NATIONAL RECOGNITION FOR RAFAC FIRST AID TEAM

Jim Partington, Wing Commander Steve Molloy and Squadron Leader Alistar Ridland have received the Order of St John for their work in the field of First Aid with the RAF Air Cadets.

In the 90s , First Air Training was removed from the RAFAC training as it was deemed too out of date. When Jim joined in the roll of TG1 at Headquarters Air Cadets in 2003 one of his first jobs was to bring back First Aid to the cadet syllabus with the help of Wing Commander Molloy and Squadron Leader Ridland.

Work began with the Army Cadets, St John Ambulance and the British Heart Foundation to establish vital link links, and training began with each of the wings signed up for the HeartStart programme. This membership allowed RAFAC to gain various training equipment including the Resus Anne dolls.

The most recent First Aid purchase has been 84 AED (defibrillators) to be distributed throughout organisation with training being continually reviewed to now include the AED.

In 2018, First Aid is taught from squadron level and up and cadets can even take part in competitions and wing, regional and national level.

Our cadet first aid training is unending, but this training may save a life. If any cadet or CFAV puts their First Aid training to use, we try to get recognition for that individual a it helps give closure.

Jim Partington said: “What can I say? My nomination came from outside our organisation, and that makes it even more special. But I could not have done all this without the help of our volunteers. For that, I would like to say