Displays will include a 4 x 4 off-road vehicle, ambulance equipment, major incident tent and first aid skills. There will also be live demonstrations and a rare opportunity to go aboard the Flying Christine III marine ambulance. The vessel will be alongside in the Victoria marina and the volunteer crew will be on hand to provide guided tours.
The special event will also feature the popular variety of Seafront Sunday stalls, family activities, attractions, food outlets, arts & crafts and market traders.
Heather Langlois, Chief Executive Officer of the St John Ambulance Guernsey charity said: “St John offers so many services in the Bailiwick and many of these operate quietly behind the scenes. This will be a great opportunity to highlight these services and to show islanders all of the great work that the St John organisation does”.
“Seafront Sundays are a great day out for the whole family and this will be a chance for people to enjoy all that the event has to offer as well as find out what St John is all about, to meet our dedicated teams and to see first-hand just what we do”.
Chief Executive Officer of St John Ambulance & Rescue Service, Mark Mapp added: “The Flying Christine III is a purpose built marine ambulance, which has been serving the Bailiwick for nearly 30 years. We are delighted to be able to invite visitors onboard the Flying Christine III to learn more about this essential lifeline service. The Seafront Sunday is also an opportunity for us to say thank you to islanders for their support.”
St John Ambulance has been active in Guernsey since the 1930s, initially with the teaching of first aid courses before evolving in to the St John organisation we know today. Throughout its history, St John Guernsey has served the Bailiwick by delivering care and compassion, reflecting the enduring charitable promise of the worldwide Order of St John to serve humanity.
Today the St John Ambulance Guernsey charity and the St John Ambulance & Rescue service provide the Badgers and Cadets youth programme, adult volunteers, event first aid, a community library, Community First Responders (CFRs), Caring Callers, first aid in schools Volunteer Ambulance Reserve, a Cycle Response Unit (CRU), the ambulance service in Guernsey and Alderney, medical outreach to the whole Bailiwick with the Flying Christine marine ambulance and major incident responses for the islands.
St John Training Services also delivers a wide range of courses as the Bailiwick’s leading provider of first aid training.
The St John Seafront Sunday event takes place on Sunday 24th September from 10am-4pm and further details can be found at www.ambulance.gg/seafront-sunday
Emergency Ambulance Crew respond to both emergency and non-emergency calls, providing high quality, professional and compassionate care for patients. Working as part of a team, ambulance crew attend, assess and start pre-hospital emergency treatment for a wide range of patients, in accordance with current clinical procedures, within the scope of practice for the role.
This is a full-time paid role and St John Ambulance and Rescue Service will provide training towards a recognised qualification in Emergency Care and offer opportunities for new team members to work alongside experienced ambulance crews to develop practical skills, information and knowledge.
This role is not a 9 to 5 job as ambulance crews work on a shift basis including weekends and bank holidays. Successful applicants will also be required to work shifts in Guernsey to maintain clinical competence. Excellent interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels are essential skills and applicants should also have a minimum of 12 months driving experience, hold a full driving licence, and a C1 or D1 licence, or be willing to work towards gaining the C1 licence.
Working as part of a team, ensuring the safe transfer of patients, undertaking risk assessments and accuracy in record keeping and documentation are other key skills and responsibilities for this role.
Full details, a job description and application form are available at ambulance.gg. The closing day for applications in Friday 8th September.
St John Ambulance and Rescue Service was commissioned by the States of Alderney as the new provider of the ambulance service in Alderney and took over responsibility for the service in April this year.
St John is also in the process of recruiting volunteer Community First Responders who will be trained and equipped to provide emergency care for patients in the minutes before the ambulance arrives.
With a focus on bolstering community resilience and emergency response capabilities, St John welcomes the upcoming launch of Community First Responders and the strategic placement of additional defibrillators across the island.
Alderney currently has eight strategically positioned PAD sites, instrumental in providing life-saving interventions during critical cardiac emergencies. SJARS has only been responsible for these PAD sites since April. We identified that three existing defibrillators were not in working order and these were subsequently removed from service. The remaining sites, although functional, will require replacement in the near future.
Upholding its pledge to the Alderney community, charitable donations from St John are now funding the procurement of all defibrillators and boxes, which are presently in the ordering process.
Chief Executive Officer Mark Mapp said: “This investment underscores our commitment to maintaining a reliable network of defibrillators that those in need can readily access. In addition to addressing immediate needs, St John is excited to collaborate with the Alderney community as it prepares to introduce Community First Responders. This progressive initiative will empower local individuals to provide rapid, life-saving assistance in medical emergencies until the professional ambulance service arrives. This development and the placement of new defibrillators demonstrates St John’s role as a dedicated partner in advancing the island’s emergency response infrastructure.”
As part of St John’s ongoing commitment, the PAD sites are under regular supervision and inspection by our Alderney-based team. St John Ambulance & Rescue Service remains devoted to fostering a culture of preparedness and safety within Alderney, ensuring that the island’s residents can face emergencies confidently and resiliently.
There will be future FREE training awareness events that will teach the community Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) that will be provided by our Alderney-based teams.
St John Ambulance and Rescue Service (SJARS) provides both emergency ambulance operations, which accounts for more than 6,500 calls and the non-emergency patient transfer service which attends nearly 3000 cases.
SJARS is looking to appoint Emergency Care Assistants (ECAs) and Ambulance Care Assistants (ACAs) to maintain and increase resilience across the operation.
ECAs work a part of double-crewed ambulance alongside paramedics and Emergency Medical Technicians as an integral part of the frontline emergency service and are trained to deliver pre-hospital care and treatment to the sick and injured.
ACAs transport patients to and from medical appointment, dialysis treatment and other outpatient consultations, where people are unable to travel by other means.
Head of Operations Dean de la Mare said: “Working for the ambulance service is very rewarding. It is a career where you can make a real difference to people lives when it really matters. The ECA role can be a good entry point for someone wanting to start a career in the ambulance service, we have seen a number of our ECAs training to become Emergency Medical Technicians and Paramedics. We are currently recruiting to fill vacant positions and additional roles, which will help us increase our overall resilience. Over recent years we have seen a trend of increased demand for our services.”
Nicky Strong who used to work in sales and marketing had a career change and joined to Non-Emergency Patient Transfer Service 4 years ago as an Ambulance Care Assistant, before gaining promotion to the role of NEPTS team leader. She said: “To do this job you need to be a people person, with good communication skills and perhaps most importantly a caring nature. We spend a lot of time on the road, traveling to and from hospital and other health sites, so you also need to enjoy driving and have a reasonable level of fitness, as there is some manual handling. You get to meet lots of people and at the end of every day you know you’ve made a difference.”
Head of Human Resources Karen Ferneyhough added: “We will provide all the necessary training to a nationally recognised level and provide opportunities for new colleagues to work alongside experienced ambulance clinicians to consolidate their training. We also support people who want to progress to higher clinical levels, with further training and qualifications for suitable candidates.”
St John also provides the Flying Christine III marine ambulance staffed by paramedic led medical crews which is a lifeline for the other islands of the Bailiwick.
Details of the current vacancies can be found at ambulance.gg/recruitment
Repairs were delayed while a replacement part was sourced from manufacturers in the USA and shipped to Guernsey, which was hindered by the global supply chain crisis. During this time St John has taken the opportunity to complete a number of other servicing tasks and upgrades, including work on the vessel’s electronics and cosmetics.
The Flying Christine has undergone extensive sea trials in local waters in readiness to return to service. Sea trials were completed last week with no issues reported and the vessel was back on call at St Peter Port harbour on Friday. During the past two weeks the Flying Christine has also been deep cleaned and restocked with medical equipment and supplies.
Under existing and previously used contingency plans a number of relief vessels have been made available to ensure the ambulance service has been able to respond to urgent and emergency cases in the other islands of the Bailiwick over the past few months.
The RNLI St Peter Port Lifeboat, Brecqhou Chief, Access Challenger and the Pilot boat have all been deployed with ambulance crews onboard for various medical and trauma cases.
Since February St John Ambulance & Rescue Service has been deployed on a total of 31 marine missions. 21 to Sark, 8 to Herm and 2 to visiting cruise ships.
The RNLI St Peter Port Life boat has responded to 24 of those incidents, most of which were Category 1 or 2 medical emergencies.
The Brecqhou Chief has been deployed on 4 occasions, Access Challenger has been deployed twice and the pilot boat used once. These were for less urgent medical cases. 
Stuart Malley, Operations Lead at St John Ambulance & Rescue Service (SJARS) said: “I would like to thank the volunteers from the St Peter Port Lifeboat and the crews of the Brecqhou Chief, Access Challenger and the pilot boat who have all helped St John maintain lifeline medical cover for the other islands. They have responded to emergencies around the clock, leaving their jobs and their families, often in the middle of the night to assist us. I would also like to thank the volunteers who crew of the Flying Christine, that have given many additional hours working behind the scenes to prepare the vessel for a return to duty.”
SJARS Chief Executive Officer, Mark Mapp added: “I would also like to thank the crews of the relief vessels, as well the St Peter Port lifeboat management and other the boat owners for their support and assistance over the past few months, which has allowed us to continue to provide an essential emergency service for the Bailiwick. After extensive delays, which have been beyond our control I am pleased that the Flying Christine is back in operation as a dedicated, purpose built marine ambulance which has a devoted clinical area and inbuilt medical equipment, designed to enhance patient care and the patient experience.”
The Flying Christine III was originally built thanks to public donations and sponsorship and was launched in 1994 by the Duke of Gloucester, with a design life of 30 years.
Mr Mapp added: “The recent work on the Flying Christine will help extend her operational life, however as we look to the long term, we are continuing to evaluate the most cost-effective way of extending her design life further with additional resilience being built-in.”
The Flying Christine III is the third in a succession of St John marine ambulances dating back to 1952. The current vessel is operated by expert volunteers and crewed by professional paramedic-led medical teams from Guernsey’s emergency ambulance service, providing pre-hospital paramedic care and the ability to deliver advanced life support for the islands of the Bailiwick.
St John volunteers from across the world including St John Wales, St John Australia, St John Gibraltar, St John England, joined the St John Guernsey volunteers and staff from St John Ambulance & Rescue, to provide first aid cover over the course of the week-long event. In a number of incidents, 67 patients consisting of both competitors and spectators directly involved with the games were treated.
“Without a doubt, the Guernsey Island Games is the largest event that St John Ambulance Guernsey has covered in recent years. The level of planning was extensive and several years in the making” said Phil Ozanne, Community Operations Manager for the St John charity “I am also very pleased that several of our St John Ambulance colleagues from across the world, gave up their own time to join us in Guernsey and provide their services and skills to complement those of our Guernsey volunteers. There has been a real team spirit across the board and many of our Guernsey volunteers in particular, stepped up to take on additional responsibilities and tasks above and beyond those of their normal duties. I’m immensely proud of all of them”
In preparation for the games, several thousand hours were spent in training sessions and on planning. More than 60 volunteers and members of staff from St John, provided in excess of 1,887 duty hours over 22 separate events. St John provided 8 vehicles, numerous temporary structures, pop-up treatment first-aid posts and several tons of specialist medical equipment. The emergency ambulance service also attended seven cases involving Island Games team members, five of which were at sporting events and two were at team accommodation.
John Hollis, Knight Commander of St John Guernsey said “What a fantastic and friendly Island Games in Guernsey, based on reactions from competitors, visitors and locals alike. Obviously, such events simply cannot take place without the considerable efforts and expertise of St John volunteers and professionals. Just as St John Guernsey provided substantial support a few years ago to Gibraltar when the Island Games took place there, we also benefitted from substantial support from our international colleagues and we give them our heartfelt thanks for it.”
Dean de la Mare Head of Operations for the Emergency Ambulance & Rescue said: “The Island Games was a fantastic week for Guernsey. As part of our preparations for the Games a number of specific response plans were drawn up and additional staff were brought in to provide cover for some of the sporting events. The Games passed without serious incident and I am pleased that our contingency plans were not needed. During this time the service also continued to provide the emergency and urgent pre-hospital care for the island. I would like to thank the crews who were on duty and the St John volunteers, including those who traveled from other countries, who also provided additional support during the week.”
St John Guernsey wishes to sincerly thank all of the volunteers & staff members. We would also like to extend our gratitude to the employers of our volunteers, as many have given our volunteers time off from work, so that they were able to volunteer their time for the games.
Peter who needs round the clock care in the Intensive Care Unit told BBC Guernsey he felt “over the moon” after nurses from the PEH surprised him with a visit to the Island Games. Peter added “After being there for four months and to come out and see this… an absolute privilege.”
St John Guernsey received a request to assist with transporting Peter from ICU to the Track to watch Guernsey play the Isle of Wight. Volunteers from St John England, including a volunteer paramedic who had travelled to Guernsey to support the local St John charity were part of the team which helped Peter. His nursing team was also there to ensure he remained comfortable in his bed, which was decorated with Guernsey flags.
ICU staff at the hospital told the BBC “it was an absolute dream” to fulfil his wish.
(Images courtesy of BBC Guernsey/John Fernandez)
St John first aiders will be on duty at the opening and closing ceremonies, the athletics, cycling road races, mountain biking, triathlon, half marathon and some football matches.
For some events additional cover will be delivered by paramedics and other clinicians from the emergency ambulance service.
In order to provide the necessary level of cover for the Games and maintain normal operational resilience, off-duty ambulance staff have been drafted in across the week.
Meanwhile, St John Guernsey volunteers will be joined by volunteers from St John England, St John Wales, St John Gibraltar and St John Australia.
St John Community Operations Manager Phil Ozanne said: “This will be one of the biggest events for St John in recent times, but is it something we have experience of from previous events. The charity has recruited and trained a number of new volunteers who will be on duty alongside some of our longer-serving members who were involved when Guernsey last hosted the Island Games in 2003 and some travelled to Gibraltar for the last event in 2019.
Phil added: “The Island Games is an international community with some 2,700 athletes, officials and supporters from 23 islands from all over the world. St John is one big international family and we are delighted to be welcoming colleagues from England, Wales, Gibraltar and even Australia.”
Head of Operations at St John Ambulance & Rescue Service Dean de la Mare said: “We have been developing our plans for the Island Games over the past couple of years in conjunction with the organising committee and the other emergency services. St John has provided basic first aid training for volunteers and marshals and provided a briefing about the ambulance response to any incidents.”
Dean de la Mare added: “Extra staff have been brought in during the week, because as well as providing medical cover for some of the events, the ambulance service will continue to deliver normal ambulance operations for the island. I would also like to reassure anyone living or working in the areas effected by road closures during the Island Games that access is being maintained for ambulances and other emergency vehicles. We will be in liaison with organisers and marshals to ensure we can respond to urgent and emergency medical cases for people who may need our help during the closures.”
“I wholeheartedly endorse and acknowledge the significance of International Paramedics Day, organised by The College of Paramedics. This annual observance is a valuable platform to celebrate and recognise the paramedic profession locally and globally. In recent years, paramedics have made remarkable progress in their field, enabling them to specialise in various areas such as urgent care, primary care, intensive care, and community care. This diversification of skills has empowered paramedics to provide specialised and tailored healthcare services to those in need.
On our island, most paramedics fulfil their essential roles within the emergency ambulance service operated by St John Ambulance & Rescue Service, tirelessly serving our community with dedication and expertise. Additionally, we are fortunate to have a specialist paramedic working in Health and Social Care Community Services, highlighting the potential for collaboration and integration of services.
By forging strong partnerships with Health and Social Care, St John paramedics can play a pivotal role in alleviating the burdens placed on acute hospitals. Through the provision of community-based urgent care services, we can make a tangible impact on reducing the strain on hospital resources while ensuring timely and accessible healthcare for those who require it.
International Paramedics Day brings attention to the remarkable work performed by paramedics worldwide, showcasing their dedication, skill, and compassion. It serves as a reminder of the critical role they play in saving lives, providing emergency medical services, and promoting public health. It is also a reminder that paramedics are often supported by other ambulance clinicians and trained volunteers, all vital in providing our community with pre hospital care.”
Mark Mapp, Chief Executive Officer
St John Ambulance & Rescue Service
The funds have been raised over the past 12 months by the organisation with the St John Community First Responder scheme chosen as the beneficiary by President Gill Girard. The donation will cover the costs of a new CFR, a volunteer trained and equipped to provide immediate life-saving first aid to seriously ill patients in their vicinity in the minutes before the ambulance arrives.
Gill Girard said: “I chose to support the St John Community First Responder scheme as my chosen charity this year because I realise how important a CFR is at the scene of an emergency and what a difference that early intervention can make while waiting for the ambulance. We are delighted to be able to help fund the training and equipping of a CFR.”
Earlier this year Chief Executive Officer of St John Ambulance & Rescue Service Mark Mapp gave a talk to members of the Inner Wheel about the CFR scheme.
Mark Mapp said: “I am extremely grateful to Gill and the Inner Wheel for their remarkable support in the recent fundraising campaign for our Community First Responder initiative. The generous contribution will significantly impact our mission to ensure the safety and well-being of our community. With this help, we are better equipped to respond swiftly and effectively to emergencies, ensuring that lives can be saved and injuries minimised.”
“Since I spoke to the Inner Wheel earlier this year, I am aware of at least two cases where a first responder has been instrumental in saving a life and another case where a publicly accessible defibrillator has been successfully used before the ambulance arrived on scene”.
Evidence suggests that early recognition that someone is experiencing a cardiac arrest, early alerting of the ambulance, early CPR and use of an AED all contribute to improving a patient’s chances of survival.
In Guernsey, when someone dials 999 to ask for an ambulance for a patient in cardiac arrest, or with another life-threatening medical emergency, a team of trained volunteer Community First Responders are also alerted, so that if they are nearby they can respond to provide immediate care in the first few minutes before the ambulance arrives.
Inner Wheel is one of the largest voluntary women’s service organisations in the world, with women working together to make a difference and improve lives. The objectives of Inner Wheel are to promote true friendship; to encourage the ideals of personal service; and to foster international understanding, which is achieved through fundraising and personal service.
The donation to St John was made as Gill Girard comes to the end of her year in office as the President of Inner Wheel. Gill will hand over the role at the organisation’s AGM this month.
