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8 of our students have returned from the most incredible day with the St John Staff with a huge appreciation for what they do for our community.
David Carswell, Regional St John in Schools Manager for the Northern Region drove all the way from Hamilton to pick up our keen bunch then turned around and drove us all the way back to Mt Wellington! David travels the length and breadth of the North Island frequently and usually puts around 1000km on the clock each week.
Dave was the most excellent tour guide ever! He briefed us on the day along the way and answered lots of our questions. When we arrived at the Mt Wellington Ambulance Hub we were introduced to Ben and Kevin who took us on a guided tour of the ambulance garage. We learned about call signs and some of the codes the team uses to help dispatch the different vehicles quickly and keep track of where each vehicle is at all times.
We got to take a look at the very newest vehicle in their fleet and got to strap Aayush into the state-of-the-art stretcher system to help reduce the amount of heavy lifting paramedics have to do and ensure that patients are moved as smoothly and efficiently as possible. There were so many safety belts on the stretcher that Aayush would have needed to be an escape artist to have got out on his own!
We learned about command ambulances that are fitted out with satellite dishes and other communication devices to help ensure communication is maintained even in wide-spread emergencies.
We saw NZ's only bariatric ambulance that travels the length of the country to transport people who cannot be transported in a standard ambulance due to size or weight. In emergency, when the bariatric ambulance is too far away, the fire brigade is called upon to help.
Ben and Kevin taught us all about the different jobs, qualifications and training different people have in their roles and the kinds of vehicles each uses.
We went over to the archives display in the main building, where we learned about the history of St John dating all the way back to biblical times! We learned about how St John has changed over the years, from what the officers and cadets wore to the kind of transportation used. We learned all about knighted members of the order of St John, which provoked many questions!
After our history lesson, we headed to meet Stacy over at the 111 Command Centre. Stacey talked us through the process of making and receiving a 111 call. She taught us about the different roles of people within the call room and how dispatchers decide how to prioritise calls and filter out genuine calls from the many hoax calls they receive.
We learned that one of the best ways the people in the call centre cope with the stress and high pressure of the job is to do a lot of laughing in between! Did you know that at all times there are 25 people in the call room no matter the time time of day or night! Workers work for two day shifts, two night shifts and then have a 4 day break to recover.
What an absolutely inspirational and unforgettable experience. A HUGE thank you to Dave for his incredible tour and wealth of knowledge. We all felt a bit sad to say goodbye at the end of the day! Thank you also to Ben, Kevin and Stacey for taking so much of your day to talk to use and help us learn about your jobs.
Photos are a little limited as photos were not permitted in some areas we visited today,
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