APS UK Sales Manager, James Panton, has been on secondment from Norfolk Fire & Rescue Service, where he is an on-call firefighter, to East of England Ambulance Service, to volunteer as an Emergency Response Driver.
Over the last eight weeks, James has been assisting on a mixture of nights and weekends, working alongside a paramedic to respond to emergencies and assist in clinical care.
“When I was first approached to carry out this role, my response was yes straight away. There were risks involved, but I felt that everyone has a duty to help out during the COVID-19 pandemic, however they can,” said James Panton.
“I also saw this as a good experience to work alongside another blue light service and to improve the clinical skills that I have through my Life Support and Trauma Care qualification. We were dispatched to many calls each shift ranging from lifesaving interventions to mental health cases, and of course, dealing with COVID-19 patients.
“I must admit the first time I was hands-on with an end of life COVID patient I was a little apprehensive. However, I knew that we were working to strict risk assessments, and I had faith in the PPE we were supplied with.”
James continued: “From a plastics industry point of view, it was great to be using so many pieces of equipment and PPE that was supplied by UK companies. It seemed that everything I laid my hands on was plastic! From PPE to cannulas, syringes, infusion kits, packaging for wound dressings, the list was endless. The industry should be proud of the high-quality plastic components that they produce, which truly save lives.”
“I am lucky to be going back to my day job, but for the paramedics it is endless. They really do work incredibly hard and put up with a lot of abuse when just trying to help. The amount of empathy they have for the patient, and the passion and drive to keep going is inspirational.”
To the NHS, we thank you for all the work you do week in week out, even when there is no pandemic. And from the teams at APS UK, PlastikMedia, and beyond, thank you James, for your contribution.
APS UK has built a reputation on providing innovative solutions in materials handling and dust and fume extraction systems. Its range of services is comprehensive, enabling them to offer customers a full turnkey solution. Find out more here.
