Two on-call firefighters from Tiptree Fire Station have been awarded Chief Fire Officer Commendations for their exemplary actions after they saved a man's life.
Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive Officer Rick Hylton presented Crew Manager Glenn Lambard and Firefighter Woody Whymark with their awards at Tiptree Fire Station on Monday 8 July, with crew members and family members celebrating their achievements.
First aid help
In the summer of 2023, Woody was a passenger in his friend’s car driving past Stores Lane in Tiptree when he noticed a man on the ground needing first aid. He asked his friend to pull over and see what was happening.
Woody said, “On stopping and offering to assist, I quickly established from witnesses the man had been stabbed multiple times. I instantly helped as much as I could.”
medical emergency
Woody called for assistance from his colleague, Glenn due to his role as a Senior Emergency Medical Technician
Recognizing the gravity of the situation, Woody called for assistance from his colleague, Glenn, who is heavily involved in Trauma Training at the fire station, due to his role as a Senior Emergency Medical Technician (working on a frontline ambulance) with the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST).
Glenn described his swift response, “Once I got the call from Woody explaining to me the medical emergency, I immediately stopped what I was doing, grabbed some first aid supplies from home, and responded to assist as quickly as I could to help the casualty."
courage and professionalism
Chief Fire Officer/Chief Executive Rick Hylton commended their response to the incident, "Glenn and Woody’s actions, and those of the other first responders from EEAST, along with the assistance of the Air Ambulance, meant that the man survived."
“They both displayed acts of courage and professionalism in responding to the unexpected scenario that unfolded that day, helping to save a life in their community.” Following the incident, the Tiptree crews have been working closely with anti-knife crime campaigner, Julie Taylor, from the Liam Taylor Legacy.
public access bleed kits
Julie was a guest of honor at Tiptree Fire Station on 8 July, where the crews presented her with a cheque of £100
Julie lost her grandson, Liam,19, in 2020, after he was tragically stabbed to death outside a Writtle pub. Julie has been tirelessly fundraising and has provided hundreds of public access bleed kits to locations across Essex and beyond.
Julie was a guest of honor at Tiptree Fire Station on 8 July, where the crews presented her with a cheque of £100 - funds raised during Tiptree Fire Station’s open day in 2023. The money will be used to pay for an emergency bleed kit to be placed in the local community.
on-site kits
Tiptree Fire Station already has a bleed kit kept on site. The Service’s FireCar also has one onboard. FireCar is an Audi S3 performance car generously donated by Group 1 Audi.
This valuable partnership allows the road safety team to engage with the target audience which primarily (although not necessarily exclusively) is young 17 - 25-year-old performance car (‘cruiser car’) enthusiasts, who are amongst the highest-risk road user groups.