Have you ever wondered what a day as a critical care paramedic with the air ambulance team Magpas might involve? Well, our Prep boys found out when they welcomed Paddy, Tom and Emma from this brilliant charity for a special assembly on Tuesday.
As critical care paramedic Tom explained to the boys, theirs is the “best job in the world!” but one with highs and lows, so sitting down together each day for breakfast is all-important not only for energy for the day but also to strengthen team bonds so they can help each other through. Organisation of medical kit and checks on equipment also form a big part of each day – this is vital in a job where every second counts as they treat patients. Add to that ongoing training and practice and, of course, the emergency callouts themselves, which all in all make for a busy day.
Fundraising is also a vital part of the Magpas team’s role, so they were delighted to meet the boys to say, “Thank you very, very much, indeed!” for raising almost £4,000 for the charity already this year – “A tremendous effort”.
The Magpas team were also delighted to meet Henry Hillier and Isaac Dailey (Y7), whose brilliant cycle marathon in November raised £900 for the charity, and to meet the Y7 and Y8 boys taking on Snowdon next year in a bid to help raise even more. Fundraising like this allows Magpas to “bring the hospital to the roadside”, assisting the highly trained staff to save many lives with their specialist medication and equipment and rapid response.
Cool fact: The Magpas helicopter flies up to 180mph, cutting transport times dramatically and saving lives.