Thursday, November 28, 2013

Town launches latest fundraising bike ride

Fans and staff from Huddersfield Town – including our very own Jon Ellis - will be back on their bikes this season after the Club launched its fifth annual Pedal for Pounds bike ride in aid of the ‘Keep It Up’ campaign “The Chapman Trail” in support of Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
The ride will see a number of teams cycling 250 miles from the Emirates Stadium back to Huddersfield to raise funds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance charity and the Huddersfield Town Academy, along with Chairman Dean Hoyle, Commercial Director Sean Jarvis and Club Ambassador Andy Booth.
Herbert Chapman managed Huddersfield Town between 1921 and 1925, winning an FA Cup and two First Division titles in the space of four years. In 1925, Arsenal successfully tempted Chapman to join them, and he brought the previously trophy-less club an FA Cup and two First Division titles. 
The Club’s previous four bike rides, all completed by Jon, have contributed more than £600,000 to the £980,000 raised for the campaign so far since its inception in 2009.
Huddersfield Town’s Sean Jarvis tells us: “I am really looking forward to this bike ride; I can’t quite believe we are on the fifth one! The ‘Tour of Yorkshire’ was great last season, but we wanted to do something a little bit different this time and with ourselves and Arsenal sharing the history that we do, the ‘Chapman Trail’ seemed fitting.
“We are very close to reaching our £1 million target for the ‘Keep It Up’ campaign and the bike ride will no doubt push it over the mark. I would encourage any Town fan who wants to be a part of that to sign up as soon as possible.”
The ride will begin early morning on Wednesday 23 April 2014 with cyclists getting coaches from Canalside down to London. Participants will then set off around midday from the Emirates Stadium, cycling to Cambridge, Leicester and Doncaster in time for the last home game of the season against Leicester City on Saturday 26 April 2014.
If you would like to take part in the Pedal for Pounds 5 bike ride, please download a sign up form HERE and return along with the £40 registration fee (non-refundable, covers ride insurance, ride jersey, dinner, water, snacks and coach transport for yourself and your bike to London).
Forms can be posted FAO Robyn Deegan, HTAFC, John Smith’s Stadium, Huddersfield, HD1 6PX or handed in at main reception or ticket office windows. Cheques should be made out to ‘Keep It Up’ campaign.
For more information please contact Supporter Partnerships Manager Robyn Deegan on robyn.deegan@htafc.com.

Wednesday, November 27, 2013

Inspect Our Gadget: Ferno² at your finger tips

Check out our new nifty Ferno²  Fingertip Pulse Oximeter.
UK SAS (UK Specialist Ambulance Service) has taken delivery of 10 of these new devices which fit on to a patient’s finger and measure blood-oxygen saturation levels and heart (pulse) rate quickly and accurately.
The tool is ideal for the hospital and pre-hospital workplace, from the emergency services, search and rescue to A&E.
Jon Ellis, managing director at Ferno, tells us: “The Ferno²    is a must-have accessory for the front-line healthcare practitioner. It is reliable, very easy to use and lightweight. It can be worn on a lanyard around the neck so it’s at your fingertips when you need a quick and accurate reading of blood-oxygen saturation levels and pulse rate. I’m sure the team at UK SAS will find the devices useful on an almost daily basis.”
The large OLED display has 10 brightness settings to suit the working environment and can be viewed at any angle with a choice of read-outs and orientations. A built-in auto power off feature saves battery life which, under normal operating conditions, lasts a minimum of 30 hours and the hard plastic casing protects the device from the rigours of daily use.
UK SAS offers the widest range of specialist vehicles for urgent and non-urgent transport journeys within the UK private ambulance market. It is one of the largest private ambulance services in operation and carries out more than 250,000 contracted patient journeys each year for the NHS. The services are also used by private hospitals, healthcare facilities, event organisers and private individuals.
Earlier this year we agreed a deal to deliver 150 of its Pegasus trolleys to UK SAS over the next 12 months for its expanding ambulance fleet which includes multi-casualty Jumbulances.

Monday, November 18, 2013

Ferno traverse stretcher for Nottinghamshire Search & Rescue

Nottinghamshire Search & Rescue, which operates as a lowland search and rescue team, has received a traverse titanium stretcher from Ferno.
The team, made up of volunteers, works with the police service in the search and rescue of missing and injured people across the region.
Terry Smith, Vice Chairman of Nottinghamshire Search and Rescue, says: “We have been established for only a few months now and have really had to build everything from scratch. We receive no government funding and our only source of income is through charity work, sponsorship and donations.”
The search and rescue team approached us about donating some rescue equipment to help the charity and the company responded with the donation of the £1,800 stretcher.
Terry  says: “The donation of a titanium stretcher by Ferno is fantastic. We cannot thank them enough. It will make a huge difference to the casualties we treat and help us to provide a more effective life-saving service. If it wasn’t for the generosity of companies like Ferno it would be almost impossible for us to provide a service for the people of Nottinghamshire and surrounding areas.”
Available 24 hours a day 365 days a year the team responds to call outs all over the county and assists teams in neighbouring areas. All of its volunteers are trained to national standards in comprehensive search and rescue techniques and those skills are extended by further training in other relevant subjects like first aid, navigation and communications.
These titanium stretcher are ideally suited to moving or rescuing an injured person from a building site, quarry, mine or mountain. They provide full body protection and can be dragged, carried or lifted across rough or muddy terrain without affecting the patient’s well-being.
Our managing director Jon Ellis says: “We are really pleased to have been able to help the Nottinghamshire Search & Rescue team. The traverse stretcher is an essential piece of equipment in order to carry out search and rescue missions. Our stretchers are ideally suited for demanding search and rescue environments and made from strong, durable materials which offer greater safety and comfort to both patient and rescuer.”

Friday, November 15, 2013

'These stretchers are bomber!'

Congratulations to Ferno group company Traverse Rescue in Canada with their Titan basket stretcher.
Bruce Whitaker, managing director of Traverse Rescue, sent us this article from the well-respected Technical Rescue magazine which did a review of the basket stretcher and a very good one at that.
Here’s how the author summed it up:
In October 2013 I was running a Wilderness SAR course. During these courses we head out into
the mountains for 5 days of self-supported SAR activity. On the third day the students were finishing off the second of two 55m stretcher lower exercises for the day and the stretcher had been put down on the
ground at the base of the cliff.
The patient, also a student, was still tied in to the stretcher and the jockey was disconnecting the ropes from the bridle having called for 1m of slack on main and belay. Standing at the top of the cliff, the horrible sound of rock-fall below caused me to break out in an instant cold sweat as my blood turned to ice. A 500kg rock, probably loosened by the passage of the jockey over it, had parted from the face 1.5m above the stretcher and landed on the right side of the stretcher at hip level, injuring the patient.
Cutting a long story short, the patient walked out of hospital 2 days later with nothing but soft tissue injuries. Initially the only visible damage to the stretcher was that the locking collar fitting was cracked and loosened, which was not surprising given that 500kg+ had just landed on it!
These stretchers are bomber!
Once I took a closer look at it (on level ground) I discovered that the frame had also been deformed and the stretcher was damaged beyond being safe to use. If the same thing had happened with a plastic Stokes basket the outcome would have been significantly worse.
I’m looking forward to many years of rescuing with our stretcher’s successor – also a Traverse Titan.

Praise indeed!

Congratulations to Lewis Clark

At Ferno we are always pleased to celebrate the success of our colleagues and their family so we are delighted to showcase Lewis Clark’s recent graduation from York St John University.
Here’s what his dad, operation director Alan Clark, had to say:
It was a wonderful occasion, especially as it takes place within York Minster which provides the perfect backdrop to any ceremony.
Lewis graduated with a Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Business Management.  For his Mum, me, his Brother and Grand Parents, it was an enormous privilege to have shared his day with him.  We were all hugely proud of what Lewis has achieved and what he continues to achieve in his new role as a PPC Consultant in a large marketing company. 
When his brother graduated two years ago, I was a blubbering wreck with emotion and was determined not to replicate this at Lewis' graduation.  It may come as no surprise that I failed miserably, though I did manage to hold back my emotion right up until the final part of the service when the graduates walk down the centre of the Minster and through the large doors into the grounds.  It is such a proud time for any parent and to see our youngest son achieve what his elder brother has makes us immensely proud.  A very special moment in their lives and ours.
Lewis is determined to use his three years of study well and following a series of placements at 9xb during his second year at university, he kept going back during breaks and holidays and eventually earned the opportunity to join the team on a full time basis which we were extremely pleased about. 
Since then, Lewis has specialised in Paid Search and uses his expertise to maximise online exposure for his clients and deliver those all important conversions.  He has been awarded an AdWords Individual Qualification with specialisation in search advertising. Outside of work, he continues to play Badminton for York and at competitive level across the country. 

50,000th breakfast served!

We’ve just received a nice message from Mandy Taylor, Corporate Fundraising Officer at the Huddersfield Town Foundation.
She tells us: “Just a quick note on behalf of six year old Libby to say a ‘huge and heartfelt thank you to you all’ for your valued support for The Town Foundation Charity.
“We have just announced that we have served up over 50,000 breakfasts and this has only been possible all thanks to the generosity of our charity partners and supporters – via donations, goodwill and daredevil activities too!”
Ferno recently announced we had made a one off donation of £4,000 t o The Town Foundation. We are a long-time supporter of the Huddersfield Town Football Club and already supply it with medical and evacuation equipment and we are also a regular feature at commercial events.
Now the Town Foundation has hit another landmark with the serving of its 50,000th breakfast, through its ‘Early Kick-Off’ project!
Twelve breakfast clubs are now up and running across Huddersfield and the wider area at Christ Church Academy, Old Bank, Hillside, Lowerhouses, Netherhall Campus, Spring Grove, Ash Brow, Ethos College, Chickenley, Dalton, Ravensthorpe Junior School and most recently Westborough High.
Every morning the breakfast clubs can serve up to 1,000 children nutritious meals to ensure they start their day in the correct manner and are fully prepared to learn.
The project is constantly expanding and the charity is set to launch Breakfast Club number 13 in North Kirklees next week.
Mandy tells us: “Initially we perceived that the Early Kick-Off Breakfast Club initiative would merely impact on hunger however we have been amazed by the feedback we have received from all the schools: attendance levels have soared, behaviour and learning have improved, social skills developed and many parents and carers have now also become active volunteers and gained invaluable experiences and a feeling of self-worth”
The latest fundraising event is set to be launched at the Foundation game when Town take on Burnley. Local band Redstar have produced a unique version of Club anthem ‘Smile a While’, which will go on sale on the 30 November and raise funds for the charity.
If you want to get involved with the Town Foundation, please email Mandy on mandy.taylor@htafc.com or call 01484 484197; alternatively click HERE to donate via Just Giving!

Wednesday, November 13, 2013

Ferno gets starring role in new Ayckbourn play

Ferno has made its debut on the stage in Sir Alan Ayckbourn's 77th play Arrivals & Departures which has been lauded as "his new masterpiece".
Sue Volans from the Stephen Joseph Theatre, Sir Alan’s home for most of his career, recently got in touch with us to ask if we could loan her one of our Pegasus stretchers for a four month tour of the play across the UK.
Sir Alan, one of the UK's greatest living playwrights, wrote Arrivals & Departures as a dark comedy about a Yorkshire traffic warden, played by Kim Wall, and troubled female army officer, played by Elizabeth Boag.
In The Times, Libby Purves wrote that it was "ambitious, inventive, mischievously funny, but emotionally serious with a shocking, ironic and redemptive final twist".
After the opening night, The Observer's critic Clare Brennan tweeted: "How good is @ayckbourn's new play for @thesjt in Scarborough? In loo, post show, 2 teenage girls repairing teartracks in makeup. THAT good."
Sue (who sent us the picture above – there are more on our Facebook page here) told us: “The stretcher has played it's part superbly during this part of the tour. We are so grateful for the use of it.
“Again thank you Ferno for lending us the stretcher. It is only due to the generosity of companies like yourselves that we are able to survive and we are extremely grateful.”

Friday, November 8, 2013

Celebrating community excellence with WMAS



Congratulations to all the winners at the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) NHS Trust Excellence in the Community Awards last night.
Ferno was delighted to sponsor these worthy awards alongside SP Services and Cardiac Science, and was represented by our managing director Jon Ellis, product manager Michael Thornton and Grant Lewis our Ambulance & Hospital West business development manager.
Above are a few pictures from the night and we will add more as they become available during the day from WMAS (you can follow them on Twitter at @OFFICIALWMAS).
WMAS is supported by about 1,000 volunteers who have been trained by the Trust to assist in the delivery of services.  The Trust serves a population of 5.36 million people which is around 10 per cent of the English total. The area covered is a little over 5,000 square miles and is made up of Shropshire, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Staffordshire and the Birmingham, Solihull and Black Country conurbation.
The annual Excellence in the Community Awards celebrate the activities of the WMAS volunteers.

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

UKSAS kits out Jumbulance with Ferno’s Pegasus trolleys


UKSAS (Specialist Ambulance Service) will take delivery of 150 of our Pegasus trolleys for their specialist multi-casualty Jumbulances over the next 12 months.
UKSAS offers the widest range of specialist vehicles for urgent and non-urgent transport journeys within the UK ambulance market. It is one of the largest private ambulance services in operation and carries out more than 250,000 contracted patient journeys each year for the NHS. Its services are also used by private hospitals, healthcare facilities, event organisers and private individuals.
We have supplied the Pegasus trolleys with accessories including locks, mattresses and restraints for the Jumbulances which will be used by UKSAS at sporting events, festivals  and any other occasions where there may be a need to treat multiple casualties at the same time.
Four trolleys can fit inside one Jumbulance at any time in the specially designed “ward” style individual treatment bays that are fully equipped with defibs and suction.
Mick Byrne, owner and managing director of UK SAS, says: “The Pegasus trolley is the lightest lift-assist trolley available on the market, encompassing an effortless hydraulic lift and lower system and offering a load capacity of 200kg. The trolley is fully CEN compliant and designed for use on ramped or tail lift vehicles.
“It is an ideal product for the demanding needs of patients whilst ensuring the crews are comfortable and safe whilst maneuvering patients”.
Our managing director Jon Ellis says: “The Pegasus combines quality, durability, strength and ease of use. It is one of the most versatile patient transfer trolleys available, making it ideal for use by the UK SAS which offers a wide range of support services including to hospitals, event organisers and the travel industry.”

Wishing John Radford a speedy recovery from all at Ferno

We are delighted to hear that John Radford, Huddersfield cycling legend, has regained consciousness three months after being hit by a car.
According to the Huddersfield Examiner John, of Meltham – chairman of cycling organisation Huddersfield and District Cyclists’ Touring Club (CTC) – can’t communicate yet but is being shown cycling magazines by his family and is responding.
When Ferno was involved in the Pedal for Pounds cycle ride to raise money for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance (see previous stories here) John was a great help in training the Pink Team for P4P2 and P4P3 to make sure they were fit for the ride. Everyone at Ferno would like to wish John a speedy recovery.
For weeks John, 70 this month, fought a desperate battle for life.But now he is conscious and showing encouraging signs of progress.
John’s daughter Emma Boyes told the Examiner: “Dad can turn a page for himself but it is a big strain. The other day, though, he licked his finger and turned a page and we were amazed. It was just something that he always used to do and we knew he was still with us.”
John, who is now on a specialist neurological ward at Leeds General Infirmary, is doing so well he is allowed limited visits from friends.
His wife Pat, 65, Emma and her sister Helen Gorman, 31, visit almost every day but short visits from his friends mean a lot. “He is allowed half-an-hour visits from his friends once or twice a week,” said Emma. “Everybody who has seen him seems really surprised at how well he is. It is frustrating for us because his recovery is so slow. It would make our day if he could just give us a smile.”
John’s fighting spirit and his fitness levels give cause for optimism.
John was injured when he was in collision with a Vauxhall Corsa in Huddersfield Road, New Mill, on July 31.
It was apt given all his charity work that John was  airlifted to hospital by the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Emma said: “This has made us realise the little things that we all take for granted.”
Shortly after the accident John’s family and friends held a special bike ride to show their support. Sponsorship and donations from the ride – along with other fundraising events – has so far raised £2,800 for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.
Please support John and this good cause.

Friday, November 1, 2013

Jack takes the first trip in the BUMBLEance

Last week, two year old Jack Beattie from Lifford was the first child from Donegal to use BUMBLEance, the world’s first interactive children’s ambulance. 
BUMBLEance is transporting sick children from all over Ireland to their treatment centres in an attempt to make like a little easier for the child and their parents.
Ferno and our partner group company Acetech are delighted to have been involved in the development of the BUMBLEance.
BUMBLEance is based in Ireland and was launched at the beginning of September. The ambulance, which looks like a giant bumble bee, has been kitted out with the latest technology yet it has been designed with the needs of children in mind.
The Saoirse Foundation - the charity behind the service - has created a fun environment for sick children to travel to and from hospitals and medical centres for scheduled appointments.
We have donated a Pegasus trolley complete with our latest antimicrobial pressure-reducing mattress and Biosafe harness and restraints. The company has also donated a NMI Track Lock to secure the Pegasus trolley in the BUMBLEance safely, allowing it to be positioned either on the offside or centre of the vehicle for patient treatment.
Little Jack who suffers from Brittle Bones Disease, makes the long and usually uncomfortable journey every three months to Temple Street Children’s Hospital in Dublin for treatment.
Last week, however, Jack made a journey with a difference.  Jack’s parents Ruth and Kenneth described the journey as “very comfortable and much less stressful, as Jack spent it singing and playing with the iPad, Playstation and all the other fun and games on board the ambulance.”
BUMBLEance is the brain-child of Tony Heffernan of the Saoirse Foundation. Tony’s reasons for creating BUMBLEance are clear: “Speaking from our personal experience, we saw the stress our late daughter Saoirse experienced when undertaking many ambulance journeys from the family home in rural Ireland to the National Childrens’ Hospital in Dublin.  We decided that there was no point doing nothing about it”.
Every parent will appreciate that making an ambulance journey with a child can be very traumatic. However within BUMBLEance, fun is the medicine of the day, making an ambulance journey less stressful and much more enjoyable. The 132-registered vehicle is used to transport sick children to scheduled appointments between home and the various National Treatment Centres & Hospice /Respite Centres.
The Saoirse Foundation, a not-for-profit venture which receives no state funding for this service, is very hopeful of ongoing support from the business community and members of the public. These donations are integral to the future of the BUMBLEance service in Ireland and its future growth. The Charity is also hoping to collect 30,000 used mobile phones, sufficient to allow the service operate for 52 weeks of the year.
What makes BUMBLEance different is what the child and parents see as they approach and enter through the back doors. Firstly the BUMBLEance looks like a giant Bumble Bee on the outside. Inside, the child’s focus is instantly diverted away from all of the necessary medical equipment and instead the child will experience a comfortable journey with their parents, surrounded and entertained by many of the latest gadgets and gizmos technology has to offer.
The AV equipment is all inter connected onboard via a “Control 4” system, allowing the child to operate the 19inch LED TV, DVD player, iPad, Nubi, and Sony PlayStation console, with a full library of films, apps, ebooks, music and games using a single controller, from the comfort of the latest Ferno stretcher.  The on-board dual channel Wi-Fi allows internet browsing, social media engagement as well as SKYPE calls to be made anywhere in the world.
BUMBLEance is supported by Lifeline Ambulance Service, who operate the vehicle and provide professional clinical services and supports to the charity at cost. All Lifeline staff members are Garda vetted and have received additional training to manage the transportation of children with rare diseases.
The main aim of this service is for the Saoirse Foundation to make positive life impacts for sick children. The service is available to patients that qualify for the service under strict criteria and each client will be booked in advance into the BUMBLEance’s busy schedule.
Tony Heffernan added: “Our vision is to have one BUMBLEance for each province by the end of 2015 plus an additional BUMBLEance for Dublin. We want to be in a position to offer this service to every parent of a sick child that requires ambulance transportation to appointments and would ask everyone to support us and also to send us old mobile phones, to guarantee the growth of our service. We hope that, in the future, BUMBLEance will take off, literally.”