Smith’s Wood First Aid heroes: Three friends who used First Aid skills they learned on their school’s Duke of Edinburgh scheme to come to the aid of a homeless man in distress have been commended by the West Midlands Ambulance Service for their “quick thinking and compassion”.
Smith’s Wood Academy students Xzavier Houghton (14), Ess McNicholas (15) and Alfie-Jay Vincent (15) were in Shard End on a practice expedition for their Duke of Edinburgh Awards, when they came across the man having a suspected seizure.
Having recently started a First Aid course as part of the Award scheme, the boys quickly sprang into action to help the man.
Alfie-Jay said: “We were out on a Duke of Edinburgh expedition with a group of friends, mapping coordinates and following routes. We went to get our lunch from the Co-op in Shard End, and as we walked out, we saw a man on the floor. He looked like he was in pain, lying on his side.”
Xzavier said: “Alfie put the man in the recovery position and covered him with his blanket, and Ess and I helped gather his belongings together and stayed with him. Ess called for the staff, and they called 999.”
Ess added: “Alfie guided the staff on how to keep the man in the recovery position, and we made sure he was nice and warm. The staff called our teacher, Miss Weightman, and we watched as the ambulance arrived.”
According to the Ambulance Service, bystanders followed the boys’ guidance and stood by the man until paramedics were able to step in.
A West Midlands Ambulance Service spokeswoman said: “When someone calls 999 it’s immensely helpful to our call assessors to receive concise information about what’s wrong with the patient as well as their exact location which is exactly what the boys did in this case.
“Our control room were able to quickly send the nearest ambulance within minutes of their 999 call to help the patient.
“Similarly, when ambulance staff arrive on scene it’s always a positive sight for them to see someone caring for the patient, which, on this occasion, were the boys.
“We’d like to thank them for their quick thinking and compassion. You should be very proud of your actions.”
Hearing of the boys’ heroic actions was both shocking and impressive to the school’s Head of PSHE and Duke of Edinburgh Award Manager, Sophie Weightman.
Miss Weightman said: “It was initially a shock when I got the phonecall! When students learn First Aid I hope that they will be able to use those skills if a future situation calls for it – I just didn’t expect it to prove useful so soon!
“It was proud moment to hear that the boys supported not only the man who was unwell, but also the people around them. It’s not easy to control a scene, and the way they took charge is admirable. It took so much courage.”
Smith’s Wood First Aid heroes used skills learned on Duke of Edinburgh Award scheme
The boys had been learning First Aid under the tutelage of Tracy Stevens, from Smith’s Wood’s Finance Department, for only a month prior to the event. It formed part of the school’s recently relaunched Duke of Edinburgh Scheme, which began in March this year.
Miss Weightman said: “Soon after we relaunched the Award, we had 67 students signed up for Bronze, and 15 signed up for Silver. We’re already seeing the effects it’s having on the students.
“The maturity and skills they’ve developed are on full display – we’ve had emails from members of the public commending our student volunteers.
“We are very proud of the actions of Alfie-Jay, Xzavier and Ess, who acted responsibly in a challenging situation,”
– Principle Stephen Huntington
“The Scheme is benefiting the students right in front of us and is also starting to have an effect on the wider community.”
Students who wish to achieve the Duke of Edinburgh Award must demonstrate commitment to developing skills, physical fitness, and the community through volunteering efforts.
Alfie-Jay said: “‘D of E’ teaches you independence. We have to find our own way and if a problem happens, we mostly have to solve it ourselves.”
Ess said: “I’d definitely recommend other people work towards the Award. It teaches you great skills, and we’ve already seen them come in handy.”
Principal Stephen Huntington said: “We are very proud of the actions of Alfie-Jay, Xzavier and Ess, who acted responsibly in a challenging situation.
“At Smith’s Wood we work hard to prepare our students to be responsible members of the community when they leave us, and this shows that schemes like the Duke of Edinburgh Awards provide valuable skills they can use later in life.”