St John prepares for 2023 Island Games

St John Guernsey volunteers and staff from the Guernsey’s ambulance service will be providing first aid and medical support for the 2023 Natwest Island Games in Guernsey next week.

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.”