Schools in the North West have announced a brand new educational scheme, which teaches their pupils what to do in the event of a 999 emergency. Implemented by the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS), this has been hailed as a fantastic step in the right direction.
What is the North West Ambulance service scheme?
The idea to show children in primary schools a film, which indicates the correct way to behave in an emergency. The film follows a seven year old girl, Daisy, who finds her Grandfather unconscious. Daisy dials 999, and this helps her to save her Grandfather, who is then taken into hospital.
The video is intended to help young people feel more confident about what to do if an emergency occurs, and to teach them not to make in an emergency. It will show them how the ambulance service responds to call outs, and what exactly takes place once they have dialled 999. In order to help with this, the North West Ambulance Trust mascot – Pandamedic – features heavily in the film, helping children to understand and relate to the key concepts of the video.
What has the reaction been to the scheme?
Reaction to the plans has been extremely positive. A leading manager for the North West Ambulance Service stated that they are confident the video will help children to feel more at ease in dialling 999 during an emergency. This can be extremely daunting, and therefore by educating young people, we will save lives.
The video can be downloaded by primary schools online using the following link and will be used by ambulance crews during school visits. The NWAS have urged any parents whose children do not have access to the video in school, to have them watch it at home. They believe that the video could save lives.
