A career exhibition in the form of a simulated vehicle accident had many Kimberley learners excited about a career in the emergency services.
On Friday (29/07), to host this career exhibition for four local schools, several private emergency services teamed up with the state emergency services, Sol Plaatje Municipality’s Fire and Traffic Department, South African Police Service, Henrietta Stockdale Nursing College and the Robert Mangaliso Sobukwe Hospital’s Burns Unit.
The event took place in the park next to the Northern Cape Mall. Some of the private participants were ER24, Care4You, EMER-G-MED and the ambulance helicopters of Rocket Helicopter Emergency Medical Services (Hems), who together with municipal and state emergency services show-cased their skills to entice learners to consider careers in this sector.
According to Quinton Jampies, a public safety officer at the Sol Plaatje Municipal emergencies, all emergency services in Kimberley participated.
The schools that attended the exhibition were Staats Primary School, William Pescod High School, Beacon Primary School and Bongani. A total of 50 learners from each school were invited.
The exhibition simulated a vehicle accident in which four passengers were burned. Their “injuries” ranged from first degree to third degree burn wounds.
Third-year nursing students of the Henrietta Stockdale Nursing College played the role of the injured patients and their lecturers used make-up and stage blood to create their wounds.
In the demonstration, the police and fire brigade first arrived at the scene of the accident. The vehicle’s battery was removed for safety purposes and the jaws of life used to extract the patients.
A situation analysis was done and ambulances services called in. The paramedics stabilised the patients and some were taken to the hospital.
The air-ambulance then arrived and the most seriously injured patient was transported by helicopter to the Burns Unit.
The learners were excited to see the whole demonstration, especially the arrival of the air-ambulance. They had their cell phones ready to take videos and pictures.
After the demonstration, all had a chance to ask questions to the participants about career prospects.
Jampies said it was a very successful exhibition and exercise in which fire-fighters practiced on how to use the jaws of life effectively.
