On Saturday 23 May, around 40 members of South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) staff and volunteers gave up part of their bank holiday weekend to attend the Gang Warily Emergency Services Day near Fawley, Hampshire.
The annual event, championed by Chas McGill MBE, Public Governor for Hampshire, once again showcased the wide range of skills, expertise and dedication across SCAS, with frontline crews joined by colleagues from the Specialist Practitioner team, Adult Critical Care Transfer service, Specialist Operations Response Team (SORT), Resilience and Specialist Operations team, Driving Education team, Community Engagement Team, Community First Responders (CFRs), members of the SCAS Charity, and Duncan Robertson, Chief Paramedic.
The day proved extremely popular with visitors, who had the opportunity to meet volunteers and team members, learn CPR with the CFR team, explore a variety of emergency vehicles, and even try on specialist PPE used by SORT colleagues.
Throughout the event, SCAS frontline crews also took part in several live demonstration exercises alongside partner agencies. These scenarios highlighted the dangers associated with e-scooters, open water swimming, and unsafe behaviour around horses and ponies, while giving the public a valuable insight into how emergency services respond to complex incidents. The demonstrations also showcased the close partnership working between SCAS and organisations including Hampshire Police.
A crowd favourite once again was the Mascot Olympics, although the competition had to be cut short due to the hot weather conditions. SCAS Ted still achieved a respectable fifth place out of 11 competitors and reportedly required plenty of hydration after leaving the suit.
The event also provided an opportunity to recognise the outstanding contribution of Chas McGill MBE, who was presented with an award by Fawley Parish Council for 60 years’ service to the emergency services. Chas has dedicated much of his life to supporting the emergency services and originally established the event alongside Andy Headley. Sir Julian Lewis MP was in attendance to present Chas with his award.
Special thanks were also given to ExxonMobil Fawley for sponsoring the event, Carpathia Grange Care Home for providing hospitality for staff throughout the day and the SCAS Communications Team for their support before the event.
Charlie McGurk, Operations Manager for Southampton and Southwest Hampshire, said:
“I always find it a boost to see how many of our team members are willing to give up their day off to come and spend their time showing off what they do every day. The Emergency Services Show is a great place to reach out to our community and let them ask any questions they may have.
“We had another fantastic presence at the show this year and I would like to thank everyone who took part. I would especially like to thank Dan Friend, who once again organised the SCAS attendance for the event, and Kimberley Pack, who arranged the scenarios with colleagues from our partner services. Without their hard work and dedication across many months, we would not be able to put on such a good show.”