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.

Volunteers

Across the country and across the world there are people giving up their time to help others.
Most of them do this without shouting from the roof tops or expecting out pouring's of gratitude, in fact most of them avoid the lime light and don't feel they do anything out of the ordinary.

I am sure all of us within the blue light services have witnessed the dedication of these volunteers, day in day out, in both  direct actions and supportive functions. I could try and list some of the voluntary groups but this list is endless and I am sure I would miss someone off.

The Local Resilience Forum conference  I attended in November concentrated on the way in which we need to involve communities in preparedness and resilience. Our county council have a resilience officer dedicated to coordinating and engaging with voluntary groups. looking at this more closely who is best placed to help a community? The community itself; as it has local knowledge, local contacts, is probably already doing some of the things needed and above all is in the right place.

Today on social media SWAST community responders, Llanberris Mountain Rescue Team, SERV Wessex Blood Bikes have all been out doing what they do 24/7 365 days a year. These are the ones that use social media to let people know what they do, but what about the unsung heroes  giving the elderly a Christmas meal or supporting the homeless. The Samaritans and MIND charity providing support to those who need it. These are just a few examples from hundreds.

Could you help a local charity? Do you have a skill that they may be able to use? Charities need backroom support as much as they need those who actually deliver the support.

Do you think you could be one of those volunteers at the end of the phone, waiting for the pager to go off or helping with fundraising? The ways in which you can help are as endless as are the organisations that need your help and support.

Try a different New Year resolution why not see if you can volunteer some time to a local community project or cause.

ITS CHRISTMAS !!!!!

Good morning everyone and happy Christmas. I hope this finds you all well and enjoying the festivities. I am working this morning then family time later.
It seems that more people than ever before are working over the festive season to provide emergency and essential services. Please spare a thought for those who are away from their families over the festive season. There is even a bus service in Bournemouth and Poole today!

This year has been a strange one in terms of the weather with what is probably one of the warmest and wettest Decembers in memory. This has led to flooding in many areas and my thoughts are with those affected. It is great to see the multi agency response to these events supporting the local communities. It is also refreshing to see community spirit is alive and well.

Talking of community spirit our community responders within the SWAST region are giving more and more of their time to support frontline crews which ultimately benefits the most important reason we are all here THE PATIENT.

Now time for the adverts courtesy of  our sponsors the great British public.

Please :
Choose well, do you need to call 999 or could you contact 111 or a pharmacy?
Don't drink and drive
Take care with candles
Look out for your neighbours

Wishing you and your families a safe and happy Christmas