Vehicle Progression

So its been a while since I last updated my blog.

Things have certainly come on leaps and bounds! The new vehicle (Land rover Discovery) turned up in late April, and after a few teething problems is now becoming a familiar site at events. We choose the Land Rover and the model particularly for the clients and the locations which we are deploying too.

I have been asked several times,

"Why did you choose that particular model as opposed to a Defender?"  

Firstly was the financial factor to consider, the vehicle isn't brand new, admittedly it has had several owners - yet due to us having excellent mechanical support from a local garage it is checked and serviced regularly and faults rectified often within a week of being reported.

Secondly there seems to be a better comfort factor within the discovery range, the seats (heated) offer support especially when parked stationary for long periods of time covering events.

The aim of the vehicle and will be the same as any subsequent vehicle purchased is to deliver an appropriately trained and experienced member of the team to an incident location, both safely and whilst carrying all the necessary equipment.

Pictures will follow soon, as it begins the facelift process of turning from a standard family off-roader into an incident support unit.

What makes a great Control Room?

Control rooms evolve for the purpose of processing a variety of information, often resulting in service delivery - whether it be the deployment of resources or the application of procedures.

The most commonly represented control rooms in the media are the emergency services, which feature heavily on the television, in programmes like '999 Whats your Emergency' and Police Interceptors.

These forms of control room are the pinnacle of information processing, allowing calls, radio communications and data to be categorised into priorities, then acted upon.

So what makes a superior control room?

• Excellent Layout

Each control room 'operator' has adequate room to carry out their task, this allows them to move unhindered in the course of their duty, with ready access to all paperwork and information technology systems.

• Management Presence

Whether it be a police control room, or an insurance broker call centre, their are tiers to the management structure, allowing staff the constant ability to refer decisions to senior personnel or consult on instances for advice which may be considered out of the norm.

• Fallback Mechanisms

Business continuity is critical in the modern era of reliance on computerised systems. Often when these systems fail to operate - usually during a critical period this will place an enormous amount of stress upon the operators. IT support needs to be readily available, both during hours of operation and during the quiet or downtime sessions.

• Employee Engagement

Allowing staff at all levels to be able to provide an input into the service delivery allows a more conjoined approach, allowing ideas to be shared along with room for improvement.

Instead of asking a consult company to look at improvements, 

why not ask the people who do the job?

• Secure Environment

To allow the sharing of sensitive information, the control room needs to be secured, both to the risk of crime and also commercial espionage. Achieving this can be simple from providing a simple combination lock on a door or digital swipe card system, up to and including manned guarding dependent on the risk level.

• Highly Trained Staff

Call & Control centres are often an under-looked training opportunity due to the complexity of being able to deliver realistic based scenarios. Various companies offer scenario based training for certain incidents (fire / terrorist attack / technology failures), but there is a limit to external training based on the pure basis of the functioning in the control environment. NVQ's are available in Call Centre Management, Customer Service and Team Leadership - all of which will need to be readily adapted to fit the assessment criteria.

Emergency services use core training, based on thorough theoretical based study, followed by scenario and procedural coaching. Once the mentors are happy with their trainees progress (often 1:1 ratio) they are then allowed to take public calls, working from the least priority workload, up to emergency classification.

At each stage of this process, they are constantly reviewed and assessed, allowing opportunities for revision or increased training to take place before the next advancement can be undertaken.

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So when you next see a control room on the television or call through to a call centre, you may now be able to understand the process involved in the development of the services, or likewise you may be able to identify where improvements could take place.

Importance of a Professional Modern Medic

 

I am asked why do people chose Face 2 Face Medical Ltd to 

provide their first-aid services?

 

100% ON TIME 

If we don't turn up on time, we don't expect you to pay for our services.

Firstly we provide a rapid quotation system, both email and feedback forms are linked direct straight through to the management team, so responses can be provided wherever they maybe operating - whether it be in the office or out in the field. 
From the moment you request your quote, to the completion of your event, you will have 1 point of contact

 

100% DISCRETE

Our image is corporate, practical and respected. We dress to impress. 

Many private ambulance services use green clothing, often trying to impersonate the 999 ambulance service, we don't attempt this. Our clothing is full black, embroidered polo shirts, smart black trousers, and safety footwear, along with quality regatta waterproof clothing to allow team members to work in the most harsh of the British weather.

This option allows team members to remain very discrete if required, but with the added option of providing high visibility clothing. 
Corporate clients often request a low key presence, all of our staff members are available to be deployed in 2 or 3 piece suits to blend in with your crowd dynamics.

100% PROFESSIONAL

We aren't amateurs playing at a professionals game. 
The chain of survival is a representation of the sequence of events which must take place in any serious medical emergency to ensure the best possible outcome for the patient.

It includes the following

• Early Access - making a call for help, whether it be on-site first-aid services or 999
• Early CPR - providing a rapid, safe proportionate response, and delivering cardio-pulmonary rescucitation to high standards
• Early Defibrillation - using either automatic or semi-automatic defibrillators to restart the patients heart to a normal beating rhythm
• Early Advanced Life Support - providing paramedic and doctor assistance with drug therapy and continued hospital support.

In June 2002 our Managing Director Andy Cottrell joined Royal Berkshire Ambulance Trust (RBAT) as a 999 emergency call-taker (successfully taking in the region of 25,000 life threatening 999 calls), he continued his training and in 2006 was promoted to Senior Control Room Assistant, being responsible for the deployment of 999 paramedic ambulance resources across the region. The London Olympics, Eton Dorney Lake rowing site and Olympic Torch escort team, was the ultimate accalade to his career when he developed the standby and deployment plan.

So as you can see, the company is managed by a person who has an intricate first-hand knowledge of Early Access, can deliver Early CPR and effective Defibrillation and knows the fundamental principles in co-ordinating Early Advanced Support.


Contact us today to see how we will help your event be successful. 

www.face2facemedical.net or email andrew@face2facemedical.net