St John Ambulance seeking volunteers

ST JOHN AMBULANCE, which has been at the heart of the community in terms of first aid training and support for decades, recently put out a call for recruits to join the service at an information evening at Christ Church parish hall.

The local branch of the charity have been meeting in the parish hall to hone their skills as well as train up the next generation of volunteers to assist the people of Strabane and district.

Kimberly McMullen, unit manager for Strabane said, “The aim of tonight was to invite people along and see what we do here, have the opportunity to look at all the equipment we use whilst on patrol… Hopefully we’ll get people interested in joining the St John Ambulance family. At present we have 21 volunteers but are always looking out for more. “

Explaining the process for interested parties, Kimberly continued, “It’s very easy to sign up. Just contact your local branch or head office in Belfast and fill out a volunteer form. Once that’s done there’s the Access NI check allowing volunteers to work with the vulnerable and elderly and then a six-session first aid course; all in all, it should take around six weeks between a declaration of interest until becoming a first-aider. From there, we are called out to deal with events such as the half marathon, Summer Jamm or, if required, sometimes go to concerts. A group of local volunteers even attended the King’s coronation!

“The opportunity for advancement is also an option; whereas most are happy with staying a first-aider, being an ambulance care assistant or joining the emergency ambulance team is also an option.”

Kimberley hopes that an influx of volunteers means that there is scope to bring children through to becoming first aiders.

She explained, “At the moment, we’re unable to run both adult and children’s classes but there’s hope that will change. Our Badger class is for the under 11’s and we have a cadet class for ages 11-18. Other units have found that, once you get children into cadet stage they’ll usually follow through into adult crew, maintaining that bond.

“It’s also good for young people to have these skills that they can use in everyday life.”

Anyone interested in being a volunteer for St John Ambulance can contact Kimberly McMullen, unit manager for Strabane at kimberley.mcmullan@sjani.org or contact head office in Belfast for an application form.