Wednesday, May 25, 2011

** UK medics undergo online training for upcoming London Olympics

** UK woman ordered to pay compensation to paramedics she punched

UNITED KINGDOM NEWS

** Paramedics, police, and fire personnel across the country are being offered online training to help them cope with London Olympic Games calls in 2012. HRMagazine.com (David Woods/May 23) said the instruction, which is 30 minutes in length, will be seen by some 50,000 EMS and fire personnel. According to the magazine, the modules will include videos, photos, athlete interviews, and venue information. Discussion will also center around the sort of demands emergency services personnel will face during the event. In September of this year a second course will also be available, followed by a third in March of 2012.

** An Ely woman has been ordered to pay compensation to a female paramedic she punched while the latter was trying to help her May 7. The Cambridge News (Jordan Day/May 20) said Gillian Skipp, 49, who had passed out near her wheelchair at a local Tesco when EMS was called, was ordered to hand over 150 pounds to medics Claire Dunham and Kate Hawksworth. According to the newspaper, Skipp knocked Dunham’s glasses from her face when the practitioner attempted to lift her from the floor. When a second paramedic grew concerned, she, too, was punched in the eye. Along with compensation, Skipp was given a 12 month conditional discharge.