st fortun ate that Pam was ar ound I ' d wo rk ed with her before and the fact that she had First Aid exp eri ence was marv e llou s. Mos t of th e technical research came whil st I wa s on the two da y course throu gh con ver sa tion wi th the other participants and the tutor. A lot of Ian 's char ac ter ca me from a story about a group of builders who ' d been on the course and what th ey' d got up to !"

It was ju st the se kind of ex perien ces th at seemed to app ea l most to th e St. John Ambulance members who cam e to see th e pl ay "Th ey fo und it ver y funn y," smil es Barrie "Especially seeing on sta ge som e of th e thin gs th at th ey th emse ves ha d experienced "

So did anyone offer critici sm?

"They pulled me up on some of the technical points beca use obvi ously, sinc e I'd written the play thing s have moved on. I did how e ver, point out to them that ev e n though the technique s weren t one hU ndred per ce nt up to date , th ey were still effecti ve in giving the audience an idea of what First Aid is ab out.

This play to sse s aside th e use of symboli sm and att ac ks the iss ues of HIY and AIDS head on , through a script that is ri fe wi nh ri r,; h conversation comedy and som etime s frightening confrontation. The se characters don't mince th eir word s and sc en es be tw ee n Ian and tme volatile Ron a pFejl!ldiced , ill informed bigot with a lone secret to bear , created a tension that was swea inducing! Octob er 1993

Dear Editor, IQ your account of the Notti ng ha m Medic al Confe re nc e, Tim Gau vain, th e Executiv e Director , is r

[

The ambu lance

rvice ha de ve loped from the Bri ga de and stil l g ive s a ll egiance to St. Jo hn bu t i in de pende nt of th e Brigad e So me of the profes iona members have rem ai ned ve r y ac tive a nd provide trainin g and ad v ice to th e Br igade.

Bri gade membe r undertake many th ou a nd s of ho urs of d ut y at a grea t va ri e ty of act iv iti es whi c h co ul d not ta ke pl ace wi t ho ut the cove r of ful ly tr a in ed fir st aide rs. Tn co mm o n with th e ir count e rp arts in th e Uni ted K ngd o m they do not recei ve pay me nt.

Dear Ed it or , John F Bolt Commande r Guern sey

My na me is S teve D as hwoo d and I a m a membe r of t he So uth A ustr ali an St a e Eme rge ncy Serv ice a nd a fo rm e r a mbulan ce officer w ith o ur St ates' A mbul a nce Servi ce. r a m also a

STJOHN

Putting money to work is our business and one of our priorities is making a large contribution to the needs of the community, including the young, elderly and those who are disabled, disadvantaged or unemployed.

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

This year Barclays will again support a wideranging programme of community activitiesincluding charities and employment generating initiatives - both fInancial and by way of secondment of the Banks staff.

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.

AMBULANCESI WELFARE BUSES

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Jerusalem

Outrellcb Stll'wllrt Retires

Sr Hiyam Kaibni has been a nurse on the Ophthalmic Hospital Outreach programme for eight years. She retires this month and will be sorely missed by he r colleagues and the hundreds of patients who trust and respect her extensive knowledge and no-nonsense approach.

Sr Hiyam is the first point of contact for the scores of patients who turn up to each clinic, three days a week. She takes their histories and screens them for appointments. If she thinks they should see the doctor she gives them a prized green card and they join the queue " The y know that when I give them an appointment they wil be seen," she says. "There are no empty off€HS here and this means the people have grown to trust us Wh@n I started 20% of patients returned for their follow-up treatment. Now that igure is 90% because they know it will not be a wasted journey."

({bristmas

({arbs

Have you bought your Christmas cards yet? If not, why not buy some of these that are being sold in G:Jid of the Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem The HospItal is only a short drive from Bethlehem so it is a veryapproprtate time to turn your attention to the vital work Sf. John performs there. Each pack of five costs £2.20 and they are available from · Sf. JohFl Supplies.

4 St. John World

A Soft Touch

Badgers in Britain made contact with fellow children in Jerusalem when they sent out a supply of soft toys to cheer up the patients on the Ophthalmic Hospital Children's Ward

Six month old Wallah Samir woke up from her anaesthet ic after having a birthmark removed from her eye to find a blue bunny t here to look after her. Anur EI AI'ay Mehmi is six years old and had to undergo two operations after a splinter lodged in his eye (pictured below ). He hates having to be on a d ri p but loves his new f urry lion friend from the UK "Thank you so much," said his sister, "it is very kind of the children in your country to think of us. He loves toys and doesn't have very many ." Inshira is nine years old and has had an operation to clear a blocked tear duct. Now she is up and about her time in the hospital would have been very dull were it not for the toys she had to play with. Not to mention the M ickey Mouse videos games. "Many of the children we see havE no toys at home," she that the Taunton Badgers sent out for the children to watch on the screen in the Children's Ward

Sr Talia is currently a nurse on the Children's Ward with 20 and says, "and so when they come across them here they immediately take their mind off a pending operation or any discomfort following a procedure. They start playing and are st i mu ated by the toys and games. They are an important part of our care and we we lcome any donated items from the UK."

Well done Badgers and a big thank you from Jerusalem! Th e only question flOW, is which Badgers eft these love ly toys at National HQ ? We know it is a Badger Sett bu t we don 't knoW which one! Please let me know as we would ike to thank yOU persoflally

November 1993

FIoella Benjamin, star of Children's programme 'P layschool' was worried that if any of her children ever needed First Aid treatment she wouldn't be able to help. So, when offered a St. John Ambulance 'Breath of Life' course, Floella jumped at the chance.

On 7 September John Newman , Assistant Manager of Training and Development at National Headquarters visited Floella s Clapham home to instruct her and her family in basic resuscitation techniques. Floella, who has an extensive library of First Aid literature , was keen to make the course a

COMMUNITY CARE DISPLAY

Tho se of you w h o attended the 1993 Brigade Conference in Hano g ate were no doubt impres ed with t h e ne w Community Care display s tand wh ich is now avai ab le for use by divi s ion s throu g hout th e country Funding is availab l e fo r tran s portation of t h e s a nd and a member of the Commun it y Care teaI'll wi ll go a long a nd offer advice if required November 7993

family exercise. Floe II a, her husband Keith , her daughter Alvina (aged 5) and her son Astin (aged 12) all attended the course and took turns placing each other in the recovery position.

Neither Floella nor Keith had ever had any formal First Aid training but were very much aware of the importance of First Aid in emergency situations. Floella strongly believes that children should be taught First Aid.

All four successfully completed the course and were presented with Breath of Life certificates.

HRH The Grand Prior approved, on the recommendation of Chapter General, the nomi· nation of Sir Colin Imray, KBE, CMG, as SecretaryGeneral of The Or der of St. John in s uccession to the present SecretaryGeneral, Mr Tim Everard .

Mr Everard has enjoyed a long and distinguished crueer both inside and out of St. John. He took an Honours Degree in Modem Languages from Oxford University. He was a banker in Africa before he first joined the British Diplomatic Service. He interrupted his diplomatic life for a year in business in the United Kingdom. Diplomatic life took him to Indo-China and Thailand then to the Gulf, and subsequently to Athens, Paris and East Berlin, where he was Ambassador from 1984-1988. With The Order he has visited the United States of America, South Africa, Australia , Canada , Hong Kong. the Hospital in Jerusalem and several of our European confrere Orders.

"1 am not original in saying so, but Sf. John people worldwide are especially sensible, agreeable and helpful to each other and to everyone else," said Mr Everard. "Years spent working with St. John colleagues for St. John purposes are always going to be remembered as especially worthwhile and fulfilling ."

Sir Colin 1mray fellow former diplomat, has also enjoyed a career in the Foreign and Commonwealth Offlce, serving as High Commissioner in Tanzania and Bangladesh. He has also been Chief Inspector of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Fo r further detail s please contact: Ann Marie Barnard, Co mmunit y Care Project Leader at NHQ.

Mr Everard remains in-post until the end of November when he will be succeeded by Sir Colin. Our best wishes and thanks to him and his wife for all they have done for The Order. They will both be missed.

St John World 5

have a specific purpose.

Aisle Join St. John Too!

Jane Francis and Nigel Harri s, both members of St. John in Surrey , tied the knot amidst a congregation thronged with St. John members.

It was very much a St. John affairthe best man is a member of Spelthorne Division, one of the ushers is a member of Western Area Staff, the bridesgroom's cousin is Divisional Officer of Feltham division and the bride's cousin is a member of Weybridge Division

Not to mention the four other members of Spelthorne Division and 21 members of the Eastern Area Choir in attendance!

"A Minute Or Two of YOur Time"

A s the couple left the church they were met by members of Cobham Divi sion who took time off from th eir Flag Day Collection.

One of the bride 's friends who was over 8 mon t hs pregnant couldn't have been in better hands had s he decided to give birth a little early! With a church packed to capacity with St. John members and the reception being held at a hotel next to the Royal Surrey Hospital, the idea wa s to pop her over the fence in the event of an emergency. Thankfully , this was not ne cessary and a baby boy arrived on time three weeks la ter!

The Internal Version was launched at the National Conference at Harrogate and offers first-hand experiences and guidance from St. John members on setting up a community care programme to be used at St. John events.

The External Version is a recruitment video to encourage members of the general public to become a St. John volunteer.

Copies can be borrowed from your County Headquarters.

FELLOWSHIP

NEVVS

"From time to time I hear of ' St. John Fellowship Branche s' both in the Urtited Kingdom and Overseas, which have never contacted me for registration. Thi s is sad, because they are not only missing OUlt on all the events and exchange of new s which make s the Fellowship fun, but leg ally, they do not belong to it," write s Sheila Puckle, General Secretary of the St. John F e llow s hip.

"Paragraph 7 of the Fellowship Charter , granted to us by The Grand Prior of the Order, states:

" Branche s of the Fellowship may be formed anywhere but do not form part of the St. John Fellowship until registered with the General Secretary ". If any m e mbers of these unofficial Branche s read this, I hope they will ask their Chairman or Secretary to get in touch with me , so that their members may again enjo y full membership of the St. John Family.

Never was this more evident than at the St. John Ambulance Conference at Harrogate in September. Among the 1000 delegates were many Fellowship members who heard the Speakers refer to the contribution of the Fellowship to the work of St. John. I felt very proud to be there."

Anyone interested in finding out more information about the 5t. John Fellowship should contact: Sheila Puckle, General Secretary , St. John Fellowship, 5t. John's Gate, St. John's Lane, Clerkenwell, London ECIM 4DA

May 1993 saw the re-opening of the Hammersmith Cadet division, after a break of some 5 years. The first was a great success with over 30 tial Cadets twming up. Three weeks later the ACTION pack began and was completed 6 weeks later, with 29 sucoessful action-paokers becoming St. J(!)1il1'l Ambulance Cadets.

They were subjected to a t(!)lilr of the station, a talk )JiJ policing and also a talk on Badgers (the black and wihite ftlliFY. kind).

1i'he Police Sergeant, Dick Watchus who Jnelped arrange the visit, runs the Bast Kent Badger Prote0tiolil Greup.

Hammersmith division is ROW up amd mnniIilg and going from strength t@ streIilgth. Anyone interested in joinimg smowld contact: Teresa Briggs, Divisiomall Offioer Dfi Charge of Cadets, 345 Q Hammers1ifiD1lh Division, 20 EtaGkley Road, London W4 2HN.

November 1993

CharitiesFall VictimstoFraud

A repo rt by c hartered accountants Coopers an d Lybrand clai ms that as t he r ecess ion co ntinu es to bite, mor e and more c hariti es are beco min g in creas ingly su sceptible to fraud. Up to 1,700 c harities co uld be be ing defra uded of a nythin g up £160m per year.

Coo pe rs and Lybrand su gges t that si mp le financial ccmtrols and staff vettpro cedures could h e lp prevent

November 1993

Avon Take National Finals by Storm

Avon' s thr ee com petiti on teams won th e ir way throu g h to th e Na ti onal Finals and then swe pt th e board in he Cadet Firs t Ai d co mp e titi on , Adult Nur sin g co mp e tition and quiz sec tions

Th e thr ee te a ms are p ict ure d a a rece ption hosted by L ady Wills, County

Pres id e nr for Avo n St. John (ce ntr e) at he r hom e, L a ngfo rd Court, near Bri stol.

Also pi ctured are me mb er s of the Nailsea Cadet team ( in dresses) Rebe cca Brou g h , Amy C larke Louise Boulter and F ion a Duffin who won th e Whi te Knox Cup , th e Jarvi s Cup the B ame Cup and th e New Zealand Cup.

milli ons of pounds bein g frauded.

Cha.rities ar e more v ulne ra bl e to fraud beca use th ey operate on a ba si s of tru s t; it is very di ff icult to predi c t future in co me and collec t and acco unt for all promise d don atio ns; mo s t of their i nco me co mes in the form of cheques a nd cas h which are eas il y s tol en ; man y c harit y trustee s are part-tim e volunteers who are un abl e to moni tor operations con s tantly.

In a bid to h elp c h ar iti es eliminate th e ri s ks of fr a ud , the co mp any is sending

Sonia Moon and Suzanne Jo sha m of Bris tol No.1 Di v is ion won the P e rrott Shi e ld Chalmers Cup , Mountb a tten Cup , Ellis Cup and th e Margu e rett e Golding Troph y.

Members of Horfi eld Cade t Team wo n th e Cadet Quiz , they are: Helen We s t, Emma Jon es, Jonathan Cording , Darren Gre go ry and Karen Bacon.

(Th e Edifor apologisesfor o miffing (he above fro m las{ month 's art c l e o n Bri ga de Fi na ls ,- it was nor int e n.ti on al! Cong ratulati ons to all rh ose who ook part.)

250 c haritie s a brief ing paper outlining ba sic pre ventativ e measures Thi s will include the need for proper filing of rec ord s, f inancial checks and properly train ed and vetted staff.

Charitie s are al so being offered a oneday health check to assess their vulnerability to fraud, at a cos of £250. If wi s hed this can be followed up with a more in-depth investigation - a charity fraud dia g no s tic - in which a team of auditors pr ovides a more detailed analysis of the effec tivenes s of its financial control sys e m s.

St JohnWorld7

By now eveFY County Office will have received two versions of the mew Community Care video. The vide0s, generously sponsored by Safeway, each

JOOHurtat Pop Shovv

A ten year old girl was amoro.g 300 pe0ple needing medical when 30.000 fans- turned up at a Bilmingham pop show.

The gj rJ, who was the worst kurt , suffered crush injuries to her ribs after {Dressed hlp against screaming fans.

Hysterical teenagers s urged forward as their idols appeared on stage. The line-up induded pop stars Bad Boys Inc , Lulu , Ta smin Luke Goss and Bjorn

St. John Commander Paul Co®k said, "Most of the injmies were hysteria related and they just needed to sit down and have a drink, then they recovered 011 their rJwn. The maim imiflux of injUlve@ people was when Bad Boys Inc. came on stage. "

St. 1Qlma Armbllllan€'e members had to pull fan s over barriers as many suffered from hyper-ventilation and suspected minor fractures.

Organi sers of the show hail ed the day a great succes s alild sa id they hoped to ho st a show every year from now on.

1993 Merritt Awards

s uccesses in bo th new pape r a nd TV.

Cl eve a nd receive d a meda lli on a nd ce rtifica te fo r th e I' e ff on

In seco nd pl ace and winn er in t he Breath o f Li fe ca tego ry was Hampshire T he campa g n was trul y a tea m effo rt at every leve l in th e co unt y. Th ei r ta rge t was to tr a n

Award

r PR Achi e l 'e nlt'll t

e 1993 Me rritt Awa rd s f or o ut sta ndin g PR ac ti v it y in Sr. John were prese nt ed at thi s year 's Sr. John Annu a l Co nfe rence Th e competition set up in memory of th e late Dav id Merritt , is in its seco nd yea r and is de s ign ed to e ncol!lr age PR at a ll leve ls of St. John , pa rticul arly divi s iona l leve l.

Thi s ye ar 's e ntri es we re of an exce pti o nally hi gh standard sho win g e nthu s ia m and keen ac ti vit y. The s ix jud ges aw ar de d points for ori gin a lity , co nt e nt , pr ofess io nali sm and ev id e nc e of s ucce ss Thi s year there was a lso a s pec ial cat eg or y for th e ' Breath of Life' ca mp a gn

The winners were:

In third place Cleveland. Th e ir e ntr y wa , ex ce llently pres en ted and tJhe ir activi ties show ed a grea t dea l of e nt erpri se a nd initiativ e, in parti c ular th e ir Double Dec ke r

Bu s and their mag azin e, Th e Cl e ve land Sta r. They al so produ ced e vid e nce of their

8 St. John World

IncreaseIn School-Going Asthma Sufferers

The Crusades - Cultures in Conflict

De spi te having suffered from cancer for over four years, Barbara ha s continued as an active member , entering competitions and pas s ing an ambulanc e attendants cour se Barbara cannot go out on duty anymore but s till attend s divi s ional meetings

nd

gs Attack s cau se brea thl ess nes a nd wh eez in g and ca n

5,000 - th ey tr a in ed in excess of 6,500. It was a fir st c lass exa mple of s ucces f ul PR , in corpo ratin g a ll as pec t of th e med ia a nd th e ge ne ral publi c. Th e ir e ntr y inc lud ed de tai ls o f th e pl a n a nd c lea r ev ide nce o f it s s uccess ful im ple me nt at io n Hamps hi re received a certifi ca te a nd a meda lli o n n recog niti on of the ir ha rd wo rk

First pl ace we Ill o a n ind ivid uaLillian Oake y, Di vis io na l Su pe rint end e nl of Cha tt e ri s Ce nte na ry Co mbin ed D ivi ion in Ca mbrid ges h ire. Th e pa ne l was ve ry impr esse d by thi s e ntr y. Tt was o bv io us lh a t a lot of hard wo rk had go ne int o t. T he e ntry, prese nt ed in la rge z ip -up fo ld e rs , was acc omp ani ed by a e lec ti on of ph otog raph s and exa mpl e of th e ma ny and va ri ed ac ti v iti es whi c h had do ne mu c h to raise awa re ness a nd res pec t o f S t. John in

Ca mbrid ges hi re. Th ey eve n se nt in cuddl y toys a nd s pec ia ll y eng rave d pe ns. Lilli an

Oakey rece ive d a meda lli on a ce rti f ica te and a c hequ e for £3 00 as winn e r of th e 1993 Me rri tt Awa rd

T hose prese nt at Che co nfe re nce w ill have rece ive d a n e ntr y form fo r nex t yea r's com pe ti nion Anyo ne wh o has no t rece iv ed on e a nd wishes to do so sho uld co nta ct :

Dotlyn Dyke, PR Department

1 Grosvenor C rescent, London , SWIX 7EF.

ealth Lin e w ill pro v id e de tail of g roup s o ffe rin g info ml <l tion , acl v ice a nd s upport for th os e with as thm a and th e ir c ar e rs

Ast hma is ju st on e of a ran ge of he alth probl em s cov e red by He alth Lin e Wal es, which ha s a databa se of info rmati o n a nd c onta c t throu g hout Wales and the rest of the UK.

It i confid e nti a a nd can help y ou find out about NHS se rvi ces and th e s tandard s you can expec t, ho w to m ake s ugges ti o ns a ncl complaint s, how to conta c self-h e lp gr oup s, hea lth y livin g and s ources of inform at ion on he a lth care in your a rea.

The information He alth Lin e provid es bac ked by a growin g li st of publication s and fa c tshee ts a nd copi es ar e supplied fr ee It is how e ve r not a coun se llin g service, nor clo es it offe r medical diagno s s or information on pres crib ed dru gs You can contac t Health Line on freefone 0800 665544 from 9am to 5pm Monday to FI'i€lay, with an out-ofhours answerphone.

For the fir s t t ime St. John Ambulan ce may become familiar to schoolchildren throu ghout the nation as they study our education as part of the Hi story national curriculum. A major publish er , Cambridg e Univ ers ity Press, has produced a book written by th e e ducational adviser to Th e Ord e r of St. John, under th e au s pic es of the London Ce ntr e for the Study of Cru sa de s. Thi s beautifully illu s tr a ted 64 page book te lls th e s tory of the Cru sades and expl ain s th e ir s ignifican ce today. One chap ter is devoted to th e Ho s pitall e rs and m akes a clea r link be tw een th e mediev a l cru sadin g Kni g ht s of St. John , who took a vow to care for th e s ick , and the present day St. John Ambulance

" Th e Cru s ade s" i s aimed mainly at school pupil s be tw ee n th e ages of 11 and 14 but the inclu sion of th e hi story of The Ord e r of St. John make s it v ery useful for Cad e Lead e rs and Cadet s In fa c t, a ny m e mb e r of St. John Ambulan ce inter es ted in the lon g and influential history of th e org ani sation to which they belong will find th e book enjo y able and infonnativ e.

Copies are available from the Museum Secretary, Museum of the Order of St. John, Clerkenwell, London, ECIM 4DA at a cost of £4,75 each (inc. p&p).

Special Investiturefor

BraveLady

Barbara Camp wa s inves ted as Serving Sister of th e Order of St. John at a special Inv es titure he ld at Ba.rwell and Earl Shilton Divi sional Headquarte r s in Leic es tershire Barbara who ha s battled ag ain st continu ed ibl health over the pa t four year s wa s not well enough to make the trip to London to receive her in si gni a of The OrQl e r so a s peci a l inv e. tirure wa s arran ged.

The Reverend Doctor Rimmington conducted the serv ice. Afterward s the whole divi sjon , including S enjor Officers, members and friend s had a c e lebrationar y m eal.

yo u ever see n th e littl e o ld blac k First

Aid T ex t Boo ks whi c h no t so many yea rs ago, see med to f ill Sec ond H and Book S ta ll s a nd Jumbl e Sa le? A con t inuin g numb e r of ad verti e me nt s at th e back of th ese vo lum es ca ug ht th e eye. Th e fi rst me ntion of Wh eeled Litte rs Serv ices for in sta nce was in Sh e ph ar d 's F irst A id to th e

Injured pu bli hed ill 1893:

INVALID TRANSPORT CORPS

For the conveyance of sick and injured persons (l nfec ti ous Cases Acce pt ed )

A two-wheeled ambulance litter , including all charges, half-aguinea within the four-mile radius of Charing Cross. Outside the four-mile radius , removals are subject to special arrangement.

IN EA CH CASE ONE ATTENDANT IS SENT.

EXTRA ATTE DA TS , I PER HOUR EA CH

Un til thi s t ime th e o nl y use of litte r in Lo ndon had bee n by th e Me t rop o lit an Po li ce to co nvey th e v ictim s of acc id e nts to hos pit a l.

After thi s th e fir st A id Ma nual of th e tim e became "First Aid to th e Injured", whi ch c ontinu ed by th at name for we ll ove r half a ce ntury. Th e Ashfo rd L itte r, in 1903, co ns is ed of a two -whee ed un der carri age with a Furl y stre tcher and a cover on a j oin te d frame to pro tec t th e pat ient from th e wea th er. The pri ce of th e mos t luxuri ous mode includin g lea th er s tr a ps fo r sec ur ing refrac to ry pa tie nt' was £ 17 2s 6d (j ust over £17 .1 2). T we lve years later , in 19 15 , th e cost had ri se n by half a c ro wn to £17.2 5

An addition al mod el was also ad ve rti sed at th e back of th e bl ac k boo k, th e ReaEd ward s Litter w ith a Cle metso n stre tc he r whi c h had th e advant age ove r the F url ey st retc her in th at th e pa ti e nt can be mo ved as des ired f rom th e rec umb e nt to t he si tt ing po ition. Thi s was a c heap er model

PREMIER HAeRD

Poetd Corner

A Chelmsford Weekend

Each year over A ugust Bank Holiday weekend, Essex County Western Area coordinates the First Aid cover for the "Che l msford Spectacular". This event comprises five evenings of concerts plus all day events on Sunday and Monday.

This year 'Take That' staged a performance during which over 2000 cas u alties needed First Aid treatment, 38 of which were conveyed to hospital.

To commemorate th is ep ic weekend the following poem has been written by both county and area members.

Hylands nineteen-ninety-three was a great success from Thursday to Monday we were put to the test 011 Wednesday we were ready for the big event with fun and laughter and sandwiches to ear in rhe tent.

Thursday was the big day with a group called 'Take That' we did an.d ir was exceptional, the Commiss on.er took off her hat the casualties kept coming we hardly had the time to wipe a brow , blow our nose or drink a glass of wine.

The crews were really won.de lful they worked so very we ll over one thousand was the tally and some to hospital we finished up the evening back at our abode with chipolata sausages and then one for the road

Friday was a let down we hardly heard a peep but we celebrated a birthday and Pat went off to sleep we had bacon sarn.ies and some g lasses of champagne and then to bed to starr on Saturday again.

We visited a hostelry for lunch on Saturda y with George Benson in the evening and a firework display some went off to Tha xte dfor a very special event to ce lebrate 50 years of service and a certificate to present

Sunday was the next day it started up at twelve with people out to enjoy the stalls where they could have a delve there was another concert, the crowd was great some casualties were treated but we did not finish late.

Monday was the fifth day of Hylands Spe c tacular Joan Logan came to visit tiS she did arrive by car she ca1Tied out an inspection, she seemed very keen a warrant she presented and went on duty with the team.

The Monday evening concert with the 60 ' s as the theme was the highlight of the weekend and we had time to dream and when it was all completed and back in caravans and tent we looked back and discussed this very large event.

We had some liglvt refreshment it all was very pleasing with lots offun an.d laughter and a tittte Nt of teasing eventually we said goodnight and as we closed the door we thought hang on we'll be here for HyLands ninety-four.

12St.JohnWorld

contract im Duisburg when he was involved in aiJil horrific road acddelil n. ID<!!>C ll@rs f eared his injl!ldes would prove m-allal when he lapsed a coma fOJi a lmost a mon Vh. However his f a t her said the only surgery left for him to now undergo is co s metic surgery.

A team of four S1. John Ambulance members and Gary's f ather planned and coordinated the visit to Gelmany to repatriate Gary who was at the time being cared for at the Evangelista Hospital. Doctors at the hospital confirmed that Gary needed no trealtmenll on the return journey apart from basic nursing care. He had sustained severe head and internal injuries, as well as a Colles fracture. His pelvis and femur had been fractured and! pinned. There was also some bony displacement. Consequently, his mobility was severely restricted his speech almost non -existent and he was doubly incontinent.

" I felt that West Derby DivisiolJ should make some effort to help this family who were living within our mid s - after all, the local community and s everal Trust s had been more than generous during the 21 months it had taken us to raise the cost of the vehicle. It also seemed to me that involvement with this family would come within our remit in relation to the Care in the Community legi s lation " said Jean Kewly, a member of West Derby Division

The planning took twelve days from s tart to fini s h and involved obtaining the necessary in s urance for the vehicle, green card s, establishing the patient' s treatment need s , expected date of discharge and time of arrival in the United Kingdom

.... .his mobility was severely restricted , his speech almost non-existent.

North Sea Ferries the group with which Gary would travel , were more than helpful and agreed that Gary s hould have fir s t cla ss accomodation, free of charge. The other five pa ss engers were granted 10 % discount on economy cla s s cabin

The group travelled to Dui s burg on the 18 Augu s and Gary wa s lifted on board for the return journey At fir s t hi s s peech wa s very slow and virtually inaudible , but it was apparent that he had retained his innate Scouse humour. However , it qui c kly became more spontaneous and seemed to bear out the belief expres sed at th e planning meeting that the absence of verbal stimulation was probably the greatest factor in Gary ' s inability to communicate Thi s wa s reinforced later in the journey when Gary 's language pattern became more c omplex and he actually initiated convers ation.

By the time the ferry reached Liverpool everyone was feelin g bright and happy and anxious for the final two hour leg of th e journey to Walton Hospital. Prior to delivering him to the ho spita l, the ambulance called at Gary's home s o that he could s ee hi s Grandmother. It was a very emotional reunion and at leas t on e member of the crew had trouble with hi s lachrymal duct s! Eventually Gary was safely delivered to Walton Hospital with promises of a reunion at the West Derby HQ in the not too distant future.

.. The cost of repatriating Gary was estimated at £7,000.

Since the trip Gary has made excellent progres s and should be discharged from Hospital very soon. His parents and family are assured of the on-going concern and support of the West Derb y Division in the perhaps difficult days that lie ahead.

A Wor' Apart

Oneoftheadvantagestodoctorsandnurses whocomefromallovertheworldtoworkat theSt.JohnEyeHospitalisthevarietyofeye diseaseandinjurythattheyencounter.These physicalproblemsprovidearichand fascinatingexperience,butwhatofthecultural andattitudinaldifferences?Staffatthe St.JohnOphthalmicHospitalfindsthose equallychallenging.St.JohnWorldreports.

Congenital eye di sease from inter-marriage is rife in the Middle Ea s t. " The tradition here of marrying your cou s in leads to all sorts of congenital defects and the eyes are alway s the fir st to be affected ," explain s the Warden of the St. John Ophthalmic Hospital, Michael Ward " A woman marrie s her cou s in, they have one blind child and , not reali sing why, continue to have more children - we know of on e lady who has seven blind children ," he says It is not surprising therefore that the doctors and nurses at the Hospital see the educative part of their role as vital to improving eye s ight problems in the region. Palestinian leaders have also invested much time and money into spreading the word about the disease s caused by inter-marriage ba sed to a great extent on statistics provided by the Ho s pital.

Illnesses in this part of the world can also be caused by dietary deficiencie s - particularly diabete s which affects large numbers of the population and leads to diabetic retinopathy. " The people here eat alot of rice and other carbohydates and drink incredibly sweet , syr up y tea and juices which could well account for the high incidence of diabetes that we see, " say s the Warden. " Again much of our role is educative there is no ne ed to drink so much sugar, and our nurses spend alot of time and trouble giving dietary advice for a condition which is so common that it is not taken seriously. "

Obtaining a patient's history also causes extraordinary problems. "When asking the number of children a Palestinian woman has ," the Hospital's Dr Magauran , " they will give a number such as ' five Doctors wise to their ways will then ask if that is boy s and girls. The answer will invariably be ' Oh, no , - I've got five boy s and three girls. The girls don ' seem to count! "

Linguistically there are basic problems to come to temlS with as well explains Dr Magauran " Asking a male patient to close his eyes requires totally different words to asking a female patient to do soto the extent they won't U1nderstand you unless you get it right. Such fundamenta differences in approach to language mean that it is essential to have a Palestinian nurse always to hand," she says.

Perhaps the mo s t difficult problem to overcome has been, and to a large extent still s the aversion of Palestinians to wearing glasses, particularly the women. Sr Jackie Jadie, who runs the Outpatients Clinic and is Deputy Matron at the Ho s pital can remember a time ten yeaa's ago when hardmy any of the patients would wear glasses. "The Women feel that they are una t9t rac nive if they wear g lasses and that bheir hu sbands will Leave them or, if they are not man-ied , that they will not find a husband at all," she explains. Sultana Toukan aged 65 , (pictured above) now wears glasses and they make all the difference to her life. "She thought her husband would leave her," explains her

November 1993

November 1993

niece, " so s he has only begun wearing glasses since he died, although the St. John doctor advised her to get s ome many years ago. " Waleed Molid A hiel is delighted that the operation St. John gave hi s twelve year old daughter has cured her squint because good eyes are an important physical attribute " I feel sure s he will marry well now," he s ays. " With many girls marrying at fourteen or fIfteen, they suddenly come to us to get their squints seen to at that age If only they would come ear li er it would make life so much easier," says Dr Magauran.

Jackie Jadie ha s been at the Hosp i tal for 12 years and the contra s t between the numbers who will wear glasses now and ten years ago fills her with pride. There is no doubt in my mind that we have turned attitudes around and slowly worn down a prejudice that fundamentally affected the quality of life of so many people, " she says.

Sr Meg Dibsy is in charge of the male ward and in her eight years at the Ho spital ha s fought a constant battle of Health and Safety education. "One gentleman we have in at the moment was hit in the eye by a nail from hammering without protective goggles. So much of our role is educative, " she says, " every time someone come s in with an injury like this we ask them to wear goggles for welding or carpentry. So many injuries could be avoided but there are not the same laws or Government promotions here. It is a struggle to make them see that it is essential. "

The climate in The Holy Land leads to problems with vision and is another new encounter for many staff. Bright light and a dry , hot , dusty atmosphere leads to many ca ses of Ptergium (Greek for 'Wing of a Bat') which results in a fleshy growth over the cornea. Drops may cure this but if not surgery is necessary w hi ch carries the risk of corneal scarring and possibly encouraging further growth - wearing glas se s would help prevent the onset of this condition.

Not al l the cultural differences provide difficulties howe ver. Dr Magauran finds the local benign acceptance of her work very refreshing. " Patients here don t question your diagnosis or di s agree with you , which canle as a very pleasant surprise! Also, there would never be any question of complaints or law suits if they are not cured -a burden of worry so many doctors carry nowadays. To them it is all in Allah's hands They are not fatalistic, they try to get help for a condition , but if it doe s not work , they accept this·as Allah s wish " While Europe struggles with laws to protect Good Samaritan First A iders , let alone doctors, it is fitting that the land which gave rise to tJhe term 'The Good Samaritan' should still live the philosophy

Captions to photographs : Top left - Crowds gather for treatmenl from earl y morning to late at nig ht. Top righr - Yetanotherfamil y wait tojoin the qu e ue.

St.JohnWorld13

A Common Purpose

The St. John Ambulance Conference, 17th-19th September, 1993

Ex -editor of St. John World, Vic Allen, had vowed never to review a St. John Ambulance conference again, but he'll do anything for two decent meals and a free game of snooker.

Iwas at the reception on Friday evening that the Reverend Peter GaHoway began the 1993 St. John Ambulance Conference by reminding everyone that Harrogate was the town where Agatha Christie once made a highly public but mysterious disappearance.

Even as he spoke, virtually all the senior personnel from Grosvenor Crescent were just as conspicuously absent. Most of them had omitted the reception in favour of a meal at nearby Harewood House to thank George Moore for his unstinting work and generosity to St. John Ambulance over the years.

The title Working Together specifically referred to the historic presence (at what used to be called the 'Brigade Conference') of the Association, the National Youth Council and the St. John Presidents. All three had meetings of their own in various parts of Harrogate on the Saturday afternoon - but all the delegates attended the main session during the morning and late afternoon. In short, while it cannot be pretended that the points of interaction between the various sections of St. John Ambulance are still being discovered, this was not just a symbolic conflux but a significant one.

And the Harrogate Conference Centre - an architectural salad of red brick, glass and chrome, heaped around a giant concrete corkscrew - was well up to the occasion. Here it was that the Mayor of Harrogate welcomed us all in a speech that concluded with such a flurry of commemorative gifts that latecomers might be forgiven for wondering if they hadn't stumbled in on a rehearsal for Crackerjack.

The Executive Director , Tim Gauvain , be gan the session proper , remarking at once that the first laugh he had recorded at the St. John Conference in Portsmouth didn 't occur until 11.22am. He then referred to the Jack of direct train s to Harrogate and to a piece of graffiti he had spotted on a railway bridge where, under the assertion " Je s us is Coming", someone had added the words "as long as h e remembers to change at York".

This dubious anecdote broke the Portsmouth record by approximately two hours (a further, alcoholically-inspired elaboration went aJong the lines of "St. P a ul is coming too as long as he remembers to change at Dama sc us").

Tim Gauvain's ensuing talk on 'Co mmuni ca tion s and Us' was a self-assured delight but, by the sa me token, it wasn't serious. His conclusion - that good communications is down to common sense - hardly seemed worth communicating.

One remark, however , should be pinned up in s ide every St. John Hall in the country: "Anyone who says 'no body tells me an yth in g', is not making a contribution to this organisation. "

This year's guest speaker was Lord Weatherill , ViceChancellor of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem. He set about ' Exploding Myths ', principally the myth of the annus mirabilis.

"Our country has always been in a bloody awful mess ," the Speaker of the House of Commons for most of the Thatcher years reassured us. Recalling a time when TB killed

orne person in six, and when cholera and typhoid waxed undeterred by medical science he noted" life is absolute heaven compared with what it was 100 years ago ."

It was good to see Ruth Vant from St. John Ambulance in Canada placed near the top of the 'battle order'. C0mparisons with other St. John organisation s are of course not automati ca lly valid. A country with wilderness areas, for example, will have training and promotional priorities of little relevance to an overpopulated rock like ours.

Two years ago, however, Ruth Yant's ' Department of Volunteer Support' replaced Canada's Brigade Operations'. The terminology is significant; a quasi-military structure was bein g ousted by a commercial one; readers may decide for themselves whether thi s has any relevance to St. John UK!

The change saw a new determination to treat volunteers as individuals. Training , for instance, was split into four levels to accomodate individual needs ; basi c level (for public duties ); two optional levels for advanced training; and a specialist level involving module s such as oxygen adm in istration.

Careful attention is now given to encouraging volunteers through 'rewards and challenges' ("perhaps we should serve popcorn with the training fi lm ") and to cardinal issues such as simplifying administration procedures.

"We should always bear in mind what most of our members come to the for," concluded Rwth Vant , who also revealed plans to set up a volunteer database for Canada (it remains one of the more astonishing anomalies about St. John Ambulance in

the UK that it has no definitive list of members).

After a brief resume of the successful Breath of Life Campaign, introduced by Phyllida StewartRobert s, there appeared the first of this year 's 'conference virgins

Philip Gee became the Director of Training and Operations in May this year and this was his first performance before the lumpen masses '. A Yorkshireman, he was playing on home ground and got an immediate round of applause with the remark: " I've never been to Betty 's tea rooms , I'm much more of a Harry Ramsden man misself' (a reference to the mayor's speech).

Gee set about promoting the advantage s of the BSS750 sc heme as a badge of 'customer service'. This ha s been pioneered by Berkshire , while NHQ has also undertaken to attain the appropriate standard during 1994. Gee then formally announced to volunteers the new FAW course (a huge topic that it would be daft to cover here. Delegate s were able to get more details from The George Moore Trailer outside the conference centre - and piled into it during the coffee break).

He revealed that there will be a new Public First Aid Course next year ("It's time it was looked at") and voiced his support for the heretical idea that it could become a building block towards FA W qualification. This presented the startling pro spect of a St. John figurehead challenging the prevailing legis-

lation rather than hiding behind it.

"The HSE will take some persuading, but I have a dream ," he said.

Gee backed up his populist style with a cartoon slide show and a series of pun s Probably he didn't have to try so hard.

Surgeon Mark Elder's speech on the Ophthalmic Hospital in Jerusalem did the impossible by silencing the Cadets who had been giggling at the back of the hall for most of the morning. This was a contemporary account of what it is to work in a country where the phrase , "Like father, like son" translates as "The son of a duck is a floater ", and where you " had to memorise bar codes just to do the shopping"

Bel ow :

Trained to cope

The George Moore Trailer boasted details of the nevv FAW cou r se and was suitably busy as a result.

Elder recounterl the almost routine experience of witnessing people who thought they would never see again., having their sig ht restored "yelling and screaming ' Thanks be to God'; screams you can still hear 100 yards down the corridor after they are taken back to their ward."

His was the longest appl3l11se of the morning.

Throughout the weekend the conference was peppered by snatches of videos (intended , no doubt , to compensate for the speakers). Many of these hailed from the 'Alas Smith and Jones' television show where Mel Smith and Griff Rhys Jones stare at each other across the TV screen and ponder the unapparent subtleties of life.

In their ' OTYJ' Round up , Barbara Rayner and Lucy Gwynne-Evans copied Mel and Griff's format to nearperfection. This was all done in one twelve-minute take , and was all Qriginal material.

"Me and Col , we're like that" said Mel (alias Babs) holding her crossed fmgers in the air. "Wot, you mean superstitious?" said Griff (alias Lucy).

Yeh well, it's all in the timing. The 'Col' in question was Safeway's Colin Smith who appeared on stage to reveal that the OTYJ Campaign had that week finally topped £5m (£5 ,003,024 to be precise).

"I'd like you all to go back to your Counties and Divisions and pass on our thanks. Your contribution has been magnificent," he said.

The thanks, of course, were travelling in the wrong direction. How St. John members will ever be able to shop anywhere else I'll never know.

John (everything you say and everything you do) Mills bounced on stage in a comparatively sober presentation - for the PR departmentof this year's Merritt Awards.

Of 13 entries the Counties of Cleveland and Hampshire were runners-up to an individual, namely Divisional Superintendent Lillian Oakey of Chatteris Centenary Combined Division in Cambridgeshire (aka. Mum' , we are told). "A really fantastic example of PR activity" said Mills, inviting further entries and suggesting possible topics for next year such as the Hospital Awareness Week, St. John Awareness Week (which has been moved to September), and the launch of the new Public First Aid Course

The second 'v irgin of the day was Dr Duncan Macphie who, since he was appointed Medical Director la s t J anuary , was not qu ite as untarnished as Philip Gee. He began by detailing further changes to the Medical Board. Since barely anyone had got a chance to grow accustomed to the previous changes this did not cause undue concern.

It was then wondrous to behold a medically qualified St. John figurehead say the words: "We are sometimes too rigid and inflexible in the tending of First Aid. First Aid procedures are based on a series of probabilities, and incidents will occur that do not fit in with the Gospel According to on e 6th Edi tion"

Macphie was not suggesting that members should feel free to extemporise when faced with a ruptured

This brought a thunderclap of applause.

Aspirin came next ("My bigge s t headache "). Mo st readers will be aware that the 6th Edition advised that an aspirin tablet could be given to a conscious person s uffering a heart attack, which should be chewed slowly. This instruction was put into abeyance and has now been restored (with minor changes to the wording, covered in a circular issued by NHQ). Macphie described the in s truction as, simply, 'a very valuable adjunct to other forms of treatment'.

spleen, merely appealing for le ss zealotry and perhaps a more discursive training process. The ho ary topic of counselling (w hi c h some members treat with the kind of susp icio n usually reserved for hypnoth erapy) met the sa me no-non se nse attitude: "F irSl aiders mu st be aware that some patients will die. Some may want to talk abo ut th e ir experiences. Counselling can often consist of no more than a discussion with a colleague."

A brief hi s tory of the Aeromedical Service courtesy of Lt. Cdr. John Hammond was followed by tea, which was followed by Nic Suggit of NHQ's Training Services Department. Rather like a man waiting for the glue to set, Suggit co ntinues firmly to apply details 'of the Leader Training Schemes to any audience that presents itself. Dead right too. "My mes sage is: go out, take advantage of the opportunities and be prepared to learn at all times."

This was the year in which the Bad gers were fornlally incorporated into the Brigade structure. Some 4,000 Badgers are said to have moved up to Cadets in the last two years but, according to Badger Development Officer Alex Strick, there is a problem. Badger membership has reached a plateau of 22,000 members - s imply becau se there is a shortage of those dedic ated but ever so s lightly warped people , the Badger Leaders. Watch out for the Badger Leader Recruitment Drive coming your way soon.

Jan Grieg-Gran, one of NHQ's advisors on plastic boxes, delivered the goods on computers. The benefits of computers or course booking , word proce sso r s and Brigade records are more than evident. The new Charities Act makes the argument in favour of Standard Accounting Software almost irresistible. "Mo dern computers are much more user-friendly. In relative terms , computers cost far less than electrical typewriters did ten years ago. Put aside your fears and have a go."

The Open Forum on Saturday Evening almost purred along. There were problems , of course (incl uding one que s tionner who had been promi sed a letter at last year's Open Forum an d was still waiting for it) , but there was no malice.

The five-strong panel of NHQ luminaries undertook to review 'Caring for the Sick' training ; conceded a point on the progression of skills' issue; but kicked into touch a suggestion that it was top-heavy to have one-in-five St. John members as officers (as the Chief Commander ve ry nearly said: you can't change the rank structure until you can under s tand it , and since no-one understands it, it can't be changed).

It was agreed that consideration should be given to the idea that not only paramedic skills but specific nur si ng skills might also be use d on St. John duty; agreed that if 'Com m issioner-in-Chief' epaulettes could be provided by Supplies as a pre-woven item, then ' Doctor' epaulettes s hould also be provided ; agreed that so mething was wrong if Badger Leaders, besides their regular duties also had to attend 12 Divisional meetings to sustain efficiency and it was further agreed that a tie should be devised for Assi s tant Badger Leaders since male volunteers look terribly silly in the scarf'

A suggestion from the floor that newly qualified nurses should not be made Divisional Nursing Officers immediately but should undergo a period of induction received applause. This was doubled when Dame Audrey Emerton pursued the logic of applying it to newly qualified doctors as well.

He made history by announcing that henceforth dhe word 'para medic s' would s ignify people qu alifi ed to NHS paramedic standards: "It is very unlikely that St. John Ambulance will ever be able to train its own paramedic s It is a complex, staff-intensive and expensive process," he said, and then added Mis own persona1 view that, "It is quite wrong to stop a paramedic practising his or her full range of skills when on publiC duty with St. John Ambulance."

November 1993

The idea of a conference 'j ust for Cadets ' got a cool reception since it implied some sort of split from normal Brigade activities. Phyllida StewartRoberts confirmed that cravats have been considered for female uniforms but have been rejected. Someone queried a section in the new First Aid Manual suggesting that alcohol and paracetamol be given in conjunction. This was to be referred to the tripartite committee, although Dr Macphie was keen to reassure any potential donors that " I have absolutely no personal objection to large quantities of whisky and two paracetamol "

The Sunday Service at St. Peter 's Church followed the usual dinner and dance on Saturday evening. This particular journ alist stayed the course until 3.30am playing snooker m someone else's hotel. St.JohnWorld17

16St.JohnWorld

If th e Harro ga te Con fe re n c e Cen tre has a fault i n i s t he la €:\C of a n infoflil1al discu ssi on are a in the evenings. Bo t h the b ar a nd th e roving s o fas in th e corridors a re too ho s tile and if thi s c onfere n ce w a n te d for an y th i n g it w as more inte raction betw een senior NHQ personnel and rank-and- f ile m e mbers

Paul We s taw a y got thin gs o ff to a flyin g start but then he 's the Director (D f the Air Ambulance Dev e lopme nt f or the West country Ambulan c e Servi c e s

NHS Trust. Air ambulance s in the West c ountry hav e seen notabl e drop s in p a tient s' use of inten s i ve care facilitie s, in wound infection s, and in mortalities ( parti c u l arl y in c ardiac arrest and head inju ry ca s e s). We s taway ha s s een hi s helicopter land on cycle paths, cliff ed g es and bo a t de c k s (" We can land on half a tenni s c ourt : although we do in si s t that the p e r s on on the other si de of the c ourt s o p s pla y ing fir s t ") Don 't s tart dre a min g o f a St. John Air Ambulance , mind. Cornw a ll and Dev on r a i s e £75 ,000 p e r month betwee n them to s ustain thei r servi c e. SL John units have , though, been involved wi h the servi c e s ome nine time s s ince it s ince pti on.

David Nobb s' Care in the Commun i ty spot was built around s ubmiss ions by the Commi ss ioner for Cleveland , Lt. Col. John Byrne and Berk s hire E x ecut ve Officer, Elaine Cook. The former li s te d the community achiev e ments (an. d d esi g Fledl y, the non- a chievements) of hi s County since 1991 The latter related h e r experience after bein g charg ed with the task of pro vi d i ng Berk s hire St. John Ambulance with a Community C a re rol e

Here were the fir s t s erious attempt s J have s eem to quantify the invo.l vemelilt that community care might entai l for St. John. In Cleveland it cen t red around hand s -on' project s, s uch as finding a DJ for a hospita r a dio , or 18 St. Jonn World

b Mildin g a St. John H a ll a nd i ncludin g fiv e s pec ia l- care compl ex. In B erks hi re t h e inv o l ve m e nt see m e d to be m o re strategic, s i tti n g o n vo luntary a nd sta tu to r y gro up s, o r eve n

n eg otL at lll g a se rvi ce co ntr ac t fo r s pe c ific aspects of l oca a uth or ty care.

Th ese are earl y d ays for Co mmunity

C Cl1"e , but et's n ote h e re h a t o n e a dv ert

pl ace d in th e C l e v e l and press fo r

Community C are vo l unt eers e li c ite d 22 a dult r e pli es. As El ai n e C ook n oted :

W e are g r a du a ll y o penin g up t h e St. John organ i sa ti o n to peo pl e wh o would n o h a v e th o u g ht o f joinin g u s."

A S afew ay-s pon so re d vide o to p ro -

mote St. J o hn 's co mmun t y in vo lv e -

ment w as th e n s h ow n : good as i t was,

it s S o uth E as te rn origi n w as rat h er

p a in f ull y o b vio u s in t h e la nd of fla t v o w e ls. Co mmunity Care i s, afte r a ll , go in g t o re qui re a n ew set of sensi bilities

The Ov erseas D e p artme n t f ie lde d th e Comm issi on er fo r E ssex, J oan

Lo gan , w h o r e l a te d h e r expe ri e n ces w hil e ' Tra in i n g th e T ra iners' i n

Gu y ana Thi s w as a n a ll too fa mili ar s tory o f p eo pl e will ing t o l earn i n th e te e th o f p overty a nd m ini m a m e di cal

res ources Th ere are t h ose w h o th ink a little knowled ge s a d a n gerou s th i n g: where F irs t Ai d i s co n ce rn ed, ig n or ance i s far m o r e deadl y. I n Gu yan a eve n th e C o mmi ss io n e r-i n-C hi ef st ill u se s th e S y lv es t e r m e th o d of r es u scitation

Th e D e p a rtm e n t's o wn Ann a Kin gs ton - J o n es re porte d o n th e t w inning po t enti a l for J a m aica, wh e r e it is hoped th a t a T raini n g -the -Train ers s cheme will be initi ate d nex t year

F i n a ll y Su rrey D N O , Phill i p a Bouwen s s pe a kin g on beh a f of h er c ounty an d M erseys id e ( both of w h o m are twinn e d with Ni ge r ia) r e a ted another s tory o f T rai nin g- th e - Tra iners. "The Nige r ia n s m a d e u s fee l like royalty. W e w ere n tw o min ds w h e th e r to s t o p thi s prac ti ce or int roduce it back in Su rrey "

The sessi on d e mons tr a te d th a t , gi v e n its humanitar a n mi ss ion he C O flilpar ativ e ly small eff o,rt which S n. John puts into it s involv e ment overseas pay s huge dividends. " Th e e veryd a y s tuff that we take for g r a nted wa s treated like gold du s t ," s aid Phillipa Bouwen s.

It w as t o the l asn of th e {)o nfe re n ce vir gi n s, Lo r d R e mn a nt, Ohe n e w B a il iff of Eg le, to co n cl u de the co n fere n ce a n d h

th is repo rter w as bein g h a m mered over th e gree n b aize). Thank s the n s h o w e re d do wn on S afeway, P as d e Deu x, th e Geo rge M oore Fo und at i o n , th e H arroga te Confe r e n ce Ce ntr e Staff, Lind a D o min g uez and Stuart L at h a m I me n tio n St u art last, beca u se for t he thir d time afte r a n a tio n a l confere n ce h e was a ble to ro le h is b asset- eyes in m y di rect i o n an d co n f id e n t a ll y mu rmu r h e words, " b igges t ever".

A n d so it was. Over a h o u sand de legates. Th ere we re snags incl u di ng a few pri nt ing errors (o n t h e b a d ges, at least, eve ry Commissio ne r beca m e a Comman d er fo r th e weeke n d).

P erso n a ll y I' II re m e m ber t h e p iped mu zac k in t h e co n fe r e n ce ce n tr e w hi ch repeat ed ly re n dere d C ult ure C lub 's si n g le, " D o yo u r ea ll y wan t to hu rt m e" (especia ll y ric h for a First Ai d organsatio n ); a n d th e p h rase w hi c h was em bl azo n e d o n t h e Com mun ity Care stan d : "It t akes very itt le to m prove th e qu a li ty of someo n e's e l se's life.

St. J o hn is co mmitte d to do in g j ust th at. " ( ie co m mi ted to doi n g very little !)

Thi s co n fe r e n ce w as, I th i nk a w a ters h e d fo r St. J o hn Ambul a n ce. Its

spade's a spade they say, well whoever thought that one up obviously didn't extend it to radio communication systems. Not being at all technically minded, I was totally lost when it came to finding out about the various different systems available on the market. So Anne Reilly approached Geoff Streeter, Radio Commulilications Officer at National Headquarters to get the inside story on who's controlling the air waves.

As Radio Communic ation s Officer, Geoff's job s to maintain a radio elephone licence for St. John Ambulance throu ghout the United Kin gdom , in addition to offering an advi sory service Each county should have a CRCO (County Radio Communication s Officer) who se job it is to en s ur e that all the radio sys tems within his county comply with the Radio Agency s specifications

" Each county is is s ued with an authori sed Ijst of purcha se s by National Headquarters," explained Geoff " Thi s list is compiled from s ys tems that have been tested and approved by the Radio Agency ." If a system i s not approv e d by the Radio Agency then you cannot use it. If the system you are contemplating purchasing is not on thi s list then you must inform Geoff who will in turn contact the RA HQ to see if they do approve it.

Obviou s ly with sys tem s changing all the time there is a likelihood that althou gh it may not be on the list it could still be an approved model so it is alway s better to check

A radio s ystem undergoes over 65 te sts before it is approved the RA and it mu st meet the MPT1326 requirements (exactly!). In lay-man's term s thi s means that when you transmit you do not exceed the power limit of that set. Al so your conversation/message s hould be audible on one frequency only ie if you transmit on frequency A you shouldn't be able to hear it on frequency B as well. If a raclio is not correctly tuned into a frequency then the transmissjon will be crackly and hard to understand. The RA has offices throughout the United Kingdom and a quick call to one should provide you with all the infonnation you need before you get up and running

It is the responsibility of the manufacturer to ensure that the model has undergone all 65 tests and has the required certific ate The Brigade is however responsible for ensuring that each system has the RA certificate before use

With so many St. John members using frequencies , St. John is at present trying to negotiate a single frequency for its members " We are in close contact with radio agencies for a single use frequency because so many of our members are at present using radio s. However due to the erratic manner in which we use frequencies it is proving quite difficult, " explain s Geoff. "Our members use the frequencies mostly in evenings and over the weekends instead of during the day , so at the moment every time we need to use a frequency we have to notify the RA 14 days in advance - this is a mandatory part of our licence. If we had our own frequency this would not be necessary."

As with any product nhere are hundreds of different versions available with llilinQr to major differences in each. You can buy a handportable radio from £350 or would you prefer a vehicle mounted unit from £300?

Kent have approximately 180 handsets in use at the moment. Radio Communications Officer for Kent, John Olsen explained why they chose leom. "We have used leom for over four years. Out of all systems

November 7993

available we decided on leom because they are best in tenns of flexibility, reliability and support."

Training s an integral part of radio communications within Northumbria as Ray Coates worth, Radio Communications and Transport Officer explains. " We have training going on all the time even as part of the Cadet proficiency scheme. Courses are run by the County HQ , although some Areas also run these courses all exams must be taken at the County HQ. Authori sation can only by given from here. " Ray has found Maxon the best system to cater for his county 's needs " I have found Maxon to be more economical than other systems currently available. We have a radio repairs factory nearby which is extremely useful and they provide speedy efficient service at very reasonable prices ." Over 140 hand sets are currently used within Northumbria and all are updated or replaced on a regular basis - usually every three to four years.

All radio systems must meet the MPT 1326 requirements.

October is an especially busy time of year for St. John in Somerset. The annual Bridgewater Carnival is in full s wing with 1000 s of people cramming the streets on Saturday nights to witness the musical extraveganza. " Where you have tens of thousands of people gathered in a small area , you are bound to get a mixture of comparitivel y serious condition s. Radio control under the se conditions is of paramount importance, " said Ron Powell, County Staff Officer , Training. " So far we have had seven fairly urgent casualties rushed to hospital, so we do use radio quite a lot especially at this time of year Wr;:. provide at least 12 vehicles and 60 personnel for the Saturday night duty in addition to covering the 999 call for county emergency service ," adds Ron Somerset normally purchase their radio systems from Maxon who they feel provide " reliable, cost effective " equipment. When asked for his purchasing tips Ron said , " when we were buyjng new systems we made sure we got samples and costings from various manufacturers - Maxon offered the best overall product. " Reliability, cost effectiveness , ease of maintenance, lightweight to carry and a product that won ' t let you down even in adverse weather conditions are all things to be con sidered when purchasing new systems according to Ron. " There is no one feature that you should look for to make your mind up. It should be a variety of clifferent features that inevitably means a better product," he added.

Good advice especially since Somerset certainly seem to be running a ship- shape operation. Training course s are run at regular intervals. The CRCO visits divisions to provide in-house training. Obviously ambulance members are given additional training to ensure they have the level of expertise required to staff an ambulance.

Ultimately , a radio is a lifeline.

Inadequate equipment can prove , in the extreme to be fatal or just down right inconvenient. For those of you considering updating your radio system or indeed for those of you who just like to be kept abreast of what's available , the following , although not a definjte list, provides an insight into what the market offers at the moment.

Commerlial Radio and Rigging Serviles

COMMERCIAL RADIO AND RIGGING SERVICES

PRICES DOWN AGAIN

I(om UK

Ico m U K are pro ud

uppl ie r of

radi o eq ui pme nt to St. Jo hn A m b ul a nce B ri ga de. Me m be r of d iv io ns th ro ug ho ut th e co untr y have bee n bu y in g th e po pul a r IC- H 10 V HF ha ndp orr a bl e in in c reas in g numb e rs and have fo un d ha th ey a re a va lu abl e an a se t as ba nd ages a nd be d de ma nn e r.

These

and delivery is usually ex-stock. There is a delivery charge for items despatched by courier. Payment by Mastercard or Visa welcomed.

T h l C- HIO ra di o rea ll y ha prove d to be idea ll y s uit ed to the eve ryd ay co mmuni ca ti o n needs of S t. Jo hn Ambul a nce me mb e rs. It s li g ht in we ig ht. easy to use a nd mos t im po rt a nt of a ll , re li abl e.

It is no wo nd e r th a th e e be nefit plu s va ri a bl e power o ut pu t s impl e c ha nn e l prog ra mmin g 'l11d co mpr e he ns ive accesso ry Iist have made the rC- H 10 th e m os t po pul a r radi o IC OM have e ve r so ld rC OM U K

and Divisional

Doctors only or any Tom, Dick or Harry?

Dear Editor,

Firstly , ] am a paramedic with the London Ambulance Service and havg some friends who have been in St. John for many years, as a resul t I havg recently been considgring joining St. Johm

Unfortunately, I seem to be getting conflicting information from different perso ns about my professional skills within thg organisation. As a paramedic, I am obviously trained in intubation , infusion and advanced cardiac life support, includ ng defibrillation on manual and automatic defibrillators and resu sc itation drugs. While I accept that all and s Ulildry an: not pernlitted to use advanced equipment, 1 have been told that $ t. John Ambulance would no t perm it the use of appropriate advanced equipment by anyone except the doctor. I use advanced life support equipment routinely and WOUld, I feel have more extensive experience than some St. John Doctors Similarly some rgsuscitation training officers and certain accident department nur sin g staff, routinely perform all the role s required in life or death situabions.

If, in some circumstances, when a doctor is not available and appropriate equipment is provided for us e by a doctor , (for instan ce a cardiac ambulance has a running call on the way to or from a duty) I feel that I would be profes sionally negligent if I did not use all my wrofessional skills to aid a patielilt. Similarly th e IilUrse who has passed the advanced skills cOUifse in caniiac or trauma car (ACLS:ATLS) or the suitably qualified ITU or CCU nurse would also probably consider themsglves professionally negligent.,

Having di sc ussed this matter with medicolegal friends, there ha s been at lea st one case where a nurse was disciplined for failing to assist at an accident , when the casualty was reeeiving !lQ care and sroe was recognised as beiI'lg a nurse fwm the locall ho spital. In bhe event therefore of a person dying while in the care of suitably qualified personnel with suitable equipment available, which could po ssibly have saved the patient 's life, but the equipmenn was not used be €a use of the 'Doctors use Olilly rule, I mus hask the que stion s: who wmilld h>e in hhe view of the Coron er? And whQ be smed?

Your s fa ithfully I.P. I?adburne North Cheam Surrey

l1he CGlncerns aired in Mr RadlDurne's ettte r are by no mea ns new to the Medical Committee and it s obviously an a re a of grea t co nce rn to St. John me mb e rs a nd pa ramed ics a like. This topi c has bee n debated at great e ngth by our Medical Committee and th e y have iss ued the fo ll ow in g res pon se.

"There is no bar to a fu lly accredited Param edi c us in g hi s full range of skill s when working for St. John Ambulan ce. In s uch a s i uation the St. John Ambulance in sur ance would cove r him Should a profe ss iona problem res ult from the Pa ramedic 's negligence or acts of om j ssion whe n trea tin g a pati e nt whil e wit h St. J ohn Ambulance then th e matte r wo uld be the re spon s ibili ty of th e param ed c's own accred itin g auth o ri y.

] t s the respons ibility of St. John Ambulan ce to e ns ure hat the paramedic s full y acc redited and up-to-d ate in hi s/her training

I ag ree whole hearted ly w ith you tha t i wou ld be quite wrong et hi ca ll y to deny a patient sk illed medical suppor t if it is available. I suspect a co urt of law would take the same view. Your exam ple of th e nur se and th e UKCC is a significant one".

Dr D L Macphie MB ChB Medical Director, St. John Ambulance

Up and running

Dea r Editor ,

After reading Mr Ayton 's co mm e nts in " Off Wall " (September issue of St. Jo hn World ) I too felt that I had to write and thank St. John for the wonderful treatment I rece iv ed during thi s year's London Marathon

I am 57 years old who had never run a marathon befo re On num ero us occasions durin g the day I thought of giving up bu n tnanks to ohe support , advice, encouragement and First Aid I received from yo ur member s I managed to complete the marat hon in just under four and a half hours. Not a time that will take me to Olymp ic finals but all that matters is I fini shed it.

Yours fa ithfUll y €!T usty O'Briell Glasgow Scotland

puttingyour.

24St.JohnWorld

Lift off!

Dea r Editor, Judith Moore' s lelte r " Ob, my back!" (Septe mb er iss ue of St. John World ) s ugges ts that St. John Ambul ance requires to g ive more attention to improv in g th e tr a inin g o f its me mb e rs in li fti ng and handlin g of pat ie nts. Whi lst agree in g th e imp ortance of th e quality of teaching and s up erv isio n of members in thi s import a nt aspect of care I mu st co mm e nt on two re marks she made

1. With regard to th e use of li ft in g aids - th ese a re not a lw ays ava il a bl e, and this ce rtainly appli es to many e ld e rl y peop le being cared for at home by equally e ld e

1.

2. Fever.

3. Breathing in, breathi ng o ut and a pause

4. Never move the casualty unle s she is in danger or becomes un conscious.

5. When air i s prevented from reaching the lun gs, either because there is a physical batTier that prevents air entering the no se or mouth, or because the air the casualty breathes is f ull of fumes or s moke.

6. To improve the blood flow to the brain and to reassure the casualty as she re cover ) and make h er comforta ble.

7. This is the most common cause of cardiac arrest. It is an electrical storm that originates in a damaged ventricle, or one deprived of oxygen. The e lectrica l heart impulse becomes c haotic, and the muscle fai l s to contract in harmon y

8. To reassure the cas ualt y, to prevent the spread of venom through the body and to arrange urgent removal to ho spital.

9. Do not give th e cas ualt y a n yt hin g to eat or drink.

10. The nam e me a n s a crus h ing of the c h est, and describes the pain experienced when narrowed coronary arteries are unabl e to deliver s uffici e nt blood to th e h eart mu scle to meet the ex tra demands of exertio n or, so metim es, of excite m ent.

St.John Crossword

te n bony cav it y o r th e eye ba ll. (5)

8. Us ua ll y requires inci ion and d rai nage (7) II. Prej udi ce and nt olerance from hi g h- ra nkin g, co nfu

c a n (7) 15. One ho ding a hundred a s in gle tim e onl y. (4) 16. Left or right o f th e mid-line. (7)

19. Bed provided for a sma ll c harge. 3)

25 Well-behaved a ux ili ary nurse. (7)

(7)

26 Mu c e o f the thum b from ra t and he n. (6) 28. Doc o r following 151 to advance socia ll y. (5) 3 1 Acq uired immune deficiency yndrome a id w o ng y. (4)

If you have set up a br a nch, plea e keep t he General Secretary infonned by filling in the fonn be low and se ndin g it to : Sheila Puck Ie, Ge neral Sec retar y, St. John Fellowship, St. John's Gate, CIerkenwell, London ECIM 4DA. Nam

Every Christmas one is tempted to say that the year ju s t ending ha s been a special one. I shall not resist the temptation for 1993 - because I believe it to be true that S t. John has again perfonned exceptionally. Christmas thoughts turn naturally to Jerusalem first, and it is p e rhap s the perfonnance of our new Clinic in Gaza , which it was my privilege to open in December 1992 , that comes first to mind. Our pennanent presence in Gaza has been a ble ss ing to thousands. We could hardly have known that within the few day s of it s s tarting work , Ga z a would be virtually cut off for months. So our Clinic almost at once took twice it s e xpecte d load and behaved gloriously in the be s t of our tradition. Another bl e ssing , of cour se , is the Peace Agreement itself, a marvellous new opportunity despite all the problem s with which it will be fraught , and which may at least lead to a semblance of normality for million s who have been so desperately and bitterly involved in conflict. Meanwhile th e Ho s pital in Jerusalem itself has gone through times of dearth and plenty of patients - but the up s hot f or the year as a whole will be that our services have treated more people than ev er and we are truly grateful for the opportunity to have served humanity at such exceptional tim es

In June 1993 we had a Grand Prior ' s Advi s ory Council in London , which happen s ev e ry five years. It was magnificent to see how the St. John tradition , and particularly it s Ambulance work, goes ahead in so many different conditions and circum s tance s but e sse ntially with the same volunteer spirit and simple desire to give really effective help to your n e ighbour and anyone in distress. Demands on our service , both in this country and el s ewher e continu e to rise. That can only be an advertisement for public confidence in our efficien c y. May I g ive my repeated congratulations to all those who have undertaken our training and h a ve put it into practice, saving countless injuries from getting worse , and by giving that spirit of kindline ss and trained concern which is so necessary in society today. It is marvellou s to know that we remain a band of like - minded people throughout the En glish-speaking world who se fundamental attitudes and goodwill keep them so naturally and simply in harmony with each other.

Many of you have been involved with the Breath of Life Campaign last March. That very phrase "Breath of Life" reminds us not only of our training and our duty towards our neighbour, but also the faith which inspires our efforts and who se essence is al 0 a part of the Christmas message.

I have been most impressed with my visit to St. John people around the world but especially in this country where I am delighted that the number of adult l111embers seem s at last to be risin.g. And I thank you all for your dedication

The Lord Vestey DL Lordrrior of The Order of St. John

SovereignbYmaxon maxon

IIlobileradio

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 SUPPORT AND BACK UP FOR SERVICING

• RELIABILITY BACKED BY GUARANTEE

• CONFORMS TO ALL BRIGADE DESIGN REQUIREMENTS

Jerusalem

EveryChristmasanumber ofpatientsattheHospital receiveparticularlyspecial giftsfromAmerica-new corneasAsmanyas25 donatedeyesarrivefrom theStatesjustintimefor Christmasandstaffhave toperform25eyeoperationsinjust24hours whiletheorgansare good.Theeyesarenot meantasChristmaspresents,theyaresentbecause insufficientsurgeonsworkoverthepublicholidayinthe UStobeabletousethemontheirownpatients"Weare extremelygratefultotheAmericansfortheirgenerosity," saystheWarden,MichaelWard."Withoutthemwe wouldhavetobuythecorneasfromBritainat£200a timepluscarriage."Whyisthesightofsomany dependentonsuchahitandmiss01'expensivesituation?

Dr Charles Cory, an Ophthlamolog st and st. John Hospital County Rep res entative, is a volunteer surgeon with ORBIT an organisat on that flie s around the world performi n g eye surgery and teaching where it wou d otherwise b e u navailable "T he re is a shortage in Britain of all transplant o rgans anyway," he says. " A dd to that the fact that the UK Transplant Service is a sin gl e controlling operation that has really got its act together an d can preserve organs in a way the US ca nnot - meaning t h at an y that canno t be used due, say, to a p ublic holiday (an be kept or f uture use - and the eye hosp tal s and s litt le ch ance of receiving organs In the U K ou r donor syste m is an o pt-in one, whe reas in America any coroner's case orga n s are eligi b le f o r donatio n unless a person has actively opted o ut o f th e syst e m. In the U K t he deceased's amily can a so o verri de t h e w ish to b e a d on or, which m eans so few org ans overa ll "

To im p rove t h e sit uation there nee ds to be a change in t he aw says Dr Co ry Th ere s a st rong o bby org anised by the U KTS t o ch ange t he U K organ d o nor system to an op t -o u one "For us it's ju st eye s," says t h e W arden, "it's the same for al l donor org alns in ma ny , m any pa rt s o f the wor ld "

Picture d abov@- One of he few ucky eno ugh to have rece ived new co rn ea

Clini c on the We st Bank wher e h is pupil s were d ila t ed with drop s f or an examination wh ch showed a lo t of cataract. Thi s ma k es his vis ion so cloud y tha t his sight is very rest r icted The Outrea ch sis ter book s hi m in at th e Hosp ital for a simple oper ation that will restore h is sight. Th e journey will be expen si ve a nd difficul given travel res t ric ti on s rom refugee cam ps but he s de te rm i ned o ma ke t. "Withou t st. John we would have nowhere else o go for help ," he sa ys. Ab ove - Al M ahm o ud Mub arke h p ictured d uring an eye exa m ination.

Nurs,ng Opportun, ,es lit

RachelHillsfromCardiffiscurrentlyonayearlongpostingto theHospital,asoneofateamof sevennurseswhoapplyfromall overtheworldtocomehere

"I had worked for seven year s in London , when I hea rd of a vacancy at the Hospital t hrough word of mouth I decided to go f or it and, so far , have thoroughly enjoye d my time here," she says " I have so much more responsibilit y here than I would in a UK hospital, which give s me inva uable experience For instance , here I regularly remove sutures which s something doctors would usually do in the UK "

Rachel lives in a nurses flat in the Hospital compound which has been fitted out by generous donations, providing comfortab e and secure accomodat ion She has also met ma ny int erestiflg people during her time there The Hospi t al is the onl y British ex-patriot community in Jerusalem other than smal group s at the t wo British Churches, so staff have to get out and mix " I am very g ad I came i<lere, " says Rachel. Her message to St. Jo h n Am bu lance nursing members? " If you are at all interes t ed , find out about nursing at the Hospital. If you are stil l interested afte r that - go for it!" For info r mation

4StJohnWorld Joh n," says Ali Mahmoud Mubarkeh. " It is an excel ent organisat on " Al is 85 , although he ook s 60 he is so fit and v ta l. Apart , tha t s, from his min i ma eye sight. He recently attended a n Outreach

hari ty o r fo r y our sc h oo l?

Th e key wo rd in th is a n nu a l i 'fun '.

Th e use of s tr o n g ac ti o n s h o ts a nd rea d e r f ri e nd ly la n gu age cap tiv a tes th e a udi e nce.

It is a mu s t for th e ac t ive yo un gs te r. So mum s in s tea d o f ru hin g o u t a nd bu y in g Dino a ur m a ni a, S o ni c t he H e d ge ho g o r th e B ea no a n nu a l, drop a c op y o f t he ' B lu e P ete r Act io n B ook' into th e C hri stm as s to c kin g in s te ad It 's v e ry reaso n a b ly pri ce d a £ 4 9 9 a nd w il l pr o vid e hour s of fun durin g t h e ho lid ays and lon ge r. December 7993

Pick Up a Christmas Card

It is fa r fro m mo s t of our mind s to h ave a n art is t p a int a se ri e s o f sm a ll pi c tur e s lik e th e on

e pro hi biti ve a nd th e s ubje c t m a tt e r

But in th e 17th C e ntur y, th is w as a ve ry a ppea lin g a nd co mm o n id ea - th a t is if yo u we re a P

o r a m emb e r of the n

bilit y Pop e Inno ce nt X ,

mmi ss io n

Lui gi G e ntil e,

wn and res pec ta bl e Fl emi s h art is t , to p a int a se ri es o f 28 s m a ll re li g io us s ce ne s, of w hi c h th e " Annunc ia tion " is o n e. H e a so wan e d eac h sc e ne to be ni ce l y fr a m e d in s il ver a nd as k e d th e fram e m aker to c lose ly fo llo w th e d es ig n o f ano the r w e ll kn o wn arti s t. Al essandro

Al gardi , in e mbo s s in g s mall c herubi c childre n , o liv e ea ve s a nd lilies o n th e fra m e o f th e pa intin g at St. J o hn s G ate.

Th ese s m a ll and pre ciou s g ifts we re to b e ca refull y fit t ed in spe c iall y m ad e lea th e r- c o ver e d cases and presente d to th e Pope s se lec e d g ues ts. (It is not kn ow n wh e th e r th e " Annun c ia tion " w ould have be en pre s e nted to an En g li s hm a n a th e tim e o r ac quire d and bro ug ht into th is co un try la ter o n ).

To e n s ure th a t a ll th e rec ipi e nts and indeed th e ir g ues t s, wo uld re m e mb e r

,

who the donor wa s, the Pope had the bac k of the c opp e r plate on whi Gh the scen e is painted engra v ed w ith hi s own co at of anTI S, And s in c e hi s ann s include lilie s, lilies were in s erted in the d esig n of the s ilver f rame and the lilies presented b y th e Angel to the Virgin Mary are p a ime d n th e v e ry middle of the scene it self.

Th is Chris tma s , th e Mu s eum s g iv in g fi ve FREE po s tcard s of thi s p a intin g fo r you to send to your f riend s and rel a ti v e s They are here waitin g for y ou to collec t.

Me rry C h ri stm as f rom a ll a t th e M us e um ! St, JohnWorld5

Christmas Stamp Appeal

La

That

W

your tamp s but if you have lar ge numb e rs of foreign o ne th e n it may be worth ending t hem in separate ly as we rece ive more mo ney for tho e Please indi ca te on the e n velope that the y ar e fo re g n o nl y.

Please send your stamps to: Christmas Stamp Appeal The Order of St. john PO Box 3679 London SWIX 7Xj

A g r o up of B a d gers with th e sa m e birthd ay a nd th e sa me s urn ame - is thi s a fir s t ?

Th e di st in c ti o n belong s to th e Mill s qu a d s - Chri s t op h er R ya n D a ni e ll e a nd Jenny - from the Movi ll a Set in Newtownards County Down. The fab. four a so won seco nd pri ze in the Badger Competition s he ld in N ewcast le ea rli e r thi s year.

Seven yea rs o ld th ey h ave been associated with St. John Ambu ance s in ce t h ey were born M e mb e r s of the Newtownards Ambu lance a nd Nursin g Divi s ion we re inv o lv e d in he lpin g the quad s' mo t he r dur in g th e ir ea rl y m o nth s of li fe. Tha.nks to the care they rece ived and th e co ntinuin g in tre res t of m e mb e rs of St. J ohn, the quad s we re e nroll e d in the Bad ge rs in 1992.

Deregulation Task Force Introduced

D e reg ul a ti o n Mini s te r Ne il Hamilton rece ntl y a nn o un ced th e name of membe rs of the C h ar ti e and Vo luntary Organisation s De reg

The Ta k Forc e, c haired by Mrs Tessa Baring , co mpri es:

a net Morrison - Na ti onal Council for Vo illn/ary Orga ni sa tion ( CVO)

Andrew Phillip s - Bat e, Wells and Brai/lnl'aite

Ro ge r Singleton - Ba r nardos

Stephen Lee -I ns t itute afCha rity Fundraising Managers ( ICFM)

Lucy Pratt - Sco l/i sh COllllcil for Volllniary O r ga lli sa ti o ns (SCVO)

Helen Dono g hue - Charilies Tal' Refo rm Gro ll p Hu g h Bel s haw - Oxfal1l

David S tickle s - YOlllh Cillb UK

Sheila Rowle y - Action with Communities ill Ruml England (AC RE )

In a n appea l fo r information from c h a riti es s uffe rin g from red tape, Mrs Barin g sa id , " We have Ie s th an fi ve month s to cove r th e who le vo lun ta ry sec tor a nd to report to Govern m e nt so it s v ita l we hea r quickly from peo pl

FELLOWSHIP

"Eac h year in m y C hri s tma s m essage I ay th at th e p ast year h as been bu s ie r for the Fe ll ows hip than a n y previous years," w rit e Major General L e u c h a r s, C h a irman of the St. John Fe ll owship. " 1993 ha s b een n o exce ption. As OUf lin k with th e co unty h ea dqu a rter s and d i v is ion s become tronge r , so th e de m a nd fo r o ur h e lp increases. This yea r th e 's tandard req u es t fo r o ur ass i tance in creased w ith the n eed to he lp wit h the respo n se to t h e Breath of Life ca mp a ig n a nd t he BB C's prog ramme '99 9'. Re port indicate that n o re qu es t was ref used. Thi s demonstrates how we ll t h e Fellowsh ip i f ul f illin g the a im se t in o ur C h a rt e r.

" In add iti on, Branche s throughout the co un tr y have r espo nd e d m ag nif ice ntl y to th e appea l to ra ise money t o train a nu rse a t t h e H os pit a l in J er u sa le m and o ur ta r get is a lready in ght. At the sa m e tim e man y m e mb e rs co n t inu e o g i ve va lu a bl e care in th e ir oca l co mmunit y, whether a a gro up or individu a ll y - a nd from the Br a n c h re p o rt s, f ind tim e t o e nj oy themse ve thoroughly , so f ul f illin g o ur prim a r y a im.

" [n wishing yo u a ll a nd your fa mili es a ve ry H ap py C hri st m as, I e nd yo u m y th a nk s for a ll yo ur ach ieveme nts in th e p a year. I mu c h l ook forward to see in g man y of you at C hi c he te r in April 1994. M eanw hil e co ntinu e th e good work a nd e nco ur age other t o join o ur 'fa m i ly' a nd he lp to se r ve th is Ord er. " Fellowship BranchesOut

Sus sex ha s rece ntl y opened it ix th br a n c h at B ex hill -o n-S ea. Th e co nt ac t I Mr John Watson, 143 Turkey Road, B exhill-ol1-Sea, East Sussex TN395HR.

De

a nd I'm pl ease d I've go a seco nd c han ce," sa id Mrs Gatehouse.

T wo St. John m e mb e rs we re on the sce ne w ithin minutes of Mrs Gatehou se s uffer in g a hear a tt ack They tri ed m a nu a res usci tatio n bu t, rea li s in g it was a h ea r t a tt ack, ca ll ed their s h owgrou n,d base for ad di o na l assi s tance.

A doc or a nd nur se a rriv ed w ith a defibrillator a nd u se d s h ock tr eat m en t fo r five minutes to rev iv e he r.

" It wa s wo nd e rful th a t th ey were th e re wit h th e right e quipm e nt o n th e am bul a nce that day, " co ntinu ed Mr Gatehouse. "My daughter a nd I are go in g to try to raise so m e money fo r eq uipm e nt for St. John Ambulance. Money doesn t re p ay w hat th ey've done for m e, but t m ay he lp so m eo ne e lse," s he a dd e d.

Two Praised for LifeSaving Actions

T wo Cong le to n m e n hav e bee n pr aised for av in g the li fe of a 30 year o ld man who co ll apse d after s uffe rin g a n a thma attack.

Mr Ga llim ore of K e rmin c h am, Staffo rd hir e, co ll apsed whi ls t wo rkin g a ni g ht s hift a t Fi so n Work s, Ho lm es Chapel. Th e a laml be ll was imm ed a e ly so und e d a nd two of hi co ll eag u e Mr Allen a nd Mr Agnew imm ed ia te y b ega n mouth -to- mouth re u c it at ion o n Mr G a llimo re.

Mr A ll e n exp la in e d the e qu e n ce of eve nt s, " I tLlm e d him over and opened hi a irway a nd commenced mouth - tomouth res u cita tion. Th e n I c h a n ged a r o und w ith my col leag ue. Thi s went on

A

Much Needed Break

Aiders.

Newsletter

le degree of ce rt a inty t ha he casua lty is uffering a hea rt a tt ack the n a n a p irin ca n be g ive n, if ava il a bl e "

T he VI Edit ion of the Fir I Aid Manua l co ntai ns advice on the givi ng of asp irin T hi adv ice was s us pe nded by R ef. A pe nd ing fu rt he r adv ice f rom he Med ica l S ta nd in g

Welsh Soccer Plan to Safeguard Players

T he Footba ll Assoc ia t io n of W a les and S t. J o hn A m b ul a nce n W ales, together w ith the Hi ll sboro ugh D isas ter F und , h ave la un c hed a n "E me rgency A id Tr ainin g Programme" to ens ure tha the m ed ica l in terests of p layers a re not overlooke d

A rece nt s urvey s howed t hat m a ny c lub s do n o t have a pe rso n p ossess in g F irs l A d sk ill s n reg ul a r a tt e ndance o n m atc h days. T he Assoc iat ion recogn is in g th is pro bl em e nl isted the s u pport of St.

Jo hn A m b ul ance in Wa es to dev ise a prog ramm e w hi c h it is inte nd e d w ill las t fo r five yea rs, s imil ar o th e o ne la un c hed in E ngla nd at M anc heste r la t year

T he sc he m e was la un c he d by he

Mange r of th e W els h T ea m , T e rr y

Yo rat h , an d m e mb e rs of the squ ad

S hort, pract ioa l three ho ur trai nin g co ur ses have bee n designed to tra in re prese nta ti ves of C lu bs hr o ug ho ut W ales in res usc it a ti o n s kill s, th e tr ea tm e nt fo r c ho kin g, un co nsc io us cas ua lti es a nd maj o r bl eedin g.

Initi a ll y co ur es wi ll co nce ntr a te o n m e mb ers of th e Ju n io r L eag ues, w ith th e

Se ni o r L eag ues a nd R efe rees to fo llo w. It is es tim a e d tha t o ve r 5, 000 peo pl e

PAiEvAC

Bridging the

Having completed over 320,399 public duty hours, treating over 56,093 casualties in 1991 (four times the number treated in 1987) St. John Sri Lanka are broadening their horizons at an incredible pace. Dr Clifford Smith visited Sri Lanka and tried to discover their magic formula.

At Brigade Conference in L991 a video outlining the work of St. John in Sri Lanka and inviting counties to 'twin' with them captivated the interest of and led to his visit, accompanied by another member of St. John Berkshire, Malcolm Stewart

Divided into nine administrative provinces which , Like the counties of England have their own provincial , area and divisional staff, St. John in Sri Lanka has over 59,752 members countrywide. In the northern province of Jaffna , where guerilla warfare is at it s most fierce, divisions continue to operate, despite the obvious dangers.

Sri Lanka has a population of 17.2 million and a geographical size akin to Ireland But despite its world renowned tea, textile, gem, rubber , coconut and tobacco trade the country's economy ha s suffered, mainly as a result of the ongoing civil war.

Recogni se d by the Tamil Tigers and the Government Forces , St. John members are given ca11e-blanche through the ' no go' zones to travel the 250 miles to Colombo, where they replenish their stocks of bandage s and equipment and make contact with their NHQ. The organi at ion is fully integrated and works on non-sectarian principles. Buddhist works with Tamil as Muslim works with , Christian.

As in the United Kingdom the youth of St. John account for a considerable percentage of the membership. First Aid is taught in schools and about L50 schools actually run St. John Divisions normally made up of about 10 % of the pupils attending the school. Since the schools cater for all ages from five to 18 the rolls are large varying between 2,000-4 ,000. Therefore the divisions ' membership is usually between 200-400. Invariably the school teachers act as Divisional Officers. Activities cover the learning of First Aid, participation in First Aid competitions and understanding the basic drill. Some schools have senior pupils as Cadet NCO's although there are no structured Cadet NCO courses. The older and more experienced Cadets are also responsible for providing First Aid cover within the school and looking after the sick room. With such large numbers, training resources are extremely limited. As necessity is supposedly the mother of invention, the school · uniform is creatively transfonned into a St. John Ambulance uniform with the addition of badges backed by press-studs.

From the age of 16, Cadets are encouraged to undertake voluntary work in the larger hospitals as nurse training commences in hospitals at 18. In 1991 , a new Accident and December 1993

Hospital was opened in

Finland. The seven storey building which according to Mr Smith would make our "NHS hospitals envious" treats approximately 250 people every day, of which about 10% are admitted and operated upon in one of the seven operating theatres. The hospital has an excellent Disaster Plan which sadly, due to the bombing and flooding in Colombo , has been put into operation.

During their visit Malcolm and Colin visited a town situated in the highlands close to Kandy, called Rikillagaskada. Resplendent in its tropical, mystical flavour the town is surrounded by tea and tobacco plantations. The tiny hospital staffed by the District Medical Officer , serves a population of 80,000 people. The hospital comprises three rooms where up to 400 patients are seen daily. The doctors are responsible for the in-patients, normally 20 per day and for the 60 mothers and new-born babies delivered there each month.

St. John operates a Primary Health Care in Rikillagaskada. Government and international funding with support from the Overseas Department at National Headquarters London has meant improved standards of healthcare and hygiene in the outlying highland villages. Basic principles involved in maintaining a clean water supply or the importance of waste disposal and food storage, have been emphasised. Villages housing children under five years old and pregnant women were targetted for specific healthcare education.

The demand for St. John presence is limited at public events in Sri Lanka - There is only one St. John ambulance vehicle in the whole of Sri Lanka.

The members are focussed and trained to meet the needs of their environment in First Aid Disaster Relief, Primary Helath Care.

With no end to the troubles in sight, the need for the service

St. John provides is increasing - as will, we hope public perception that St. John can meet those needs.

Orthopaedic

Colombo, funded by

St. John World 11

'Crash' Course for Emergency Services

Shopping Centre

Horror Claims Ten

Lives!

As hundreds of Sunday shoppers thronged the Victoria Gardens mall in Harrogate town centre, a gas €xplosion ripped through the shopping centre killing at ten and injuring hundreds.

Bodi

hm;pital.

n cy sec ti o n ma s terminded the whole incident. All th e c a s u a lti es we re frightenin g ly reali s tic with gapin g w o und s, se v ered limb s a nd blood s tre a ked bodie s The s hoppin g c e ntr e a g ree d to th e s t ag in g of t he simulate d acc i dent but dre w th e lin e at an a c tu a l explo s ion All the g roup s tak in g part had b ee n in s tructed w ee k s before and their speed and s kill s we re put to th e tes a s th ey entered the mall to the s ound of a n a la rm r e qu es tin g imm e di a te e vacuation of th e a r ea.

People s creamed in agony and fe a r a s they waite d for so m eo n e to help them. Members of s taff at th e s hoppin g c e ntr e h e lp e d with the evacuation o f those who were lu c ky e nough not to h a v e been seriou sly injured. The dead and s eriou s ly i njur e d w e re taken to Harrogate Di s trict Ho spital , where members of s taf f tested their MAJAX (major incident) plan

The ambulance crew s were as s i s e d by membe r s of St. John Ambulance and BASICS (Briti s h A ss oci a tion for Imm e di a te Care) and all were kept bu s y with nhe torrent of ca sualtie s All those ililvolved in the rescue ope li ation w i ll s ubmit lieports on th e mcident , code named Exercise Cra shpoin n and it is hop e d that many valuab le le ss on s will be learned

" It will help u s to learn wh a t th e reality IS," s aid 11 y e ar old St. John Ambul a nc e Cadet Carolin e Sh ennan 12 St. John World

Cowley Girl Heads for the Top

Q THE BEND•••

Welcome to "Round the Bend", the st. John

World youth page! For those of you who have not seen it before, 'Round the Bend' is a

page dedicated to st. John youth, including r

Badgers, Cadets, Schools Project, LINKS, Duke

of Edinburgh, and all other youth-related

matters. It aims to keep the rest of st. John

Leaders of Badger Sets and Cadet Divisions

This month , we sa y goodbye to two members of the Youth Services Department , Alastair Lee and Susan Yau. We'd like to thank Alastair and Sue for their hard work and we are sure you will join us in wishing them both well.

FirstAidinSchools

m e. W hil s t th e pr im e a im o f thi

c h e m e s to e n a bl e as m a n y yo un g p e opl e as p oss ibl e t o b eco m e p rof ic ie n t in E m e r ge n cy A id th e r e can b e n o d o ubt

th a t b y intro du c in g thi s c h e m e into sc h oo l s w e r a ise th e

p rof il e of St. J o hn Ambul a n ce Thi s ,m ea n th a t w e ma y w e ll

ge t as k e d o pro v id e a d d iti o n a l Fir s t Aid tr a inin g staff o r

ind eed w e m ay ga in m e mb e r s f or th e o r ga ni sa ti o n

Thro u g h ' R o und th e B e nd we hop e to be a bl e t o te ll yo u of th e s u

a Wi

However professionally Sf. John handles its duties, there are always some that turn out to be harder than planned, or that present unforeseen snags. This isn't necessarily something to be concerned aboutbut it is an area from which we can learn; especially if presented with a request to cover an event, the type of which has never been undert aken before in a particular area. What does one expect to happen? What plan s should be made? What eventualities might members on duty have to cover? In an attempt to uncover any particularly awkward duties, to find out if there are any common problems, or hidden pitfalls, we recently spoke with a selection of county offices and divisions across the country and asked them the blunt question: /lWhich duties do you find difficult to handle?/I .

One of the first thin gs to emerge f rom our s traw p o ll w as th at what presents one divi sion or county with probl e m , do es n t necessarily do the same in different part s of the countr y. Thi has little to do with the relative efficiency of different divi s ion but ve r y much reflects regional difference s in the way e ve nt s are run and planned a nd in particular, the att itud es of events organi ser s a nd how ser io usly they take th e subject of Fir st Aid cover. A pe rfec t exam pl e of this was hi g hli g ht ed by John Re s tori c k , Ass istant Commissioner (Operatio ns ) for Cleveland who explained som e of the problems they had faced covering martial arts competiti o ns "Being o n County Staff I can only s peak for Cle veland Co un ty, so I'm not sure that the prob lem s we ' ve had w ith marti a l arts

C leve la nd ' Op e ra ti o ns Off ice r , Juli a n He rb e rt , ad d s: 'T her e s no d o ubt in our ex pe ri e nce th at marti a l a rt s a re o ne of

... what we are going to do is get hold of some moun,ain bikes ourselves and have Firs' Aiders on bikes, issue 'hem wi,h radios and then Ie' 'hem pa'rol up and down .. .

Fo rtun a te ly,

a nd have Fi rs t Aid er s o n b ike, w ith radio a nd th e n e th e m pa tr o up a nd dow n

"By a nd la rge c ross-co untry even t ca n be diffi c ult to cove r - ho rse eve nt a nd m o to rcyc lin g ca n be so me of th e wo rs t, ho rse eve nts es pecia ll y beca u e so me o f th e in j uri es can be quit e co mpli ca ted , in vo lvin g t he pin e a nd th e nec k."

U nlik e C leve la nd , S o uth Gl am orga n do n rat e ma rt ial arts co m pe titi o n as their num be r one pro bl em , bu t th ey do ag ree th a t th ey have - hall we ay 'q ua liti es' -a ll o f th e ir ow n. " We cer tainl y ee a lot o f injuri es at th e m," Dav id ay , "a nd th e e ca n be diffi c ult , parti cul arl y as we cov e r a ot o f int e rn a tion al co mp e tition in th e Nation a l Sport s Ce n r e in Wa les. At on e l ast Fe bruary th e re we re co mp e titor from a ll ove r th e wo rld and we not o n ly had to co nt e nd w ith th e injmi es but w ith co milluni

Gary Cooper Reports

... two guys collide at JOO m.p.h on a (orner at a road circuit and to (all it a disaster area would be the best way of putting it ...

cross-country events involving horses and motorcycles seem to be joint top of the list

What's up

1993 Cadet of the Year Martin Wilson visited the Royal Sussex County Hospital in Brighton to gain an insight into the working of a busy General Hospital and to find out if a career in medicine is really for him. Here he reports.

A s Cadet of the Year , w as given the opportunity to spend a Day to Remember as part of the prize given e ach year In the past people have used thi s privilege in man y different way s; a s a journali s t with a national newspaper , or spendin g a day in the Royal Courts of Justice in London. However as I have always longed to be a doctor , the obvious c h oice wa s for me to s pend a day at a hospital.

Unfortunately I thought thi s idea would have to be s hel v ed when I wa s informed b y our SJA Medical Director tha pati e nt confidentiall y barred me from ho s pital work. Fortunately though, while at the SJA Medical Confe rence D a me Audrey Emerton our Chief Nursig Offi c er and Vice-Chair of Brighton Health Authority introduced me to Mr Michael Hodge , a Consultant Ma Killo-facial surgeon from Brighton and a Divi s ional Surgeon at Ringmer St. John Ambulance Divi s ion. Without realising what he wa s e ttin g himself and his family in for , Mr Hodge offered to accomodate me in Brighton and arrange for me to spend two and a half weeks touring the hospital to s ee it at work

This was the Royal Su s seK Count y Ho s pital in Brighton

Between April when we fir s t met and August 2nd when I arrived in Brighton, Mr Hodge spent hour s organising my time with him, so that when I did arrive time was not wasted It made my visit extremely varied, interes ti ng, eKciting and thou g ht provoking.

From the Monday evening when I arrived at the Hodge's home I was made to feel instantly welcome and the same feeling was evident in the h osp1tal as well.

As Tuesday was to be my first day in the hospital Mr Hodge arranged for me to have a quiet day to settle in. However, Murphy' s Law prevailed and in the course o f my fj,

John World

two day s of arrivin g I di scovered that the BBC TV' s peroeption of 'Cas ua lty' as an ince ss ant ly e Kcitin g ward is far f rom the trurfu (at least it wa s for me ) a nd I SOon became fru s tr a ted with th e amount of A&E tim e spen t dea ling with non-ur gent ailment s which shou ld h ave been seen by the pati e nt 's GP and not by a larg e departm e nt lik e Bri g hton.

Mr Hodge pi c ked up my fru

St.John Crossword

and wa s not wearin g a seat belt and the second on an elderly lad y who ha d f a ll e n and fractu r ed her ma x ill a Needless o say with s u c h f rantic ac tivity I w as a bl e to see th e op e ratin g theatre s a t their bes a nd s oon came to reali s e us t how much m o re I c ould le arn from my tw o and a h a lf w eeks s ta y. I imm e diate ly started to keep a diary of m y activitie s both in a nd out of th e h os pit a l so th a I didn t forget an y thin g with such frantic activity I was able to see the operating theatres of at their best

When eventua ll y 'c as ualt y' did b ec om e s lightly ess busy than on my first afternoon there wa s s ure I would f e e l v e ry los t in the po werf ul atmo s pher e of th e A&E depar tment. However many of th e doctors on duty had just begun there aft e r havin g mov e d from other dep a rtments a nd s p ecialities and they went out of their way to make me feel c omfortable and d es pite their heavy work load re g ul a rly g av e m e Firs t Aid tip s and advice.

Although for medi c o-legal rea sons I w as not allowed to hav e a ny physical contact with patient s, I was al10wed to watc h and listen to tine doctors a s se ss ing and treating the patient s need s , and was ab le to see many of their techniques both in the A&E and in the many other departm e nts visited.

Indeed, aLthough I was expecting to s peI'ld mo s of my time in the A&E , within

e al s to m e m ostan aes th es ia. N ot beca u e of th e ma ss of compl ex ma c h in e ry th ey use, but ra th e r th e intrica c ies and imp o rt a n ce o f th e o b

Althou g h it onl y took m e tw o wee ks to d ec ide that anae s th e ti cs app e al s to me mos t as a car ee r , durin g th ese tw o wee k s I aw many s id es of m e di c ine and h ea rd man y people v iew s Fro m th e hi g hly tec hni cal field s of CT sc annin g and p a thol og y , to the adv e nturou s work of the h e licopter param e dics

Durin g my stay at in Bri g hton I had th e privilege of observin g 23 vas tly different s urgical opera t ion s, which re a ll y did e mp t m e towards s urgery ,

On Call

County and Divisional News

EARLS COURT

What about the nurses?

Dear Ed ror,

r was sorry to see that in the September issue of St. John Wo rl d (Out a nd About) that not a ll of he res ults from the Finals of the Compet itions were s hown. It was a lso rather mi s leading that it was headed "First Aid Compet ition" because of course a arge proportion of th e Finals are Nurs ing Competit ions.

T h is year we a lso introd uced as a pi lot sc heme an Amb ul ance Competition and T am s ure that many membe rs will be pleased to know that thi s is going to become a reg u la r feature of the Brigade Competitions.

T he compet itor s will a ll know hat the j udges have submitted comments about the ir pe rformance and I would be most gratefu if yo u would allow me a few li nes to reflect so me of the point s were made

I was p eased to note that thi year the gene ra l standard was considered La be very good and that ma int enance of airways and Go nt ro l of haemorrhage seems to be improving

Many of the judges however commented as they do most years that he competitors tend not to listen to what the pat ient is say ing before ju mping to a diagnosis. A though it can be very difficu lt to imagine onese lf in a real situat ion when working in a competition setting it is most important to treat the patients "for rea l" and to comm unicate wit h them and i n part cu lar to te ll them what yo u are doing before you do it.

One of the judges did cOl1ilp liment a team on th eir expertise on immobi lising a patient even if hey did d smantle the whole set to do it.

A g reat dea l of effort goes into stag in g the co mpetitions and we are always p leased to see ent hu siastic competito rs bu t I fee l there m ust be many more St. John members out there who cou ld have a go.

You r s f aithfltlly Dr Ch ris Lun d Me d ic al D ir ector ( Brigade)

A different approach

Dear Editor,

I am a 43 year old and have been confined to a whee lchair for the past e ght years. I stru gg led to co me to term s with my di abi lity and hav e to ad mit ha mo re than once I hav e quest ioned my fare. It is not easy to cope with s udd en disabi li y especially if yo u have led as act iv e a life and had as stro ng an involvemenD n sport as I hav e.

In the first fo ll owing my accident [ rese nted any fom1 of help and refused to see my se l li as a cr pp le ' and so met imes wonder how my fri end , lia mi ly and carers coped with me

Three years ago [ was 'cajo ed' into attending a funday at a loca pa rk where I met members of the loca l St. John Ambulance who agreed to vi i me and help me out if I requ ired any he lp -a n offer which a the tim e was met wit h some resentment. The he lp ca re and support I ha ve received from St. John Ambu lance who have over the past three years visited me mor e often than not j ust for a chat and some company ha s he lped me on y to cope witih my d isa b il ity but also made me realise that ife does not end ju because you are whee lchair bound. It may be a different life to th at whi ch you were used to and s at time s hard to come to tenns with but, with a lot of he lp and suppo rt , you ca n resume a nonnal life My heartfe lt thank s go to those members who [ now cons id er my friends.

Yours faithfully Oscar Agasagh Yorkshi r e

Original or old hat?

Dear Editor

I refer to your art icle "Sr. John Ambulance

Teache s the Teac he rs", St. John Wor ld October 1993. I don't wish to disparage Dr. B owers efforts b u it is not "t he first case of its kind".

I was emp loyed by North York shire County

Co unci l 's Ed ucat ion Department way back in 1988 as a full time First Aid In str uctor , with the task of training School Staff in First Aid

Th e P ro m otion Team w i s h to t h ank the St . J ohn A mbul a n ce Vo l unteers for t h eir h e lp an d s uppo r t at a ll events we orga n ised for t h e p eo pl e of R ea d ing d uring 199 3 .

FAKENHAMRACECOURSE thanks the Norfolk branch of St John for the sple rn did service provided at race meetings g nd wishes all Volunteers a Happy Christmas and New Year. All enquiries (racing and caravan/campsite):- The Secretary, Fakenham Racecourse Ltd ., Fakenham, Norfolk, NR21 7NY (0328) 862388.

teac h ing St. Jo h n co urses, exam ined by St. ff olijn exa min ers.

During the pa st five and a ha l F years I ha ve trained almost 4,500 council s taff 70% from sc hool s, in F irst Aid mostly at Emergency Aid level but a lso approximately 250 to FAW sta ndard.

As far as I know I am th e only full time in structor emp loyed by an Education Department spec ifi ca ll y for sc hool staff (so meo ne may know different).

Surprising ly thou gh, Na tiona l Headquarters does not reco gnise u a a training org a ni sa tion a nd refuses to offer Special CenLre sta tu s, or FA W s upp lies direct , even thou gh I have ample fac iliti es. Perhaps Dr B owe r ' new initiative will change this.

Yours sincere ly R S While Fi rst Aid Officer NYCC & A r ea Com lll r (Dales) N.Yorks

The course described in Sl. John World (Oc tober 1993) was pecifically de s igned for student teachers and thi was in response to demand from stude nt s who exp re sed co ncern in not being able to deal with emerge nci es that could arise in the c lass room once they had embarked on their eac hin g ca reer.

Cathy Stretlon and lris Bund le from London District gave va luable input int o the venture and it s hoped that olher s tu de nt eac hers will be able to participate in First Aid training before leav in g co ll ege.

Readers ma y a lso be interes ted to hear that Co ll ingwood School in Cambe rl ey ha s already passed th e 2500 mark in pupils ga inin g their Three Cross Award. Earlier thi yea r Co ll ingwood organised a n Appointed Persons Course fo r teachers from their own staff and nei g hbo urin g schoo ls. One h undred and fifty teac hers qualified.

Dr A J Blowe rs Di r ector Gene r al, St. J oh n Ambulance

1.

2. Thi s i s the wave of pre s ur e that pa sses al o ng th e ar te ri es, created by eac h beat of the h eart. It ca n n ormall y be fe lt w h ere a n artery pa ses close to the surface of th e body.

3. About six litr e (10 pint s)

4. The radial pu lse.

5. The hormone adrenaline is re leased, quickening th e pulse, a nd indu c in g weat. Small blood ve se l s in no n-vital a r ea, uc h as th e skin , a r e s hut down to divert blood, a nd the o xyge n i t calTies, to the vital organs. Shock will beco m e evident.

6 . The nam e m ea n s a crushing of th e c he s t , and de scrib es the pain ex p erie nc ed when nalTow e d coronary arterie s are unabl e to deliv er s uffic ie nt blood to the h ear t m u scle to m ee t ex tra demand s of exe rtion or , so metime s, of excitement.

7. Inci se d, laceration , abrasion, co ntu sio n, puncture and gunshot.

8. Arterial , venou s and capillary.

9. The sca lp and the palm

10 . You do not rele ase the casualty. You immediately dial 999 and do nothin g but comfort and rea ss ure the casualty until he lp arrives.

Investiture

Thursday 7th October, 1993

AS

33. Margaret Florence, Mi ss Weller RGN RM RSI 34. Clare , Mrs Bowmer

35. Pamela Elizabeth, Mrs Munt

36. John Francis Crewdson

37. Audrey , Mi ss Burn s SRN

38. John Minter CBE DL

39. Alice Mary , Mi ss Lane

40.

MembershipforaYear

FriendshipsforLife

Take this opportunity to join the fastest growing organisation for the over 50'smake new friends and take advantage of the many benefits that membership has to offer

Access to Local Friendship Groups - Over 100 around the country and more forming all the time. Make new f'riends and become involved in local events.

FREE Accident Ho spitalisation Insurance -an income of up to £3,000 if you need to spend more than 7 days in hospital, due to an aecident.

FREE Personal Assault Insurance - £1,000 compensation if you are unfortunate enough to be the victim of a reported mugging or assault that requires medical treatment. oJ

FREE Quarterly Magazine and Newspaper - containing articles and features on everything from health and fitness to finance and food.

Cheaper Holidays and Travel - through the ARP Trav el Club - plus a FREEPHONE booking advice service.

Specialised Banking Service from the Bank of Scotland. I

Specially negotiated discounts with PPP, National Breakdown, National Express, National Tyres and Autocare and many, many more.

FREE Access to Legal and Domestic Helplines - available around-the-clock, 7 days a week, 365 days a year. JOIN TODAY by calling 071 828 0500 and take advantage of these and the many other benefit s Involve yourself in our campaigns both locally and nationally. available exclusively to ARP members.

ARP - Representing Britain's 18 Million over 50s

••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••••• : Enrol into ARP Over 50 today for an annual membership of just £10 : : by completing the Direct Debit form below (£12 by cash/credit card) :

PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM AND SEND TO ARP OVER 50, FREEPOST, LONDON SW1P 1YY

Name Spouse/Partner (if applicable)

Address

Telephone Number Date of Birth

DIRlECf DEBIT ENROLMENT - I/we wish to enrol by direct debit and have complet ed the mandate below for: D £10 D (£15 to include my spouse/partner) to cover 1 year's membership

Account in the Name of Account Number

Address of your Bank/Building Society Branch: Sort Code / . / /