My history in St John Ambulance

When I started university I was flicking through the student activities booklet and decided doing a first aid course would be a useful way to spend a Saturday in my first year. So I went along to the St John Ambulance stand at fresher’s fair and signed up. I thought I’d go on the course, get a certificate, and that would be that. How wrong I was…

The course was good fun, and on it I found out a bit more about St John Ambulance at university and that there was a society that met every week. I decided to go along, it was only a couple of quid, and I decided it might be good fun. I thought that I’d just get involved in the society once a week. How wrong I was…

After one of the first few meetings someone chatted to me about how I could join St John Ambulance as a volunteer first aider then actually do real first aid at real events, rather than just practising with makeup and bandages and so on. I decided this sounded like good fun, and it would also provide an opportunity to see a few gigs for free and get involved a bit more with the local community when I was at university. I filled in the paperwork and did a further first aid course, in addition to attending the weekly training sessions (which always finished in the union bar, an added attraction!) A few months in to the first year, I was sat at the side of a swimming pool with a friend and colleague, on my first proper first aid duty. I helped to treat an elderly gentleman who fainted in the foyer, and a girl who cut her leg while getting out of the swimming pool. A little later on, my colleague asked me what I hoped to get out of my time in St John Ambulance. I said I thought I’d attend a few duties like this, and a few gigs, as it was good fun. I didn’t think I’d get much more involved than that. How wrong I was…

Towards the end of my first year, the person who had been elected treasurer of the university St John Ambulance group stepped down, and they needed someone to fill their place. “I’m good with numbers,” I thought, “and it would be something good to put on my CV”. I stood for election and was elected, and over the next year I was responsible for handling the unit’s money. I also continued to go on duty, and I helped with a few other tasks for the committee here and there, but I didn’t think I’d get much more involved. How wrong I was…

In my second year, the annual general meeting came around, and there was a vacancy for the role of “operations coordinator”. I’d really enjoyed my time as treasurer, and this new role involved more responsibility, and would be considerably more challenging. I decided to take the challenge, and was duly elected. For the next two years I was responsible for all the operational activities of the university unit - working with the office staff and event organisers to arrange first aid duties at public events, organising volunteers to cover each event, filling in risk assessments and things, and being responsible for equipment and resources. By my third year in university I was really enjoying this role, and I couldn’t get any more involved in St John Ambulance, could I? How wrong I was…

In April 2005, I went to the National LINKS Conference. This weekend event brought together students from over 50 universities across the country, each of them St John Ambulance members. It was good fun, and I got to meet lots of new people. I also learned about plans to form a new National LINKS Team; a team of volunteers that would meet at St John Ambulance’s National Headquarters in London every so often and organise things that would support the LINKS (student) units across the country. One of the roles was entitled “Operations Development”, which sounded particularly interesting. To cut a long story short, a little while later I had an interview for this role and was appointed. As part of the role, I led a project to develop a new mode of uniform for all student units across the country, and designed and led several sessions at the National LINKS Conference in 2007. It was all good fun, and it all gave me a lot to talk about at job interviews. Surely I couldn’t get any more involved in St John Ambulance? Guess what…

By 2007 I’d done a whole lot more than the basic first aid training I did in my first year. Over several years I did courses in medical gases (how to give oxygen and pain relieving gas to patients), automated external defibrillation, managing fractures and more. I’d been on duty at a whole load of events, including working as a radio operator in the St John Ambulance control room at some large events like the Bristol Balloon Fiesta and Ashton Court Festival. In the spring of 2007 I did the training to become a St John Ambulance Emergency Transport Attendant, which means I can crew emergency ambulances - a role which I have just started to do on a semi-regular basis, and which I will no doubt do more of in the coming years.

By May 2007 I have stepped down in my Operations Coordinator role at Bristol LINKS Unit (although I’m still on the National LINKS Team). And yes, I’ve found yet another support role. I am now Group Staff Officer (Adults) in Bristol - which means I’m responsible for about ten “adult” St John Ambulance units in the Bristol area. Where this role takes me I have yet to find out…

Why do I do it? It’s incredibly rewarding, and brilliant fun (read more about that here).

My St John Ambulance story is probably not typical, but it just goes to show about how you can join St John Ambulance then do as much or as little as you want. Find out more about becoming a St John Ambulance volunteer.