Hello all,
I'd just like to wish everyone a very happy Christmas and a prosperous new year. 2007 has been a challenging year for Coventry St John and I'd like to take this opportunity to thank everyone who's effort and commitment have ensured that despite difficult times, duties have been covered and our obligations forfilled. There have however been many positives that we can take from the year.
Once again Allesley & Radford and Jaguar Daimler divisions put on an annual presentation that went down well with county staff. The annual presentation is one of the key dates in the year of any division, so put those thinking caps on and come up with some ideas of what we can do for '08. For those of you who are new to St John, the annual presentation is where the division gets 'inspected' to ensure that every thing is running ok. It's also an opportunity for everyone to get involved and shout about the best divisions in Coventry.
One of the personal highlights of the year for me has been the number of new members that have joined in 2007. Encouraging new members and getting them out of the training room and in to the field is one of the priorities of the divisions. I'm sure most of us would agree that duties are the fun bit of St John and in the West Midlands we are extremely lucky to have so many different duties on our doorstep. So whether your interests are Football, Cricket, Speedway, American football, concerts, theater or whatever, there's bound to be something you'll like.
On the subject of duties, there have been many that we can look back on in '07. Who can forget playing Frisbee in the rain at canine capers! The rain had a part to play in 2007, with many duties being canceled. Fingers crossed that 2008 will be drier.
So on to 2008. Those of you who were there on Friday will of heard me mention plans to do a 'Year in the Life'. This is going to be no small undertaking if it's going to work. The aim is to record the activities of the division throughout the entire year, January-December. We can do this with Photos, videos, reports, articles, anything really. At the end of the year we can bring all the bits together into a record that we can be proud of, something that shows what we do, and why we do it.Something that shows what it's like to be part of the divisions and what it means.
This is going to take a lot input from everyone, so get typing and snapping. Once I've worked out details of how to collate all the info, I'll pass it on. Remember it can be about anything vaguely St John related, but try and keep the photos in focus!
Before I head off for a mince pie, don't forget the football matches over the Christmas period, Crystal Palace on boxing day, KO 15:00. Also Ipswich on Saturday 29th KO 17:20, think this must be a televised game. Transport from Holyhead road will leave at 13:30 on 26th and 15:45 on the 29th. Don't forget to wrap up warm!
Merry Christmas everyone, and Thank You for your help this year. Lets make 2008 a great one!
Jeremy Hodierne
Divisional Officer (Transport)
Allesley & Radford Combined Adult Division.
Monday, 24 December 2007
Merry Christmas
My Christmas email 2007
Thursday, 18 October 2007
Autum troubles
I can't believe it's been so long since my last blog post. It's been a difficult month or so with lots going on and I've neither had the time or inclination to write about much. Which is a shame as there has been some good stuff too.
Autumn is definitely here now which means i get to use one of my favorite words. "It's very autumnal at the moment" Anyway Autumn brings much needed respite from many of the St John duties that deluge us during the summer. Our big regular duty, Coventry City matches are the only ones we need to cover in numbers. Talking of the sky blues, they're really going through a sticky patch, horribly in debt with the prospect of administration looming. I've always believed that a good football club is good for the city, and most certainly good for St. John!
Many football fans think that St. John Ambulance members get a 'freebie' when on duty and that as volunteers we don't need an income. It's true that some of our members are fans, but we're all there because we believe that everyone should have access to first aid. We all want to put something back into our community, and if we can have fun whilst doing that then so be it! But our cover is not without cost. It costs money to buy European compliant ambulances. It costs money to equip members with the kit and clothing they need to stay safe. It costs money for training, stationary, gas, water, electricity, petrol and lots of other supplies that we need.
When Leeds united went into administration, it's creditors, including St. John Ambulance received just 11p for every pound they were owed. SJA received £18*. So what does this mean i real terms? Well undoubtedly the money that St John 'lost' in providing cover to Leeds will have to be made up, either from donations or using money that would of been earmarked for other uses. In effect St John paid Leeds United for the privilege of providing first aid cover at Elland Rd. Which is disgraceful.
The Leeds scenario is an extreme one which I hope will never happen again, but still these are troubling times. From a St. John point of view, we can't do anything about the mega buck refinancing-investment-administration malarkey, but we can do every thing possible to ensure that those who need our help at the Ricoh arena continue to receive it.
*Taken from Irish Independent, www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/leeds-parking-the-selfpity-1092549.html
Autumn is definitely here now which means i get to use one of my favorite words. "It's very autumnal at the moment" Anyway Autumn brings much needed respite from many of the St John duties that deluge us during the summer. Our big regular duty, Coventry City matches are the only ones we need to cover in numbers. Talking of the sky blues, they're really going through a sticky patch, horribly in debt with the prospect of administration looming. I've always believed that a good football club is good for the city, and most certainly good for St. John!
Many football fans think that St. John Ambulance members get a 'freebie' when on duty and that as volunteers we don't need an income. It's true that some of our members are fans, but we're all there because we believe that everyone should have access to first aid. We all want to put something back into our community, and if we can have fun whilst doing that then so be it! But our cover is not without cost. It costs money to buy European compliant ambulances. It costs money to equip members with the kit and clothing they need to stay safe. It costs money for training, stationary, gas, water, electricity, petrol and lots of other supplies that we need.
When Leeds united went into administration, it's creditors, including St. John Ambulance received just 11p for every pound they were owed. SJA received £18*. So what does this mean i real terms? Well undoubtedly the money that St John 'lost' in providing cover to Leeds will have to be made up, either from donations or using money that would of been earmarked for other uses. In effect St John paid Leeds United for the privilege of providing first aid cover at Elland Rd. Which is disgraceful.
The Leeds scenario is an extreme one which I hope will never happen again, but still these are troubling times. From a St. John point of view, we can't do anything about the mega buck refinancing-investment-administration malarkey, but we can do every thing possible to ensure that those who need our help at the Ricoh arena continue to receive it.
*Taken from Irish Independent, www.independent.ie/sport/other-sports/leeds-parking-the-selfpity-1092549.html
Wednesday, 26 September 2007
Old Trafford awaits
I've been looking forwards to tomorrow for a few weeks now. Coventry City are playing Manchester united in the 3rd round of the league cup, and I'm going! It'll be my first visit to Old Trafford and i'm really looking forward to seeing how they run such a large duty. It'll be nice to do something different, and nice to get away from the ongoing hassles that i can't put on here (yet).
This weekend has been an absolutly manic one. Two weddings in two days. On Saturday it was my mate Paul getting hitched, then Sunday saw my partner in crime, from GCSE geography doing the same.
To say it was interesting would be an understatement. Saturday was a quaint country church ceremony, with reception in a rather nice country hotel on the Warwickshire - Northamptonshire boarder. Then sundays wedding was a traditional Sikh wedding in Houndslow. All in all it was great to see the two guys getting married, and I wish them all the best for the future.
This weekend has been an absolutly manic one. Two weddings in two days. On Saturday it was my mate Paul getting hitched, then Sunday saw my partner in crime, from GCSE geography doing the same.
To say it was interesting would be an understatement. Saturday was a quaint country church ceremony, with reception in a rather nice country hotel on the Warwickshire - Northamptonshire boarder. Then sundays wedding was a traditional Sikh wedding in Houndslow. All in all it was great to see the two guys getting married, and I wish them all the best for the future.
Tuesday, 18 September 2007
Comming soon.....
Something very special on this blog. No details at the moment, you'll have to wait and see.
Sunday, 19 August 2007
How to.....Volunteer
Every weekend, the Guardian on Saturday has its glossy supplement. There's no better way of waking up on Saturday morning than idly flicking through the pages. One of the regular features is a column by Guy Browning. These are always good and well written, and this weeks is particularly apt.
Mr Browning, you've got it so right.
Guy Browning
Saturday August 18, 2007
The Guardian
There are two types of volunteers: those with a heart swelling with passion and courage who step forward knowing that the cause is just, and those who don't say "No" fast enough. The number of people actively involved in voluntary activity on any particular weekend is equivalent to the entire Red Army at the height of the second world war, albeit slightly less destructive.If you're afraid of volunteering, the golden rule is never to attend an AGM. These are annual meetings and are theoretically open to the public. The only way you can tell is that the six members of the group all sit on one side of the desk, as if about to face the world's press. Any member of the public who comes through the door is automatically identified as a volunteer and possible future leader of the group.
Voluntary bodies are interested in three things: fundraising, recruitment and sexual abandon. The third isn't a stated interest, but it's what most people think about in meetings. If it were to be an agenda item, the group might find recruitment and fundraising much easier.Before going to any kind of voluntary meeting, it's important to train yourself not to say, "Well, if no one else will do it..." Uttering this phrase, or anything remotely similar, is seen as evidence of unbridled enthusiasm for the job on offer.
You generally volunteer for something because you think you can run it better than the people currently running it. This can make for interesting committee meetings. Managing groups of volunteers can be difficult because of the "You're lucky to have me" syndrome, where people think they've done their bit just by turning up.
Leaving a voluntary organisation is difficult. What you have to do is to give five years' notice that you're intending to stand down and then, once the five years have passed, agree to another five-year handover period so that a successor can be found.
Very, very occasionally, some fresh-faced, unspoilt individual arrives unannounced and is very keen to get involved. For most, this is viewed in the same spirit as the arrival of a new messiah. For a few, such keenness has to be immediately put to the test by totally ignoring the new arrival and not asking their name for the next three meetings.
Mr Browning, you've got it so right.
Friday, 17 August 2007
Start of the season
After yesterdays inspired post, todays will probably seem incredibly dull. Tomorrow sees the first home game of the football season. Despite my concerns at the end of last season we're still in there. I'm really looking forwards to tomorrow which I hope will be the start of great things for the sky blues this season. The summer break has seen many changes within Coventry St John so the football should be different to last year. In fact one of the more noticeable differences is that most of the members who now go are not city fans, and some don't even like football! How strange.
Anyway for the last two seasons I've had the privilege of being controller for St John at the Ricoh arena. It's a role I've enjoyed immensely and one that I've grown into during that time. In an ideal world I'd carry it on, but unfortunately I'm one of the few people who can drive the ambulances. I hope that circumstances will allow me to carry on, but if needs must then i'm not going to be one of these people who throws the teddies out of the pram. I think i've mentioned before that Coventry City Football Club is vital to Coventry St John Ambulance and i'll be there in what ever role I can.
Anyway something smells really nice from the kitchen so i'm off to investigate.
Anyway for the last two seasons I've had the privilege of being controller for St John at the Ricoh arena. It's a role I've enjoyed immensely and one that I've grown into during that time. In an ideal world I'd carry it on, but unfortunately I'm one of the few people who can drive the ambulances. I hope that circumstances will allow me to carry on, but if needs must then i'm not going to be one of these people who throws the teddies out of the pram. I think i've mentioned before that Coventry City Football Club is vital to Coventry St John Ambulance and i'll be there in what ever role I can.
Anyway something smells really nice from the kitchen so i'm off to investigate.
Thursday, 16 August 2007
Real world or virtual?
In Britain we often lag behind other parts of the western world as far as modern technological developments go. Some times this is as a result of a very old infrastructure and extensive urbanization which would make modernization very expensive. Take the railways for example, the likes of Brunel built some incredible feats of civil engineering. But now, hundreds of years later the network is crumbling. The Forth rail bridge is another example of an incredible engineering example. It is an iconic structure that deserves to be preserved for generations to come. But i'm sure the bean counters at network rail wished they had something a little less expensive.
Zooming forwards to the present day, most homes in the UK now have broadband. 1Mb packages seem to be the norm these days using ADSL technology. ADSL is innovative as it allows existing copper cables to be used, some of which are probably older than I am! Being a bit of a internet junkie, i've gone for the cable option, a 20Mb connection. Of course advertised speeds and actual speeds vary considerably.
I believe that the UK needs a completely fiber based network, from ISP to home. This would be expensive, but i'm sure it wouldn't be that much more than a couple of aircraft carriers or the odd trident-replacement submarine. Such a network would open up some interesting possibilities. Real IP TV for example or IP based telephony for all. HD-Youtube anyone?
I wonder how a superfast broadband network would change social networking sites such as facebook. Maybe they'll have some applications worth using then (No I don't want to be bitten by a werewolf, vampire, turned into a pirate etc etc)
My prediction for the future is that as broadband speeds increase, albeit slowly, we'll see online applications such as Googles calender become more interactive. For example if I put an event into my calender, a football match say, the application will do everything associated with the event. It'll find traffic info, maybe suggest routes, perhaps book carpark spaces. It'll find results and stats on the game and previous fixtures. It'll show me the ground, where my seat is, and even a view of the pitch from my seat. Then it'll set my status on facebook and perhaps blog it on blogger or twitter.
So in short, I predict that our virtual lives will become intertwined with the real world. What we do in the real world will be influenced and then recorded by the virtual world. The virtual world will be a permanent feature of our real world lives, and when our time is up, our virtual worlds will remain making us immortal, providing the ultimate legacy.
Which raises the issue, is the only thing between mortal and immortal a server crash? Hmm, time to back up a bit I think.
Zooming forwards to the present day, most homes in the UK now have broadband. 1Mb packages seem to be the norm these days using ADSL technology. ADSL is innovative as it allows existing copper cables to be used, some of which are probably older than I am! Being a bit of a internet junkie, i've gone for the cable option, a 20Mb connection. Of course advertised speeds and actual speeds vary considerably.
I believe that the UK needs a completely fiber based network, from ISP to home. This would be expensive, but i'm sure it wouldn't be that much more than a couple of aircraft carriers or the odd trident-replacement submarine. Such a network would open up some interesting possibilities. Real IP TV for example or IP based telephony for all. HD-Youtube anyone?
I wonder how a superfast broadband network would change social networking sites such as facebook. Maybe they'll have some applications worth using then (No I don't want to be bitten by a werewolf, vampire, turned into a pirate etc etc)
My prediction for the future is that as broadband speeds increase, albeit slowly, we'll see online applications such as Googles calender become more interactive. For example if I put an event into my calender, a football match say, the application will do everything associated with the event. It'll find traffic info, maybe suggest routes, perhaps book carpark spaces. It'll find results and stats on the game and previous fixtures. It'll show me the ground, where my seat is, and even a view of the pitch from my seat. Then it'll set my status on facebook and perhaps blog it on blogger or twitter.
So in short, I predict that our virtual lives will become intertwined with the real world. What we do in the real world will be influenced and then recorded by the virtual world. The virtual world will be a permanent feature of our real world lives, and when our time is up, our virtual worlds will remain making us immortal, providing the ultimate legacy.
Which raises the issue, is the only thing between mortal and immortal a server crash? Hmm, time to back up a bit I think.
Sunday, 12 August 2007
Conscientious objector?
There is no denying that St John Ambulance is a very close knit organization with its own highly developed grapevine. Not a lot happens without someone finding out and the news spreading quickly. Most of the time it's tittle-tattle with no real substance, stuff that can be ignored as being irrelevant. Sometimes the grapevine is invaluable as it provides information about who's having a tough time and who needs a bit of extra help and support at certain times.
The grapevine has been in full swing over the last few days and I received information that I'm sure most people would consider tittle-tattle and laugh off. The problem is it's nagging at my conscience. So I have some choices, to act on the information, that I'm fairly certain is true and create one almighty stink, or to let it slide and say nothing.
I've got to say at this point, that it's nothing illegal, and certainly nothing that would ever compromise patient care.
So what do I do? Well what's done is done and neither I nor anyone else can change the past so i'm going to take the easy option, and do nothing. I don't feel happy about it, but in the circumstances it's probably best.
So where from here? I'm sure some people reading this will be thinking that if you believe strongly in something you should act on it. This time I haven't but I hope in the future I will have the courage to follow my convictions through.
The grapevine has been in full swing over the last few days and I received information that I'm sure most people would consider tittle-tattle and laugh off. The problem is it's nagging at my conscience. So I have some choices, to act on the information, that I'm fairly certain is true and create one almighty stink, or to let it slide and say nothing.
I've got to say at this point, that it's nothing illegal, and certainly nothing that would ever compromise patient care.
So what do I do? Well what's done is done and neither I nor anyone else can change the past so i'm going to take the easy option, and do nothing. I don't feel happy about it, but in the circumstances it's probably best.
So where from here? I'm sure some people reading this will be thinking that if you believe strongly in something you should act on it. This time I haven't but I hope in the future I will have the courage to follow my convictions through.
Friday, 10 August 2007
Blogging from the garden
Thanks to the wonders of wi-fi I'm writing this blog from the back garden, enjoying one of the rare summers days this year. I've been in Aberdeen this week working. It was a fairly straight forward week so not a lot to say about it really other than i managed to get facebook working on my mobile, which is good.
Talking of Facebook, it's been amazing to see how the site has taken off in a way that Myspace never really achieved. One of the features that I've recently discovered on facebook is how to import an RSS feed. This is good as this blog is now on there, and being read by lots more people! Of course a blog is a blog and represents MY views and opinions only.
This weekend it's another American football match with the Jets playing the southern sundevils on Saturday. It's also the day of the Fillongley show on Sunday. The Fillongley show is always a nice duty to do with good food and nice people to work with. However a few years ago it was a bit interesting. Anyway with the sunshine out and expected to last the weekend I don't think there will be any repeat.
Anyway it's off down to St John tonight where hopefully we can sort out the ice maker. That way I can enjoy a nice glass of Magners :-)
Talking of Facebook, it's been amazing to see how the site has taken off in a way that Myspace never really achieved. One of the features that I've recently discovered on facebook is how to import an RSS feed. This is good as this blog is now on there, and being read by lots more people! Of course a blog is a blog and represents MY views and opinions only.
This weekend it's another American football match with the Jets playing the southern sundevils on Saturday. It's also the day of the Fillongley show on Sunday. The Fillongley show is always a nice duty to do with good food and nice people to work with. However a few years ago it was a bit interesting. Anyway with the sunshine out and expected to last the weekend I don't think there will be any repeat.
Anyway it's off down to St John tonight where hopefully we can sort out the ice maker. That way I can enjoy a nice glass of Magners :-)
Monday, 6 August 2007
Handsworth Carnival
Yesterday I was on duty in brum again for the Handsworth carnival. It's a duty that i'd not done before.
We arrived at Perry park in Birmingham shortly after 10am and were directed up towards the stadium where we were based. After a few hellos, we had our briefing. It looked as if we'd got a nice stint at the back of the procession, reliving the Solihull crew, then being relived ourselves. So off we went to our first point, which was fairly uneventful. After a while, and after seeing several drivers get in a flap about the road closures we received word that the procession had started. As the procession came past we were struck by how 'samey' it all appeared. The formula seemed to be truck pumping out reggae followed by a few dancers in costumes. Not really a patch on the Godiva procession really.
We relived the crew at the rear of the procession and proceeded to follow it along the route. It seemed to be traveling at a snails pace, but everyone looked to be having fun. In the end we ended up following the procession all the way into the park and finally some five hours after leaving, the carnival completed it's 2.9 mile journey. I've no idea why it took so long but my left leg sure was aching after 5 hrs of clutch control!
After we'd returned to the park there was chance to stretch the legs and have a drink. However no sooner that we'd arrived it seemed like we were off out again. This time it was transporting a patient to hospital. After we'd got back, it was off to the standby point for a while. We treated a few minor casualties before getting the radio message to return to base. Just as we were getting ready to return, we received word of a collapse in the crowd. So off we went to investigate. After treating the patient, ad loading them on board the ambulance, we stood down and returned to the medical center. This time there was no chance for a break ass we were required to convey the patient to hospital. So off we went again. In the end we were stood down from the hospital and returned to Coventry from there.
When we got into the garage, there was a flood! It seems like the gaffer had been playing with the new ice maker. I've got to break the news to him in a bit.
We arrived at Perry park in Birmingham shortly after 10am and were directed up towards the stadium where we were based. After a few hellos, we had our briefing. It looked as if we'd got a nice stint at the back of the procession, reliving the Solihull crew, then being relived ourselves. So off we went to our first point, which was fairly uneventful. After a while, and after seeing several drivers get in a flap about the road closures we received word that the procession had started. As the procession came past we were struck by how 'samey' it all appeared. The formula seemed to be truck pumping out reggae followed by a few dancers in costumes. Not really a patch on the Godiva procession really.
We relived the crew at the rear of the procession and proceeded to follow it along the route. It seemed to be traveling at a snails pace, but everyone looked to be having fun. In the end we ended up following the procession all the way into the park and finally some five hours after leaving, the carnival completed it's 2.9 mile journey. I've no idea why it took so long but my left leg sure was aching after 5 hrs of clutch control!
After we'd returned to the park there was chance to stretch the legs and have a drink. However no sooner that we'd arrived it seemed like we were off out again. This time it was transporting a patient to hospital. After we'd got back, it was off to the standby point for a while. We treated a few minor casualties before getting the radio message to return to base. Just as we were getting ready to return, we received word of a collapse in the crowd. So off we went to investigate. After treating the patient, ad loading them on board the ambulance, we stood down and returned to the medical center. This time there was no chance for a break ass we were required to convey the patient to hospital. So off we went again. In the end we were stood down from the hospital and returned to Coventry from there.
When we got into the garage, there was a flood! It seems like the gaffer had been playing with the new ice maker. I've got to break the news to him in a bit.
Saturday, 4 August 2007
New milestone for Allesley & Radford
Today has been the average busy summers day in terms of St. John duties. It's at this time of year that things get interesting as the start of the football season clashes with many summer events. Today was one of those days where both Coventry city and Aston Villa had home friendlies. There's also been the finals of the 20-20 cup at Edgebaston and of cause the main event, the Coventry donkey derby.
Busy days like today that stretch resources are not unusual, but what made today special is that every single ambulance from Coventry was crewed by members of Allesley & Radford division. It's quite an achievement for us and I cannot recall it ever happening before, certainly not in recent times. Even the sector minibus was driven by a member of the division!
So for the record:
Of course it's down to the members who have worked so incredibly hard this year to improve their training and to get the duties covered. It's been an amazing team effort and one which I hope will not go unnoticed by county.
Anyway tomorrow is the Birmingham carnival which sounds like it might be 'interesting' but now i'm going to the cinema to watch the Simpsons, with all of the folks from St. John of course!
Busy days like today that stretch resources are not unusual, but what made today special is that every single ambulance from Coventry was crewed by members of Allesley & Radford division. It's quite an achievement for us and I cannot recall it ever happening before, certainly not in recent times. Even the sector minibus was driven by a member of the division!
So for the record:
- KE131 - Coventry Donkey Derby, Hersall common.
- KE133 - Aston Villa Football Club, Birmingham.
- KE136 - Coventry City Football Club, Coventry.
Of course it's down to the members who have worked so incredibly hard this year to improve their training and to get the duties covered. It's been an amazing team effort and one which I hope will not go unnoticed by county.
Anyway tomorrow is the Birmingham carnival which sounds like it might be 'interesting' but now i'm going to the cinema to watch the Simpsons, with all of the folks from St. John of course!
Monday, 30 July 2007
Coventry St John Ambulance vs The Enemy
So this was Godiva festival 2007. Reading my previous post is slightly unnerving as to how close to reality it was. It was the most challenging weekend of my St John life.
Friday started with the obligatory pre-briefing at McDonalds before loading all the equipment needed for the weekend. Once we were done it was off to the park to set up out treatment center. Unfortunately this was a tiny unit but needs must!
With the first aid post set up, our team of members turned up for the first of the weekends briefings. A minutes silence was held in memory of Mary and all the essential info passed on. The back stage crew found their places where they could keep an eye on the crowds and of course the Human League! Meanwhile I settled down in control with a pork patch and got ready to deal with the influx of calls. The evening was fairly problem free and i even got chance to get a few games of solitaire in thanks to my new hands free radio :-)
The evening wasn't entirely without incident and one of the crews had a late job to hospital so I had to wait around to ensure all was ok. At 2.30am I found the peace and quiet of my bed, but I could of sworn I could still hear the Human league in my sleep.
Saturday morning started way too early for my liking when I had to transport the members down to the start of the procession. Then it was off back to the park for a meeting with the security manager about the evenings performances. "It's going to be busy" was the message so a quick rejig of resources was needed.
Saturday lunchtime came and with it the challenge of getting everyone fed and watered. No mean feat with 30+ members and cadets.
Thursday, 12 July 2007
The eve of Godiva festival
Tomorrow is Friday 13th. It's also the start of the Godiva festival in Coventry and no doubt a stressful weekend for me. I know it's going to be one of the most challenging few days of my life, but I'm looking forward to it, and relishing the challenge.
I can be assured that there's a great team of people who will work together and help each other out when the chips are down. But i'm not going sit back and let problems arise. I'm intending to be proactive and chip in with everyone else.
I'm sure this reads really badly, but the message and ethos that I will be taking to the festival is that I want everyone there, working to provide the best level of care we can. There is no place for pettiness and no place for ulterior motives. This is a fun event, and i'm going there to enjoy myself as well as to do a job.
I've been thinking about the festival all week, running through 'what if...' scenarios. I think we're prepared for most eventualities. I suppose at this point in time i'd really like to thank all the members who have pledged their support, and who've helped during this difficult time. It's an honor to work with people who are passionate about St. John.
Anyway, that's it for now. I hope i'll be able to update the blog over the weekend with whats been going on.
I can be assured that there's a great team of people who will work together and help each other out when the chips are down. But i'm not going sit back and let problems arise. I'm intending to be proactive and chip in with everyone else.
I'm sure this reads really badly, but the message and ethos that I will be taking to the festival is that I want everyone there, working to provide the best level of care we can. There is no place for pettiness and no place for ulterior motives. This is a fun event, and i'm going there to enjoy myself as well as to do a job.
I've been thinking about the festival all week, running through 'what if...' scenarios. I think we're prepared for most eventualities. I suppose at this point in time i'd really like to thank all the members who have pledged their support, and who've helped during this difficult time. It's an honor to work with people who are passionate about St. John.
Anyway, that's it for now. I hope i'll be able to update the blog over the weekend with whats been going on.
Saturday, 7 July 2007
Mary
St. John Ambulance received the sad news that Mary, our sector duty officer had passed away. Mary was one of those true St. John people who was always there for everyone. She spent an extraordinary amount of time organizing cover for duties and often came along too.
All of us will miss Mary and we offer our condolences to John and family.
It's got to be said however that the spirit shown by the vast majority of members has been superb during this difficult time. There's been a real sense of togetherness, and the feeling that Mary worked so hard to ensure that Coventry could cover every event and we have to continue that.
Sunday, 17 June 2007
Monday, 4 June 2007
Turning points
over the last few weeks there have been several discussions about turning points. Ok, so most of these have taken place 6 hours into a duty once all the usual topics of discussion have been exhausted. I think that some turning points in life are clearly defined, i.e Getting married, moving house etc. Whilst some turning points are not apparent until you look back and analyze what actually happened and what the outcome is. Consequently some events which could be described as turning points at the time turn out to be inconsequential in the grand scheme of things.
So why the sociological discussion at this time? Well it's a difficult subject to blog about as it involves real people, but within SJA Coventry, a senior officer has resigned. I really cant go into specifics on here, but what I will say is that it was in the middle of a duty and it caused me no end of grief.
So is this a turning point? Will it have a long term impact? Will we look back at the moment and ponder what happened?
I honestly can't predict what will happen in the days and weeks ahead, but i've said it before, and i'll say it again that SJA is bigger than any one person. The rest of us all have a collective responsibility to ensure that duties get covered and training is completed. We all need to work together to drive SJA forward. We need to give the organisation the best possible chance of being the best provider of first aid services. There's a lot of private medical companies out there who compete against SJA at the moment. Some of them are very good and well respected, and some of them are frankly run by cowboys with a flagrant disregard to the law.
All this being said, I am very reassured by some of the senior offiers within the West Midlands. There seems to be an ethos that we can improve, and will!
Anyway, It's Aberdeen this week which should be fun.
So why the sociological discussion at this time? Well it's a difficult subject to blog about as it involves real people, but within SJA Coventry, a senior officer has resigned. I really cant go into specifics on here, but what I will say is that it was in the middle of a duty and it caused me no end of grief.
So is this a turning point? Will it have a long term impact? Will we look back at the moment and ponder what happened?
I honestly can't predict what will happen in the days and weeks ahead, but i've said it before, and i'll say it again that SJA is bigger than any one person. The rest of us all have a collective responsibility to ensure that duties get covered and training is completed. We all need to work together to drive SJA forward. We need to give the organisation the best possible chance of being the best provider of first aid services. There's a lot of private medical companies out there who compete against SJA at the moment. Some of them are very good and well respected, and some of them are frankly run by cowboys with a flagrant disregard to the law.
All this being said, I am very reassured by some of the senior offiers within the West Midlands. There seems to be an ethos that we can improve, and will!
Anyway, It's Aberdeen this week which should be fun.
Wednesday, 30 May 2007
Summertime blues and twos
Summer is well and truly here and with it brings the range of summertime first aid events. This is my favorite time of the year as no two weekends are ever the same. Last weekend started ordinarily enough with a small football tournament at one of the local colleges in Coventry. It was fairly bog standard, although we did have one job that we had to send in to hospital.
Saturday evening saw the days 2nd duty, this time at Coventry Cathedral. I enjoy duties at the cathedral as it's steeped in history. This time it was the Coventry jazz festival. I always associate jazz with summer, sitting in parks, having a picnic sort of thing. Unfortunately the weather had a big part to play, as it lashed it down with rain. The tent (a really marvelous structure within the cathedral ruins) was less than half full with many people leaving during the interval. Thankfully I had the dry, and relatively warm surroundings of the security office to hide in. With nothing to do, I had a nose around the interesting looking room, which was only accessible by a very narrow spiral staircase. The room had a touch of the 'Da Vinci Code' about it, with a long table, surrounded by chairs. The top chair was obviously different to the others, an had an unusual coat of arms on it. Opposite the table on the wall was a tapestry with the same coat of arms. At the time I thought I'd uncovered the meeting place of some secret society, and in truth I wasn't a million miles away. According to the Cathedral website, that room is used by the cappers guild, who meet to share bread and cheese. So there you go.
Anyway, Sunday saw my third duty of the weekend, and it was a big one. We took the ambulance to the gay pride event in Birmingham. As usual the weather didn't let up, so it was a very cold and wet day. I have to say I didn't know what to expect, but in truth it covered the spectrum of gay culture, from the brash Lilly Savage-alikes, to the ordinary joe bloggs. The whole atmosphere just seemed to be quite relaxed and fun. I suppose in a way it's a shame that there needs to be separate events. In an ideal world it would be everyone straight or gay enjoying themselves at the same events without prejudice. Just my own thoughts.
The duty itself started really quietly, and after we'd followed the procession down, we sat around for a good few hours. The evening saw the effects of alcohol begin to take their toll on the punters. Our first run to hospital was for a leg injury. Nice and straightforward. After that we were rotated back to being second ambo. That meant a chance to grab a bite to eat and catch up with some of the other members on duty. Just as the evening was coming to a close, we got a shout. Unconscious female. It wasn't the first job I'd attended with that description, and I'm 100% sure it won't be the last. However it does cover the entire spectrum from asleep to dead, so we set off on blues to the location. It took a few minutes to locate the casualty, but it took only one look for alarm bells to start ringing. This was an ill casualty. I know it's a cliche, but everything seemed to happen in slow motion. I could see what needed to be done, and in a way felt like one of the training scenarios we practice regularly. The options were weighed up, and we decided that immediate removal to hospital would be best.
So there I am. This is a no sh*t run to hospital which contrary to perceptions isn't something we do all that often. Looking back, I don't think I actually broke the speed limit, the weather was far too bad for that. We got to hospital and it didn't take long for the staff to realise that this was serious case, so it was straight into resus.
I don't know what happened to the patient after that. It's one of the pitfalls that sometimes we find out and sometimes we never know.
Saturday evening saw the days 2nd duty, this time at Coventry Cathedral. I enjoy duties at the cathedral as it's steeped in history. This time it was the Coventry jazz festival. I always associate jazz with summer, sitting in parks, having a picnic sort of thing. Unfortunately the weather had a big part to play, as it lashed it down with rain. The tent (a really marvelous structure within the cathedral ruins) was less than half full with many people leaving during the interval. Thankfully I had the dry, and relatively warm surroundings of the security office to hide in. With nothing to do, I had a nose around the interesting looking room, which was only accessible by a very narrow spiral staircase. The room had a touch of the 'Da Vinci Code' about it, with a long table, surrounded by chairs. The top chair was obviously different to the others, an had an unusual coat of arms on it. Opposite the table on the wall was a tapestry with the same coat of arms. At the time I thought I'd uncovered the meeting place of some secret society, and in truth I wasn't a million miles away. According to the Cathedral website, that room is used by the cappers guild, who meet to share bread and cheese. So there you go.
Anyway, Sunday saw my third duty of the weekend, and it was a big one. We took the ambulance to the gay pride event in Birmingham. As usual the weather didn't let up, so it was a very cold and wet day. I have to say I didn't know what to expect, but in truth it covered the spectrum of gay culture, from the brash Lilly Savage-alikes, to the ordinary joe bloggs. The whole atmosphere just seemed to be quite relaxed and fun. I suppose in a way it's a shame that there needs to be separate events. In an ideal world it would be everyone straight or gay enjoying themselves at the same events without prejudice. Just my own thoughts.
The duty itself started really quietly, and after we'd followed the procession down, we sat around for a good few hours. The evening saw the effects of alcohol begin to take their toll on the punters. Our first run to hospital was for a leg injury. Nice and straightforward. After that we were rotated back to being second ambo. That meant a chance to grab a bite to eat and catch up with some of the other members on duty. Just as the evening was coming to a close, we got a shout. Unconscious female. It wasn't the first job I'd attended with that description, and I'm 100% sure it won't be the last. However it does cover the entire spectrum from asleep to dead, so we set off on blues to the location. It took a few minutes to locate the casualty, but it took only one look for alarm bells to start ringing. This was an ill casualty. I know it's a cliche, but everything seemed to happen in slow motion. I could see what needed to be done, and in a way felt like one of the training scenarios we practice regularly. The options were weighed up, and we decided that immediate removal to hospital would be best.
So there I am. This is a no sh*t run to hospital which contrary to perceptions isn't something we do all that often. Looking back, I don't think I actually broke the speed limit, the weather was far too bad for that. We got to hospital and it didn't take long for the staff to realise that this was serious case, so it was straight into resus.
I don't know what happened to the patient after that. It's one of the pitfalls that sometimes we find out and sometimes we never know.
Thursday, 19 April 2007
The end of an era - Maybe?
Next Saturday sees the final home match of the football season at the Ricoh arena. If some of the whispers are to be believed, then it could be the final game ever for SJA. I really hope this doesn't happen as the football has been a massive part of my SJA career since the age of 14. I hadn't actually realized it was that long, that's half my life!
It's all a huge difference from the high hopes we all had when the Ricoh opened nearly two years ago. Then we all dreamed of duties at concerts with international bands. Of international sporting fixtures and high profile events.
It was a disappointment when it was announced that we weren't going to be part of the concerts, as a private medical company had been awarded the contract. Not a problem, we've still got the the sporting fixtures. Well it's true we covered one of the England games, but no more. The rugby has gone too. This leaves us with only the Sky Blues games. I wonder if it's anything I've done, or could of done better.
If Saturday is to be our final game, then I'll take away many many memories of triumph and tradegy, and safe in the knowledge that it's stood me in good stead for the future.
It's all a huge difference from the high hopes we all had when the Ricoh opened nearly two years ago. Then we all dreamed of duties at concerts with international bands. Of international sporting fixtures and high profile events.
It was a disappointment when it was announced that we weren't going to be part of the concerts, as a private medical company had been awarded the contract. Not a problem, we've still got the the sporting fixtures. Well it's true we covered one of the England games, but no more. The rugby has gone too. This leaves us with only the Sky Blues games. I wonder if it's anything I've done, or could of done better.
If Saturday is to be our final game, then I'll take away many many memories of triumph and tradegy, and safe in the knowledge that it's stood me in good stead for the future.
Thursday, 12 April 2007
Crowd safety course at the EPC
Last week I had the honor of attending a course at the Emergency Planning College in Yorkshire. I have to say that it was an absolutely fantastic week. The course just seemed so relevant to what we do day in day out in SJA and gave me a greater insight in to the factors that affect crowd safety. It was also a really good opportunity to talk to others involved in the crowd field. Thankfully the college had a well stocked bar that we took full advantage of. At the end of the evening, there was a core of hardened drinkers left in the bar, and after the dust had settled the eight of us had managed to consume 19 bottles of wine! It was commented on by some of the folks from London that they were paying the same for a bottle as they would for a glass at home.
I left the college with a sense of enthusiasm about SJA, and what I can do to improve it. That and a stinking hangover! I hope that there will be opportunities to do more courses at the EPC, and maybe, just maybe I might make a difference.
I left the college with a sense of enthusiasm about SJA, and what I can do to improve it. That and a stinking hangover! I hope that there will be opportunities to do more courses at the EPC, and maybe, just maybe I might make a difference.
Sunday, 1 April 2007
[Nearly]Over and [Not] Out
It's been a good weekend, and Friday evening was alright too. It was the divisional social night and we thought we'd do something different so a take away and movie evening was arranged. Unfortunately it wasn't particularly well supported, but everyone who was there enjoyed in and the gaffer approved as to our choice in films (The History Boys). I think that it'll probably be the last Friday night social that we do as there's scope for get togethers outside of St. John that there weren't before. It's probably best that we keep up the momentum rather than stop for a week.
Saturday was a good day. I attended a radio trainers course in West Bromwich which I have to say was brilliant. It was well organised and pitched at a good level. It got me really inspired and I'm really looking forwards to teaching the course. Hopefully I'll get the opportunity to fairly soon.
And finally at the risk of repeating myself, tonight was another amazing night at the ice hockey, with the blaze going 4-0 on aggregate at one point and coming back to win 5-4. Truly amazing.
Anyway I'm off on a course this week, not the usual run of the mill stuff though, so more when I get back.
Saturday was a good day. I attended a radio trainers course in West Bromwich which I have to say was brilliant. It was well organised and pitched at a good level. It got me really inspired and I'm really looking forwards to teaching the course. Hopefully I'll get the opportunity to fairly soon.
And finally at the risk of repeating myself, tonight was another amazing night at the ice hockey, with the blaze going 4-0 on aggregate at one point and coming back to win 5-4. Truly amazing.
Anyway I'm off on a course this week, not the usual run of the mill stuff though, so more when I get back.
Thursday, 29 March 2007
Trawling through Youtube (again!)
I found this, it's really cool and certainly explains why alot of music sounds the same.
Wednesday, 28 March 2007
Another win, another trophy!
Yesterday was a good day, a very good day in fact. At the risk of repeating myself, the Challenge cup final was an incredible moment. After last weeks euphoria and celebrations, I didn't think it could get much better, but it sure did.
Wearing a borrowed shirt (Thanks Badger!) I really felt the part and hardly stopped cheering throughout the entire game. Although I'd had a bad feeling about the game after the disappointing knock out cup final, the result never looked in doubt after the first period. Our goalie, Trevor Koenig played a blinder and deservedly won the man of the match award.
All credit to the Sheffield Steleers though, they were real sports and let the Coventry fans enjoy the moment, their fans were great sports too. I think I've twisted my knee in the process of celebrating though. I woke up this morning and had these stabbing pains in it. So I'd thought I'd try and walk it off round Coombe Abbey. Still feels stiff though. I wish I'd had a longer lens with me as there were two herons on the opposite side of the bank.
Monday, 26 March 2007
Still not certified!
Well tonight I've been to one of the semi-regular ambulance aid training nights that we're all supposed to attend. It was fairly good, but I'm feeling really uninspired by the whole thing. I did however get a few snide comments about my ILS certificate, and how I wrote my own name on it. It's pathetic really and I'm still cross about it. When they do get conformation of it I doubt there will be any apologies forthcoming.
Other than that it's been a nothing sort of day, tomorrow I'm off to Sheffield to watch the Blaze play in the Challenge cup final which should be good.
Other than that it's been a nothing sort of day, tomorrow I'm off to Sheffield to watch the Blaze play in the Challenge cup final which should be good.
Thursday, 22 March 2007
One amazing day
This week I've been working in Ireland. It's been nice to go back over as it's been a while now. So anyway Tuesday evening the three of us are sitting in the bar discussing recent developments in the world of cardiology (or not) and we're generally having a good old chat over several pints. It gets to that point in the evening where the discussion goes along the lines of "Shall we have one more?" Now it's normally the case that the amount that is drunk the night before is directly proportional to the number of patients. With this in mind we called a halt around midnight.
Anyway next day there we all are on the unit in Sligo, with what looks like a reasonably big list ahead of us. However disaster strikes when the kit decides it's not going to play ball.
Break downs are a right pain in the neck, with everyone getting stressed about cancelling patients and things, and often the biggest problem can be no one wanting to make a decision. But I have to say that to everyone who was involved credit, a decision was made promptly and unfortunately the list was cancelled.
However this presented a very tempting opportunity. Coventry blaze were playing the Edinburgh capitals in a match that would decide the league title if Coventry were to win it. So I faced a decision. Do I race as quickly as possible to Belfast airport to try and change to an earlier flight with the hope of getting to Coventry in time for the game. The chances of making it were slim. With no idea if there even were earlier flights, and no guarantee of being able to get on an earlier flight.
I decided to give it a go, after all what did I have to loose? I hadn't planned on going to the game so the way I saw it was that getting to the skydome would of been a bonus. So off I set from Sligo hospital, some 400miles away from the Skydome. The journey was going fairly well, with those narrow Irish roads being relatively quiet. With no radio in the hire car I kept myself awake by humming some of the tunes I'd hopefully be hearing later in the evening. This quickly turned into random chants of 'PEASY PEASY' every time I overtook the assorted tractors on the roads. I soon found myself crossing the border into Northern Ireland, and with that came better roads and the chance to speed up a bit. With each passing mile, my optimism increased, I was sure I was going to make it. But I still had to change my flight.
So some three hours after leaving Sligo I pulled up at the hire car return at Belfast, oblivious the the fact that I was humming Chelsea dagger perhaps a little too loudly. I quickly found the BMI baby ticket desk and smiled sweetly at the rep. "Changing your flight? Certainly sir, let me just check. Right there's a flight to Birmingham at 16.55" A quick check in my head, and I estimated that I'd land at about 6 o'clock. Perfect. Changing the flight cost me £80, but somehow my credit card lept out of my wallet and over the desk.
Now my next worry was, what if I get to the Skydome, and it's sold out? All this would of been for nothing! So it was on to the Internet to get the number for the booking line. There it was. Done. My ticket would be waiting for me.
Everything was going to plan, could it work, would everything fall into place? I spent the next couple of hours worrying about mechanical failure, weather problems, and anything else that could scupper my chances. Then, my flight was called, early! We all boarded, early! no one was left behind, no one got lost in the bar, everything looked rosy. Captain announces over the tannoy in a slightly surprised voice that everyone is on board, and that we will be leaving EARLY! and that due to a strong tail wind, we will be arriving even earlier!!
I didn't relax until I heard the undercarriage come up and saw the rugged Ulster coastline disappearing behind us. So at 5.40 we landed at Birmingham, and by 6 I was headed down the A45 towards Coventry. Nothing was going to stop me now.
At 7pm I pulled up in the carpark and walked the short distance to the skydome. I spotted Badger, whose first words to me were "You're supposed to be in Ireland!" With that I quickly collected my tickets and stood in my usual spot, savoring the atmosphere.
The game itself was a fairly usual Blaze affair, with Coventry quickly securing an unsurmountable lead. As the clock ticked down the minutes the atmosphere inside the arena was incredible. The title was insight, the cup was in the building!
The final hooter sounded and the arena erupted into euphoria, we'd done it and I WAS THERE! To see how much the win meant to the players and fans was a moment I'll never forget. In fact the only occasion that I have to compare it with is the 1987 FA cup final.
This has been my first full season following the Coventry Blaze. I've been to Cardiff and Sheffield and followed the team through the good and bad matches. Ice hockey has been a real revelation for me, OK so I'm still learning all the technicalities, but for me it's pure entertainment. I now relish the thought of Sunday evenings,and what my team, the Coventry Blaze can do.
So now that I consider myself a true Hockey fan, I popped down to the hockey locker today to pick up a copy of Ignite, the Blaze magazine. The assistant manager of the Blaze, Luc Chabot was in there looking very hung over. I don't blame him mind, I bet there were a few sore heads this morning.
Anyway carrying my copies of Ignite, I started walking back to the car, when I was stopped by a local BBC news crew, who asked if I wouldn't mind answering a few questions. Not being in a rush I agreed. Their first question was whether I'd heard of the Coventry Blaze. We all had a laugh as I showed them what I was carrying. They went on to ask whether the team deserved a civic reception, and what I thought about it.
So all in all, it's not been a bad few days.
Anyway next day there we all are on the unit in Sligo, with what looks like a reasonably big list ahead of us. However disaster strikes when the kit decides it's not going to play ball.
Break downs are a right pain in the neck, with everyone getting stressed about cancelling patients and things, and often the biggest problem can be no one wanting to make a decision. But I have to say that to everyone who was involved credit, a decision was made promptly and unfortunately the list was cancelled.
However this presented a very tempting opportunity. Coventry blaze were playing the Edinburgh capitals in a match that would decide the league title if Coventry were to win it. So I faced a decision. Do I race as quickly as possible to Belfast airport to try and change to an earlier flight with the hope of getting to Coventry in time for the game. The chances of making it were slim. With no idea if there even were earlier flights, and no guarantee of being able to get on an earlier flight.
I decided to give it a go, after all what did I have to loose? I hadn't planned on going to the game so the way I saw it was that getting to the skydome would of been a bonus. So off I set from Sligo hospital, some 400miles away from the Skydome. The journey was going fairly well, with those narrow Irish roads being relatively quiet. With no radio in the hire car I kept myself awake by humming some of the tunes I'd hopefully be hearing later in the evening. This quickly turned into random chants of 'PEASY PEASY' every time I overtook the assorted tractors on the roads. I soon found myself crossing the border into Northern Ireland, and with that came better roads and the chance to speed up a bit. With each passing mile, my optimism increased, I was sure I was going to make it. But I still had to change my flight.
So some three hours after leaving Sligo I pulled up at the hire car return at Belfast, oblivious the the fact that I was humming Chelsea dagger perhaps a little too loudly. I quickly found the BMI baby ticket desk and smiled sweetly at the rep. "Changing your flight? Certainly sir, let me just check. Right there's a flight to Birmingham at 16.55" A quick check in my head, and I estimated that I'd land at about 6 o'clock. Perfect. Changing the flight cost me £80, but somehow my credit card lept out of my wallet and over the desk.
Now my next worry was, what if I get to the Skydome, and it's sold out? All this would of been for nothing! So it was on to the Internet to get the number for the booking line. There it was. Done. My ticket would be waiting for me.
Everything was going to plan, could it work, would everything fall into place? I spent the next couple of hours worrying about mechanical failure, weather problems, and anything else that could scupper my chances. Then, my flight was called, early! We all boarded, early! no one was left behind, no one got lost in the bar, everything looked rosy. Captain announces over the tannoy in a slightly surprised voice that everyone is on board, and that we will be leaving EARLY! and that due to a strong tail wind, we will be arriving even earlier!!
I didn't relax until I heard the undercarriage come up and saw the rugged Ulster coastline disappearing behind us. So at 5.40 we landed at Birmingham, and by 6 I was headed down the A45 towards Coventry. Nothing was going to stop me now.
At 7pm I pulled up in the carpark and walked the short distance to the skydome. I spotted Badger, whose first words to me were "You're supposed to be in Ireland!" With that I quickly collected my tickets and stood in my usual spot, savoring the atmosphere.
The game itself was a fairly usual Blaze affair, with Coventry quickly securing an unsurmountable lead. As the clock ticked down the minutes the atmosphere inside the arena was incredible. The title was insight, the cup was in the building!
The final hooter sounded and the arena erupted into euphoria, we'd done it and I WAS THERE! To see how much the win meant to the players and fans was a moment I'll never forget. In fact the only occasion that I have to compare it with is the 1987 FA cup final.
This has been my first full season following the Coventry Blaze. I've been to Cardiff and Sheffield and followed the team through the good and bad matches. Ice hockey has been a real revelation for me, OK so I'm still learning all the technicalities, but for me it's pure entertainment. I now relish the thought of Sunday evenings,and what my team, the Coventry Blaze can do.
So now that I consider myself a true Hockey fan, I popped down to the hockey locker today to pick up a copy of Ignite, the Blaze magazine. The assistant manager of the Blaze, Luc Chabot was in there looking very hung over. I don't blame him mind, I bet there were a few sore heads this morning.
Anyway carrying my copies of Ignite, I started walking back to the car, when I was stopped by a local BBC news crew, who asked if I wouldn't mind answering a few questions. Not being in a rush I agreed. Their first question was whether I'd heard of the Coventry Blaze. We all had a laugh as I showed them what I was carrying. They went on to ask whether the team deserved a civic reception, and what I thought about it.
So all in all, it's not been a bad few days.
Saturday, 17 March 2007
My best video
The story behind the video:
I'd not long had my new digital camera, a rather nice Pentax Optio 550. With rembrence day approaching I was asked to take a few pictures that might be useful for a future PR campaign. It was only once i'd got home and looked at the pictures that afternoon that I thought, these are pretty good. So, I put on a random CD, which just happened to be Belinda Carlisle and settled down to a couple of games of solitaire or what ever. It just so happened that I decided to take another flick through the photos at the point that the last track came on. The effect was immediate. I didn't just have a few good photos, I had somthing that had real warmth, real feeling.
The video was made in Microsoft movie maker, as I didn't have anything else at the time and took the best part of the afternoon and evening to make. The eagle-eyed will notice that there's a variation on how long each picture is on for. It's sync'ed with the music!
The last picture of the group took a while to create. That image is actually two pictures spliced together. The first one i took had people walking down the right hand side, and the second had people on the left. So I took the good half of each. Thankfully no-one moved too much.
Dennis
I just thought i'd put a few words on here about my good friend and colleague, Dennis, who's recently had a major operation and is quiet seriously ill. Den is Divisional superintendent of City of Coventry division and is someone i've had the honor of knowing and working with for many years now, ever since i've been in St. John for that matter. Being an ex RAF mechanic, Den always had a vast array of anecdotes about his time in the force, and would readily relay these to anyone who was within earshot. I can remember one duty that I was on with him, think it was the Town and Country festival, he was over the moon when a Wing commander from the RAF gave Den his pen.
There were many occasions when I crewed the ambulance with Dennis, but there will always be one occasion that sticks out. It was the day of the Caribbean festival in Coventry's War Memorial park. I was crewing with Dennis when we got a call asking if we could help out the Ambulance service that evening. We agreed and at the end of the duty we duly set off for an evening shift transporting the usual bog standard cases into hospital. It got to around 11pm and we'd just finished a job and phoned in for the next. The controller gave us details of an immediate job, which was very unusual as we only normally did urgents. So off we set on this immediate job. We hadn't gone half a mile and the phone rang again. it was control saying "Cancel your immediate for a 999 case" Now this was very unusual, in fact it was my first 999 ever. So off we set, racing round Coventry answering 999's for the rest of the evening. Our final job was passed as a collapse, however when we turned up our casualty was in quite a bad way. It was bad enough that we took one look and both said para's. I went back to the ambulance to phone control, who of course had nothing to send us. I went back into the house, and sure enough the casualty had gone into respiratory arrest. The situation was bleak, with no sign of help, we decided to transport. Just as we were loading our casualty, an ambulance service ambo turned up. The paramedic who jumped out was well known to us, so we said with a sigh of relief "Thanks for bailing us out" to which he replied "Nope, YOU'VE bailed us out, we've got no oxygen".
The Para jumped into the back of our ambulance, and we set off for hospital, with me bagging the patient en route. The casualty made a recovery, and self discharged later.
It was that shared experience that brought us closer together, and since then we've had a lot of respect for each other.
So in short, Get well soon Dennis. We're all thinking of you.
There were many occasions when I crewed the ambulance with Dennis, but there will always be one occasion that sticks out. It was the day of the Caribbean festival in Coventry's War Memorial park. I was crewing with Dennis when we got a call asking if we could help out the Ambulance service that evening. We agreed and at the end of the duty we duly set off for an evening shift transporting the usual bog standard cases into hospital. It got to around 11pm and we'd just finished a job and phoned in for the next. The controller gave us details of an immediate job, which was very unusual as we only normally did urgents. So off we set on this immediate job. We hadn't gone half a mile and the phone rang again. it was control saying "Cancel your immediate for a 999 case" Now this was very unusual, in fact it was my first 999 ever. So off we set, racing round Coventry answering 999's for the rest of the evening. Our final job was passed as a collapse, however when we turned up our casualty was in quite a bad way. It was bad enough that we took one look and both said para's. I went back to the ambulance to phone control, who of course had nothing to send us. I went back into the house, and sure enough the casualty had gone into respiratory arrest. The situation was bleak, with no sign of help, we decided to transport. Just as we were loading our casualty, an ambulance service ambo turned up. The paramedic who jumped out was well known to us, so we said with a sigh of relief "Thanks for bailing us out" to which he replied "Nope, YOU'VE bailed us out, we've got no oxygen".
The Para jumped into the back of our ambulance, and we set off for hospital, with me bagging the patient en route. The casualty made a recovery, and self discharged later.
It was that shared experience that brought us closer together, and since then we've had a lot of respect for each other.
So in short, Get well soon Dennis. We're all thinking of you.
Tuesday, 6 March 2007
Just not good enough - RANT WARNING
So no posts at all for February, so quick summary follows:
Wet, Snow, Dark, Ice Hockey, Work, Football.
Other than that just the usual mid winter blues. So Whats new? Well Windows Vista for one. It's OK, not a huge leap forwards but it's quite nice.
Work, again OK, not a lot to say about it really.
Now St. John Ambulance, my number 1 hobby. Where do I start? Well the way my shifts have been falling recently I've missed a few SJA courses, not a huge deal, I can catch up. Now I had to do my ILS re-qualification with work in February, so I thought great, do it during work time, and get it APL'd. They're bound to accept ILS as it's a resus council accredited course.
WRONG. Not only have they* not accepted my certificate, but they've gone as far as to accuse me of forging it! This is unbelievable. How dare they make such an accusation without talking to me first. If what they are alleging were to be true then two things should happen, 1, I lose my job and 2, I get thrown out of SJA.
It's really disgusting that they can make such rubbish up, I have never been accused of anything like this before. Various senior officers have suggested that I take this further and formal, but to be honest I really don't want to waste my breath. They're not worth it.
Anyway, thats it for the moment, i'm off to repair the keyboard after bashing it so much, so TTFN
*Traing services
Wet, Snow, Dark, Ice Hockey, Work, Football.
Other than that just the usual mid winter blues. So Whats new? Well Windows Vista for one. It's OK, not a huge leap forwards but it's quite nice.
Work, again OK, not a lot to say about it really.
Now St. John Ambulance, my number 1 hobby. Where do I start? Well the way my shifts have been falling recently I've missed a few SJA courses, not a huge deal, I can catch up. Now I had to do my ILS re-qualification with work in February, so I thought great, do it during work time, and get it APL'd. They're bound to accept ILS as it's a resus council accredited course.
WRONG. Not only have they* not accepted my certificate, but they've gone as far as to accuse me of forging it! This is unbelievable. How dare they make such an accusation without talking to me first. If what they are alleging were to be true then two things should happen, 1, I lose my job and 2, I get thrown out of SJA.
It's really disgusting that they can make such rubbish up, I have never been accused of anything like this before. Various senior officers have suggested that I take this further and formal, but to be honest I really don't want to waste my breath. They're not worth it.
Anyway, thats it for the moment, i'm off to repair the keyboard after bashing it so much, so TTFN
*Traing services
Saturday, 20 January 2007
Looking over my shoulder
After last weeks marathon things have been a bit easier this week with just a couple of days in Portsmouth. So quiet in fact that I even got to watch the sky blues less than impressive performance against Bristol City in the FA cup. It was Micky Adams's last game in charge. I know football managers get well rewarded for what they do, but it can't be nice to be in that position. I guess it doesn't matter how much work he did coaching, scouting and trying to get the best out of his players who seemed to lose the ability to play football, he was judged on results and they were poor.
I could never do such a job, it's just so unstable, never knowing whats around the corner.
SJA at the moment is a bit peculiar, I get the feeling that somethings going on that I know nothing about. I get the feeling that I aught to be cautious and choose my words carefully. After all, walls have ears. It's no secret that I've always seen the divisional officers role as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. I am ambitious and want to progress, but this should not be seen as not caring or having commitment to my present role. Nothing could be further from the truth. I wonder if anyone else could do a better job, and who else would apply.
Perhaps I'm just being paranoid and it's all just idle speculation, but there's one thing with St. John, that's expect the unexpected.
I could never do such a job, it's just so unstable, never knowing whats around the corner.
SJA at the moment is a bit peculiar, I get the feeling that somethings going on that I know nothing about. I get the feeling that I aught to be cautious and choose my words carefully. After all, walls have ears. It's no secret that I've always seen the divisional officers role as a stepping stone to bigger and better things. I am ambitious and want to progress, but this should not be seen as not caring or having commitment to my present role. Nothing could be further from the truth. I wonder if anyone else could do a better job, and who else would apply.
Perhaps I'm just being paranoid and it's all just idle speculation, but there's one thing with St. John, that's expect the unexpected.
Saturday, 13 January 2007
1047 miles!
That's how far I've driven this week, and it's not including the trip to Cardiff last Saturday. It's been one of those difficult weeks where I've travelled the length and breath of the country.
The week started with our sja sector meeting on Monday. Unusually it was a friendly good natured affair, although I can remember being really downhearted at the time to be missing out on the opportunity to go on duty at the speedway in brum. Now not many people know this, but the reason I joined sja back in 1989 was so I could go on duty at the speedway. Anyway, 18 yrs later I've yet to have that chance.
Talking about sja, I kinda feel like I've hit the buffers a bit. Because I've been working really quite hard these last couple of months, I've not been able to attend a couple of requals, so my defib qualification has lapsed. Now I'm quite disheartened by this, and i did make an attempt, as did several others on my behalf to keep up my competence. Sometimes I think those people who sit in their nice little offices don't really understand the fact that not everyone works 9-5 and gets to go home at the end of the day. There just seems to be no allowances made.
So where to now? Well I'm not about to throw in my fleccy jacket, but then work comes first. I don't think I can keep up with the increasing training demand being placed upon me, so something has got to give, or some compromise made. I't going to be tough, whatever I decide, and i'm bound to upset someone.
I'll probably put more on here as it develops.
So yeah, it's been a hard week, but the rest of the month looks not so bad. I even get to go to the football on Tuesday.
The week started with our sja sector meeting on Monday. Unusually it was a friendly good natured affair, although I can remember being really downhearted at the time to be missing out on the opportunity to go on duty at the speedway in brum. Now not many people know this, but the reason I joined sja back in 1989 was so I could go on duty at the speedway. Anyway, 18 yrs later I've yet to have that chance.
Talking about sja, I kinda feel like I've hit the buffers a bit. Because I've been working really quite hard these last couple of months, I've not been able to attend a couple of requals, so my defib qualification has lapsed. Now I'm quite disheartened by this, and i did make an attempt, as did several others on my behalf to keep up my competence. Sometimes I think those people who sit in their nice little offices don't really understand the fact that not everyone works 9-5 and gets to go home at the end of the day. There just seems to be no allowances made.
So where to now? Well I'm not about to throw in my fleccy jacket, but then work comes first. I don't think I can keep up with the increasing training demand being placed upon me, so something has got to give, or some compromise made. I't going to be tough, whatever I decide, and i'm bound to upset someone.
I'll probably put more on here as it develops.
So yeah, it's been a hard week, but the rest of the month looks not so bad. I even get to go to the football on Tuesday.
Saturday, 6 January 2007
The start of the weekend
Tonight we did program planning at SJA. I'm really kicking myself at the moment because it seems like an opportunity missed. Basically it's business as usual with a program that is virtually identical to last year. There were a few positives, and at least I was able to get some of my ideas across. With any luck we can use the first few months of the year to plan the remainder.
Don't get me wrong, I think what we're doing is fine, but I just think we can do more to improve. There's no sense in standing still and loosing the initiative.
I'm worried that I'm really going to struggle to keep my qualifications up this year, what with work increasing. I think I'm going to have to consider letting something go. I'm not sure what yet, but it'll be a hard decision.
Anyway onto lighter matters, I'm off to Cardiff tomorrow to watch the blaze play. For me ice hockey would have to be one of the highlights of 2006, as for the most part it fits in with my life quite nicely. Not to mention the fact that the fans are great and the prices reasonable. It's nice to get away from the hassle of everyday work and St. John and just go and have an evening of enjoying myself.
If Coventry win both games in regulation time this weekend then they'll go top of the league. I have to say, after supporting the Sky Blues for so long it's a nice feeling believing that we might win something. But lets not get to carried away, although I have put in an order for the league winning picture :-)
So probably no post until Sunday, so bye for now.
Don't get me wrong, I think what we're doing is fine, but I just think we can do more to improve. There's no sense in standing still and loosing the initiative.
I'm worried that I'm really going to struggle to keep my qualifications up this year, what with work increasing. I think I'm going to have to consider letting something go. I'm not sure what yet, but it'll be a hard decision.
Anyway onto lighter matters, I'm off to Cardiff tomorrow to watch the blaze play. For me ice hockey would have to be one of the highlights of 2006, as for the most part it fits in with my life quite nicely. Not to mention the fact that the fans are great and the prices reasonable. It's nice to get away from the hassle of everyday work and St. John and just go and have an evening of enjoying myself.
If Coventry win both games in regulation time this weekend then they'll go top of the league. I have to say, after supporting the Sky Blues for so long it's a nice feeling believing that we might win something. But lets not get to carried away, although I have put in an order for the league winning picture :-)
So probably no post until Sunday, so bye for now.
Thursday, 4 January 2007
First post of 2007 - Finally!
What happened I hear you cry. Where did this big new year blog post go? Well to be honest, once I'd eaten my curry on NYE i felt absolutely shattered and nearly didn't make it to midnight. I think I might of picked up a bug or something as I felt really under the weather on New years day. To make matters worse, the ice had melted at the skydome! This meant the game had to be postponed until the following day, when of course I was in Aberdeen. Still thanks to Mr Ice Hockey, I got regular updates and the result was a guddun.
So i've been in Aberdeen this week, not a lot to say really, fairly average week, although I nearly missed my flight due to leaving work late. I'm still toying with the idea of going back to BA, but I do enjoy getting home that little bit earlier.
Right, SJA, what are we going to do in '07? It's something that has been on my mind almost constantly for the last few months. I keep asking myself the question, How can we make it better this year? To be honest i'm not entirely sure, it's a hard one to call.
When I first joined the division, I was the youngest member by, what, probably two decades. Now probably half the division are younger than me. Now this is both good and not so good. Youth brings much needed energy and enthusiasm to the division, but then younger members often get Saturday jobs, and end up going off to University.
So what's the best way? If you try and please everyone, it's likely no one will be satisfied. But If we target the divisional program, then people will pick and choose.
It's difficult, and I haven't got any easy answers, so c'mon folks lets have some comments here.
Anyway here's a list of aims for the new year:
*Disclaimer - Bournbrook are really really good at what they do, they are an example to us all.
So i've been in Aberdeen this week, not a lot to say really, fairly average week, although I nearly missed my flight due to leaving work late. I'm still toying with the idea of going back to BA, but I do enjoy getting home that little bit earlier.
Right, SJA, what are we going to do in '07? It's something that has been on my mind almost constantly for the last few months. I keep asking myself the question, How can we make it better this year? To be honest i'm not entirely sure, it's a hard one to call.
When I first joined the division, I was the youngest member by, what, probably two decades. Now probably half the division are younger than me. Now this is both good and not so good. Youth brings much needed energy and enthusiasm to the division, but then younger members often get Saturday jobs, and end up going off to University.
So what's the best way? If you try and please everyone, it's likely no one will be satisfied. But If we target the divisional program, then people will pick and choose.
It's difficult, and I haven't got any easy answers, so c'mon folks lets have some comments here.
Anyway here's a list of aims for the new year:
- Better internal PR, Lets beat Bournbrook*
- An annual 'event' that is the best in Coventry
- Six-ish 'Keystone' events that the program is centred around, concentrating on a different set of skills. a la the grand prior scheme, but for adults??
- Individual personal development plans
- Recruitment. Targeted or general?
*Disclaimer - Bournbrook are really really good at what they do, they are an example to us all.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)