Scout training kicks in as Corrine deals with emergency

Corrine Scott, who is a leader at Strathmore and St Saviour’s Scout Group in Farley Hill, has learned to deal with emergencies thanks to the training she received. Her trainer, Scout leader Ken Brooker from Henlow, reckons she is his star pupil.

Her skills came in handy recently at the Wyevale Garden Centre where she is duty manager after a colleague fell and injured his leg. Corrine said: “When Jake Stevens dislocated his knee at the front till one weekend my Scout first aid training just kicked in. I knew exactly what to do. It was worth the many hours in cold classrooms learning all the procedures for dealing with fractures and shock.”

She added: “I was going about my day in the garden centre when I was called over the tannoy to go to the till urgently.

“When I arrived I saw Jake, one of my team members, on the floor in a great deal of distress and pain. Between sobs he managed to tell me he had dislocated his knee.

“My Scout training kicked right in. I called an ambulance and at the same time I was reassuring Jake, getting him to take nice deep breathes and to squeeze my hand.

“They said the paramedics would come as soon as they could. I sent another colleague outside to wait for the ambulance. Then Jake went into shock. He was already in the recovery position on the floor so I spoke calmly to him and told him he needed to focus on his breathing and that he was doing really well. I put a blanket over him to keep him warm and he eventually calmed down and said he could no longer feel the pain.

“As duty manager I had to help other staff with any questions and look after any who were distressed with what was happening. It was quite an experience.”

Jake said: “Corrine did fantastic work with her first aid. I don’t remember much except the pain and her soothing hand.”

Centre manager David Bolton said: “Corrine is an absolute shining star. She takes great pride in being involved with the Scouts and often regales us with tales of her exploits. She is a huge credit to the Scout movement. What a great job they do.”