St John Association Working to Save Lives

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Health News

Sunday, 19 September 2010 06:55

By Joanne C Hillhouse

In emergency situations, response time can literally mean the difference between life and death. The St John Association of Antigua and Barbuda, part of the global Order of St John, is taking steps to narrow that gap.

They’ve invested equipment and are now "shopping" for an ambulance, having approached the major dealers on island for assistance toward starting a first responder programme.

Training of additional first responder volunteers is expected to follow. Ideally, said certified first responder and trainer Jon Matthews, he would like the programme to grow to the point where – in addition to having more people trained in basic first aid – there will be active volunteer first responder programmes in each community.

“It’s very difficult to get an ambulance to a patient in (a timely manner) … even with the best will in the world,” said Matthews, also chairman of St John A&B. He noted that with limited resources, response can be even more challenging. With this in mind, he emphasized that the St John Association has hatched its own first responder scheme to support, “not instead of" the EMS.

Matthews hopes to pull and train personnel for the service from among the best of his basic life support and first aid training students. That particular programme has run in four-week cycles with St John A&B for the past 18 months. It has been continuous, reflecting his belief that the people on the scene are the first line of response, even before the official first responders.

If someone on the scene knows how to do first aid, it can help sustain life until the first responders arrive; the “chance for survival diminishes with every minute lost,” Matthews said. He referenced the case in 2009 of the man who collapsed in a local fast food joint and reportedly went into cardiac arrest before ultimately dying. “If somebody had been there and knew what to do, they could have started CPR straight away… as a first aider, when you’re doing CPR, you’re not going to save a life, per se. What you’re doing is sustaining life, keeping the brain and the major organs alive,” Matthews said. “(But) if they haven’t been doing CPR and you don’t get there for 10 minutes, it’s game over.”

Three of his current students, he noted, found their way to the course, in fact, because of a loss suffered over the summer when “one of their friends collapsed on the tennis court and they didn’t know what to do”. The friend died, and while there is no guarantee that the individual would have lived with first aid or first responder presence, “chances of survival would have been much higher,” Matthews believes.

When he participated in a programme of this nature in the United Kingdom, there were six volunteers effectively providing the service to their community seven days a week, 24 hours a day, on a rota basis. Around the clock may be an ambitious goal for Antigua at this time, but Matthews is convinced that, “once we can get the actual scheme operational, even if it’s just me to start with, once people see the benefits, then obviously it will grow from there.”

The Association has invested $30,000 in equipment, which in addition to the first responder programme will come in handy when St John covers events. Matthews said it would take roughly $1,000 to cover fuel, servicing, equipment maintenance, and restocking of supplies monthly. As noted, they have approached dealers on island for assistance with or contribution of a white or silver four-door hatch back vehicle, ideally four wheel drive with a good acceleration rate, in good condition. Parts should be readily available on island. Sponsorship to cover the vehicular insurance for two years has already been secured via Anjo, and Sign Pro has agreed to pitch in with sign writing and livery. Matthews said they have all lights and sirens ready to be installed.

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“Although I am not as yet responding to emergencies,” Matthews noted, “I do carry the emergency equipment everywhere with me in my work vehicle so that I am able to deal with any emergencies that I may come across when travelling around the island. Additionally, I have used my work vehicle in the past to provide first aid cover at some events and I must take this opportunity to publicly thank my employer, Mr Jeff Hadeed, for allowing me to do so.”

Asked about his motivation for doing this, Matthews responded, “I’m trying to give something back to Antigua and I feel very privileged to be living here and giving something back.” Also, he said, “I’m incredibly passionate about my teaching … I’m helping people to help other people.”

For more, or to perhaps answer the call, visit the St John page http://www.stjohnassociationantigua.com

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