Page 47 - Mercian Eagle 2014

OP PRISMED – NORTH WEST AMBULANCE SERVICE Lt DJ Bell, 6 (MG) Platoon
On the 11th Oct 2014 the men of
2 MERCIAN received a call to stand to
for an impending ambulance strike within the North West area, codenamed OP PRISMED. The task came in the form of
a request for 15 x Cat C drivers, 3 Liaison officers and 2 x Mini bus drivers. It was very surprising how many individuals jumped
at the opportunity to carry out such a task especially the likes of Cpl Jess and Cpl Bowler.
0530 D-1, a day of training was the initial stage of the op. To begin with it was difficult for the individuals to comprehend that this was a deployment on the streets of the
UK, but it was like any normal operation; RSOI, ARB and training for the day. The training incorporated nine ambulances with specialist trainers to teach different lessons throughout the day. These consisted of kit and equipment, patient handling, spillages etc. The training was delivered to a high standard and a credit to the ambulance service for the short notice to put it together. (Pictures seen below) By the end of the
day the combined team of 2 MERCIAN and 2 LANCS, under the command of Major John Muspratt 2 LANCS and Lt Bell 2 MERCIAN, was good to go.
0420 D-Day, the group deployed to an undisclosed location in greater Manchester to act as an assembly area to deploy troops on the streets of the North West. From
this location small teams of no more than
5 drivers were transported to depots all over the North West, including Manchester, Liverpool and Chester. Morale was high
and the troops on the ground were keen to do something new and help out the public. Just as the OP was starting to get busy, the strike then finished and all small sub units collapsed back into the AA for a debrief.
1730 D-Day, the Op was finished and the men from 2 MERCIAN where released
Officers’ Mess/Mtn Etna, Sicily/May 2014
C (Kohima) Company
OC’s Introduction by Major C S Fowler
LCpl Atree/Ex Urban RAM, Whinney Hill/April 2014
to their routine way of life, such is battalion. The overall sense of achievement was
high throughout the small team and the stories began to flow about all the different incidents that were attended. However, due to patient confidentially none of these can be expressed in this article.
Flash to bang within two and a half days, 2 MERCIAN had managed to compose a team from all the different companies and
LCpl Atree/Ex Urban RAM, Whinney Hill/April 2014
with the support of 2 LANCS aided the general public in the day to day response from the ambulance service. I would like to say a thanks to all the 2 MERCIAN personnel involved as it could not have run any smoother.
Foreign or domestic, STAND FIRM STRIKE HARD.
OC
2IC
CSM CQMS
7 Pl Comd 7 Pl Sgt
Maj C S Fowler Capt L Riordan Vacant
CSgt Leach Vacant
Sgt Joynes 2Lt D Brown Sgt Sumner
8 Pl Comd
8 Pl Sgt
MG Pl Comd2Lt J Burridge MG Pl Sgt Sgt Larkey
C Coy/Aerial Assualt Course, Kinlochlevin, Scotland/Jan 14
The last year has been a fantastic and varied time for the soldiers of C Company. The back end of 2013 saw the Company deploy to Kenya on Exercise Askari Storm where they were outstanding. As always the soldiers did the business but the junior officers and NCOs were immense
in their performance attaining much credit from both the Brigade and BATUK staff. The start of 2014 included a week of Adventurous Training (AT) in Kinlochleven, Scotland where the Company learned
to ice climb at the National Ice Climbing Centre as well as taking the opportunity to
practice micro-navigation on the Scottish Highlands. Following this the focus was firmly on shooting and the Company planned and executed the 12th Mechanized Brigade Operational Shooting Competition. 2 MERCIAN entered two teams which included six Skirmishers who produced the
THE MERCIAN EAGLE
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