Sharing our roads

So do you think you are a good driver or rider? 

Everyone feels their driving or riding is good but how do we know? When was the last time you looked at the Highway Code?

Have you had a accident or near miss on the road recently? Who's fault was it , what was the cause? Having thought about it is there anything you can do to change your driving or riding?

As the roads get busier and we have to share our road space with more and more users it is essential that we all play our part in keeping each other safe.

So what can we do to improve our standards? 

There are lots of organisations and iniatives out there which do you choose, which ones best for you?

Advance riding groups have often been seen as BMW , pipe and slippers this is not the case and any training which makes you think about the way you ride has to help.

A great place to start is your local Bike Safe course run during the year by your local police traffic unit. It is probably the only time you won't be worried with the police following you! You will get an observed ride and feedback on where improvements can be made. This may lead you to go onto looking at the ROSPA or IAM training.

As a driver there are local ROSPA and IAM groups which offer training and assessment.

Any of these will improve your driving or ridding but the biggest feedback from any one who has taken part in any of these iniatives is that it makes your riding or driving more fun and enjoyable but more importantly safer.

So with the better weather coming why not give it a go?

Distant memory

So January has gone already! Where did it go? New Years Eve seems a distant memory and what about those new year resolutions?
Demand appears to be increasing and across the country ambulance trusts are looking at ways to improve their response to this increase.
Community responders form a essential part of these plans and provide valuable emergency care to their local community. Could you spare time to join your local team.? Contact your local ambulance trust if you could.
Voluntary agencies provide support and work in partnership with the emergency services and recently  the floods have led to high profile news stories showing joint working. Like any organisation the 'foot troops' are those that are seen but they need the back room support so even if you are not able to commit to working at the sharp end you may have other skills that these groups may be able to make use of. Go on give it a go.

Safety Advisory Group (SAG)meeting

This morning I have been at the Poole Safety Advisory Group (SAG) meeting. what does the SAG do, who forms it, why are they important?

Have you attended an event in Poole over the past year? The Poole Quay Boat Show, Poole Food Festival, Arry Paye Day, a funfair, Party in The Park, Broadstone Christmas Parade and many others have all been reviewed by the SAG.

SAGs are usually co-ordinated by the Local Authority (LA) and made up of representatives from the LA, emergency services, other relevant bodies and the event organiser. 

SAGs provide a forum for discussing and advising on public safety at an event. They aim to help organisers with the planning, and management of an event and to encourage cooperation and coordination between all relevant agencies. They are non-statutory bodies and so do not have legal powers or responsibilities, and can not prohibit events from taking place.

Discussions may extend beyond an organiser’s duty to comply with workplace health and safety law and even the boundaries of an event site, to include considering the impact on the local transport network and civil contingencies in the event of an emergency. The advice provided by the SAG and any decisions taken should be proportionate to the risk profile of the event.

The SAG advise the event organiser about public safety matters that they think need further consideration, explaining their reasons. It is the event organiser’s responsibility to take any appropriate action. 

So as you can see the SAG is there to support event organisers and ensure public safety at events.

Several exciting events were discussed this morning and lots of events  are coming up this year.

Ambobronze: Happy New Year

Ambobronze: Happy New Year: A very happy new year to every one ,sorry it is a little late. I made a few resolutions and am still keeping to them, how about you. This y...

What do I do?

So what does my job as an Operations Officer involve?

Primarily I am an operational Paramedic responding to emergency incidents and providing day to day line management for a group of staff.
The other part of my role is as Operational Commander ( bronze commander, duty officer) providing 24/7 cover for East Dorset as part of a team of eight. The area I cover is predominantly urban conurbation, this leads to a variety of tasks including:

Staff welfare

Sickness issues 

Rota management 

Dealing with hospital handover delays

Day to day management issues 

Attending emergency incidents as both a response and in a operational commander role

Attend multi agency incidents

Attend complex or prolonged incidents

Attend incidents as operational commander where multiple resources are committed

Liaise with other agencies at incidents

This gives a brief idea of the type of thing I may deal with on a daily basis but no two days are the same and that is what makes it interesting.

Happy New Year

A very happy new year to every one ,sorry it is a little late. I made a few resolutions and am still keeping to them, how about you.
This year looks to be a busy year with new challenges facing us all.
I am going to try to blog at least once a week this year, with what I think are important and relevant subjects.
I have a few days off at the moment so busy catching up with all those bits and pieces I have been putting off.
As a front line clinician my first job of the new year was at 4 minutes past midnight to a roll over single vehicle RTC. It would appear that the driver was over the limit, happy new year!
There are new initiatives in place in Dorset, one of the most exciting is the Dorset Doc Bike  http://www.docbike.org/. Take a look and support this project if you can.
Volunteers play an important part in supporting and working alongside the blue light services. Do you have time to help a local charity or organisation? You may not be a "doer", don't think it's not for you there are plenty of back room support roles. An hour a week can help.

Looking forward to the coming year and the challenges it will undoubtedly throw up.