Children from North Down will have the chance to meet emergency service personnel and the K9 search and rescue unit when an education day rolls into town.
The special day which has been organised by independent ambulance service Proparamedics will see kids aged between three and nine years old learn about First Aid.
They will also meet with emergency service providers including the Northern Ireland Fire and Rescue Service to learn more about their work and tour their vehicles.
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Taking place on 16 th June at Conway Square in Newtownards, the idea behind the event came after the Proparamedics team observed that many children had developed anxiety when encountering emergency service personnel.
“Northern Ireland’s emergency services carry out vital and lifesaving work,” Paul Campbell, Deputy Logistics Manager, at Proparamedics explained. “Working to dispel any anxiety and worry around the emergency services for young children is our mission, alongside ensuring that each child has a basic understanding of First Aid.
“Our ‘Blue Lights Education Day,’ was formed after a conversation I had with a local nursery leader who approached us for advice around mitigating children’s anxiety regarding the emergency services, especially after the pandemic.
"I knew that more children were experiencing similar anxieties and that we had to do something about it."
Megan Hamill, Proparamedics Training Manager added: “We already travel around local schools conducting First Aid workshops, but we thought having representatives from all of Northern Ireland’s emergency services in one place would help ease children’s worries by allowing them to find out more about the essential work that they carry out on a daily basis.
“Learning First Aid at an early age is also very important and we hope that after our workshop, children will have a better understanding of the work we do and be equipped with the knowledge required to identify emergency situations and the capability to dial 999 to reach the emergency service they require.”
One of the first schools to complete basic First Aid training with Proparamedics, was Bees Nees Early Years Centre in Newtownards, and according to Daphne Nicholl, Pre-School Coordinator, providing education around the emergency services is “vital,” to combatting children’s anxiety.
"We’re delighted to see Proparamedics bringing its ‘Blue Lights Education Day’ to more children in the Newtownards area. As an early year’s centre, we recognise just how important an understanding of First Aid is and the fact that children will be able to meet members of the emergency services will help to alleviate any fears they may have," she said.
“We’re really looking forward to the event and are certain that it will be a huge benefit to our pupils.”
Meanwhile, James McMordie, Dog Handler, from K9 Search and Rescue NI added: “Our team carries out crucial work in the community and we’re so proud to be a part of this ‘Blue Lights Education Day’ with Proparamedics.
“We never know what situations we’re going to be faced with and it’s so important that children know what to do if an emergency ever arises – it could be truly lifesaving. We’re very excited to tell local school children all about the services we offer, the work we carry out and of course, to introduce them to our team of dogs, who are also the heroes of our organisation.”
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