Red Cross Blogs

Severe weather means busy times in Bristol

By Mark Cox
January 8, 2010 at 2:05 pm

Guest blogger and emergency response volunteer Blair Laird (19) has been on duty in the Bristol area every single evening – and some afternoons – since Boxing Day.

I’m on leave from work at the moment, and since Boxing Day have done a volunteer shift for the Red Cross every day, usually working between 6pm and 1am – but sometimes longer.

I currently work in Surrey as a dispatcher for the South East Coast Ambulance Service, and regularly volunteer down there. But I also worked previously as an urgent care assistant and emergency driver for Great Western Ambulance Service, so when I return to Bristol during the holidays I always end up volunteering here as well!

It’s been quite a busy time. My work experience means I’m qualified to be a response driver for blue light emergencies, which has been really useful since there’s been no shortage of emergencies over the busy Christmas period. The weather has been so bad that I’ve had to do a few shifts in our Land Rover 4×4 emergency vehicle, which can cope with the severe weather conditions.

We’ve been responding to everything from numerous weather-related injuries – caused by the inevitable slips and falls – to helping those injured in assaults, where alcohol has usually been a factor.

Our main duties generally include helping the ambulance service with patient transfers and answering ‘doctor’s urgent’ call-outs, but we have to be ready to deal with pretty much anything.

On Wednesday night, for example, we attended a woman in Bristol who was initially complaining of stomach pains. But by the time we got there she had developed chest pains and was having difficulty breathing, so we upgraded her to a blue light emergency and rushed her to hospital.

I’ve been a Red Cross volunteer for four years now and it’s never quiet, but I wouldn’t change a thing. It’s so refreshing and rewarding, and no two shifts are ever the same.

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Tags: emergency response, First aid, first aid training, red cross, severe weather, snow, UK, volunteer, Volunteering

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This entry was posted on Friday, January 8th, 2010 at 2:05 pm and is filed under Emergencies. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

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