Young first aid volunteers show the way

26 September 2008

Sixteen-year-old Kimberley Tsang and Dominik Pumphrey (19) are just two of the Red Cross’ growing number of young first aid volunteers – and the experience has transformed their lives.

Kimberley, a Wolverhampton student, first heard about the Red Cross in June via a recruitment poster her local fitness centre. She said: “I didn’t have any experience but the Red Cross provides all the training so I thought I’d give it a go.

“When I leave school I’d like to work for the NHS and become a nutritionist. There are so many benefits of learning first aid and, as far as my career goes, it’ll also give my CV a boost.”

New friends

She explained: “We meet in the evening every fortnight and most events are at the weekends, so it’s easy to fit everything in. So far, I’ve learned how to resuscitate a casualty and apply bandages. And after we’ve learned the theory we get to practise our techniques on each other, which I love because it’s more hands-on.”

“The people in my group are really friendly. We’re a real mix of ages and backgrounds and I’ve made lots of friends – first aid has lots of other rewards as well as saving lives!”

Kimberley’s colleague, Dominik Pumphrey (19) – who works as a soil technician – has had a similarly positive experience since joining up. He said: “It’s really easy to fit volunteering into my life. Most of the events we cover are things like football matches and concerts which are in the evenings and weekends so it suits me perfectly.”

Rewarding experience

Kimberley, Dominik and a group of other young recruits recently observed a Red Cross team providing first aid cover during a packed match at The Hawthorns, West Bromwich Albion’s football stadium. Dominik was especially impressed. He remembers: “It was quite strange being behind the scenes. Our first aiders work really closely with the paramedics so I saw them doing all their checks and preparing for the game.

“When the match started, we suddenly received a call as someone had been taken ill with chest pains. I was a bit nervous at first, but it was a real buzz watching everyone doing what they were trained to do. My colleagues explained what was happening as they worked and it was so good to see the person we’d helped walk away, well again.”

Kimberley added: “Before, if I’d seen someone like that, I would have panicked – but now I’d stay calm and know what to do.”

As they quickly pick up more skills, both young volunteers already see a long future ahead with the Red Cross. As Kimberley puts it: “Anyone can learn first aid – and once you have the skills, you can literally save lives. It’s a really rewarding experience.”

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