AN OFF-DUTY St John Ambulance volunteer who provided emergency treatment to casualties critically injured in a serious road accident has been praised by the London Ambulance Service.
Mark Hunter, 33, was on his way home from work on the evening of June 26 when he came across a collision involving a bus, a car and a lamppost in Harold Hill.
The accident had happened moments earlier and resulted in several casualties.
Police officers were at the scene but an ambulance was still en route so Mr Hunter immediately began to administer emergency first aid to the two most seriously injured casualties.
He said: "The police officer was happy for me to help with the car passenger who had serious injuries and was bleeding quite badly from his eye.
"Suspecting a spinal injury, I held his head still while the officer attended to his eye."
When paramedic Mark Heinsen arrived, he was relieved to see Mr Hunter.
The two work together in the Community First Responder scheme, a partnership between St John Ambulance and the London Ambulance Service.
First Responders are volunteers trained to attend 999 calls and provide first aid until the ambulance arrives.
The pair treated the passenger while firefighters freed him by removing the roof of the vehicle.
Mr Hunter also treated the driver, holding his head still until a neck collar arrived.
He then treated one of the bus passengers for shock by laying her down and raising her legs, which helps blood flow to the heart.
Mr Heinsen said: "This was a very frightening situation but Mark was calm and professional throughout, putting his first aid skills into practice in a potentially life-threatening emergency.
"Things could have been a lot worse without his intervention and it demonstrates how the confidence and skills he has gained as a First Responder can be so useful in everyday life."
Mr Hunter, who lives in Noak Hill, volunteers with the St John Ambulance Community First Responder Unit in Havering. Mr Heinsen is the unit's mentor.
St John Ambulance is campaigning to get more people learning the basic skills needed to save a life. It is also recruiting more volunteers for its CFR scheme.
Anyone with two years' driving experience with access to a car can become a CFR. No previous experience is required as full training is given.
For more information about Community First Responder schemes, e-mail cfr@london.sja.org.uk
