Education program reaches target
The Ambulance Service's Public Affairs is regularly asked to visit primary schools
across Sydney to deliver important messages on first aid, such
as calling Triple Zero (000) in a medical emergency, the importance
of knowing your
address and
familiarising children with equipment and vehicles.
The "Be An Ambulance Hero – Dial Zero, Zero, Zero" school education program has been designed for Kindergarten, Year 1 and Year 2 students (aged 5-8 years). It's available to all NSW primary schools and is a non-compulsory free program which assists teachers to educate children on the following topics including:
- Simple decision making skills
- The difference between a little accident and a big accident, including how to identify an unconscious person
- Understanding how to call an ambulance in an emergency
- Understanding that the emergency number in Australia is Triple Zero (000)
- The program is designed to educate children to effectively call for an ambulance in an emergency as well as to develop the confidence and skills necessary to answer questions asked by the Triple Zero (000) call taker.
Since its rollout in February 2007, over 20,000 students have participated in the program with enthusiastic feedback received from teachers.
An independent evaluation was conducted in late 2008 with findings revealing that nine out of 10 parents whose child had completed the program felt their child knew what to do in an emergency (compared to just under half among children who had not completed the program).
A recent visit (see photograph) shows Paramedic Les Majoros instructing students from St Patrick’s Primary School at Kogarah on how to apply a splint to a fractured limb.
For more information about this and the Emergency Helpers program (designed for pre-schoolers), go to the ambulance internet site www.ambulance.nsw.gov.au and click on 'community info' then follow the links.
Ambulance is committed to assisting the community create safer and healthier environments and outcomes by making prevention everyone’s businesses. A number of innovative community education programs have been implemented to assist identify life threatening conditions, understand what to do in an emergency and the importance of adopting illness prevention strategies.