2 September 2009
A New Malden
emergency medical technician is preparing to head for Afghanistan
to help British and Afghan casualties.
Jess Smith – also a lance corporal in the
Territorial Army – is among 90 reservists from Surbiton’s 256 (City
of London) Field Hospital (Volunteers) who will be deployed to the
war-torn country this autumn.
Jess will be in Afghanistan for up to four
months after signing up for the opportunity earlier this year.
She said: “People out there need medical
treatment – both soldiers and Afghans. I knew I’d be able to make a
contribution so I thought why not?”
The 25-year-old, who works out of Tolworth,
thinks a previous tour to Iraq in 2004 will stand her in good
stead. She said: “When I went to Iraq obviously I knew some of the
injuries we were dealing with would be horrific but I'd never seen
that amount of major trauma on one person before. It was hard to
keep dealing with it on a day-to-day basis. But I’m better prepared
now so I’m looking forward to helping out.”
Jess, who lives in Epsom with her paramedic
boyfriend John Duffen, has the full backing of the London Ambulance
Service and has been delighted with the help and support offered to
her. She said: “The Service and my ambulance operations manager
have been really helpful and very supportive, so that’s made things
much easier for me in terms of training and taking time off.”
New Malden Ambulance Operations Manager Mark
Gatfield said: “Jess is a real credit to the Service and it’s
admirable that she’s giving up her time to help people in
Afghanistan. All of her colleagues here in New Malden wish her the
very best of luck.”
- Ends -
Note to editors
- For further information on the London
Ambulance Service or this news release please contact the
Communications Department on 020 7921 5113.