Dollar Academy Combined Cadet Force

FIRST AID

 

The Dollar Academy CCF Competition First Aid Team, once again, has had a successful year staunching bleeding, treating shock and travelling across Britain.  The first team, made up of Charlie Johnson, Tom Haddow, Bethan Collier and James Foley (reserve), have competed in three competitions whilst the second team, Abi Field, Lyndsey Mackay, Robbie Jones and Louis Stewart, competed in the Scottish competition.

 

 

The Scottish competition took place at RAF Leuchars in May of this year.  This comprised three separate lanes: CCF, ACF and ATC, with a winning team from each lane and an overall winner.  Before we were lead to our scenarios, we had a fascinating tour of a real field ambulance by an Air Force paramedic.  There was a hard fought competition for winner of the CCF lane between Dollar 1st and Dollar 2nd but Dollar 1st managed to secure the victory.  However Dollar 2nd came close winning silver medals. 

 

 

Having won at Scottish level, we were invited to compete in the National Competition at Royal Military Academy Sandhurst in October.  We flew down to Gatwick with the Black Watch ACF, a team from Perth with whom we had trained, and then drove to Longmoor camp where we would be staying overnight before the competition the next day.  After an early breakfast we proceeded to Sandhurst and signed in.  It was an honour just to see Sandhurst and its beautiful classical buildings.  The competition was spread over the morning and afternoon with team test, individual tests, reserve test and a special team task.  Our team test was a scenario including a struggling victim of an asthma attack and a boy with a gorily-crushed leg.  The individual tests included a broken collar bone, a broken jaw and a sprain, all requiring expert bandaging and casualty care.  Finally, we had to work as a team to deal with another boy suffering from asthma and his hysterical mother, who had to be restrained from fighting with a bystander.  We then handed over to the emergency services and gave them the information they needed.  Dollar Academy preformed well, winning the CCF competition and coming second overall.  Cambridge won in ACF category and narrowly beat Dollar in the overall; Black Watch won the Young Adult competition.  This meant that Dollar CCF, Black Watch Young Adults and Black Watch ACF all qualified for the Young Grand Prior.  Happy with the result, we went out for a celebratory meal with the Black Watch and a group of Welsh competitors.  We had a great time meeting the competitors from all over Britain.  We journeyed back to Scotland triumphantly with our silverware. 

 

 

In November, the competition year ended with the Young Grand Prior at Rugby.  Here the winners and runners up from Sandhurst competed against each other in the Inter-services competition to determine the overall winner.  Alongside this there were many schools competing and also St John’s and St Andrew’s cadets.  We had a long journey down in the minibus with the Black Watch and stayed at the Premier Inn.  We went out for a meal in Nandos and a different kind of competition ensued.  Dollar faced the Black Watch in a test of endurance as to who could hold the hot chilli sauce in their mouth for the longest.  After several minutes one from each team remained and a draw had to be called as the meals were getting cold.

 

 

The next day the first aid competition itself was hard fought and Dollar achieved a commendable 4th place against stiff opposition.  We met up with many of the friends we had made at Sandhurst.  This was the last year of competition for many of the current 1st team members and so, next year, fresh blood will be required to carry on Dollar’s reputation in First Aid.
 

Bethan Collier (Form V)