YOUNGSTERS across the region are being urged to become ‘Little Lifesavers’ during the Easter school holidays by participating in activities provided by West Midlands Ambulance Service.
The new campaign encourages young children to learn important and life-saving skills and features a fun activity book and videos from WMAS staff, providing the perfect entertaining and educational programme.
Children become a ‘Little Lifesaver’ by learning how to make an emergency 999 call, finding out about what kind of situation is an emergency, how to perform CPR and how to place someone in the recovery position. There is also a virtual tour of an ambulance, enabling children to virtually jump on board one of the service’s vehicles to learn about the equipment kept on there and how it is used.
Throughout the pandemic, usual activities such as in-school visits have not been possible but the ambulance service wanted to make sure children did not miss out on learning vital life skills.
Making a 999 call can be a high pressured and stressful situation for many, but it is particularly important youngsters know how to make a 999 call, as well as knowing the kind of situation which warrants a call to the emergency services.
Little Lifesavers also includes a video from a team of WMAS call assessors explaining how to make a 999 call and providing an example of how a call might sound.
Paramedic Ash Bolus, who features in the ambulance virtual tour, said: “Ordinarily, I’d be able to go into schools and show the children around the ambulance, which they find really interesting, so it’s great that I’m able to do it virtually so that children don’t miss out on learning something that could potentially help them save a life one day.”
Visit wmas.nhs.uk/become-a-little-lifesaver for more information on the activities.
