A Welsh Ambulance Service paramedic has been putting her life-saving skills to the test across the pond.
Jenna Davies, an Urban Search and Rescue (USAR) paramedic with the Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) based in Bridgend, has returned from Virginia, USA, where she took part in a multi-agency training exercise.
The 28-year-old, from Carmarthen, was part of an eight-strong HART team representing the UK.
The week-long exercise was designed to test how emergency services from the UK, USA, Australia and Canada would deal with CBRN (Chemical, Biological, Radiological, Nuclear) incidents.
Jenna said: “We were asked to demonstrate how we would cope in major incidents, like a chemical leak or a terrorist attack. Obviously we were on hand in the event of a genuine medical emergency too. It was useful to meet colleagues from across the UK and across the world, because we could showcase what we do and share best practice.”
The multi-national exercise is conducted every two years, and pulls together emergency services from each country, as well as defence and counter-terrorism experts.
Each country takes part in a chemical, biological and radiological crime scene scenario, whilst being observed by a joint evaluation team.
Chris Sims, Welsh Ambulance Service HART manager in Wales, said: “When a place on the team was offered to the Welsh Ambulance Service HART, we undertook a multi-stage selection process to choose our attendee. Jenna was successful and was one of only two female HART USAR paramedics on the team. It was a fantastic opportunity to work alongside multi-disciplinary colleagues from elsewhere in the UK and abroad and show what we can do. Jenna will be sharing lessons learned from the exercise with her colleagues here in Wales.”
Jenna joined the Welsh Ambulance Service aged 18, and worked for two years in control before taking time out to travel.
She returned in 2006 to train as an ambulance technician, and later as a paramedic, before joining the newly-formed HART when it went operational last year.
Jenna will put her newfound skills to good use during a two-year secondment she has successfully secured at the police CBRN Training Centre at Ryton-in-Dunsmore as a paramedic CBRN trainer.
She is also half way through a two-year Postgraduate Certificate in Education (PGCE) course with Cardiff University, which will enable her to be qualified to teach.
HART manager Chris added: “We are really proud of Jenna’s achievement and we wish her every success during the two years and look forward to her sharing her learning with us on her return to HART.”
