West Midlands Ambulance service honours riot responders

Last Friday ambulance service frontline and support staff received Chief Office Commendations in recognition of “passion”, “commitment”, “brilliance” and “actions and heroism” when rioting took place over a three night period in August.

West Midlands Ambulance Service chief executive Anthony Marsh said: “Our staff during those days did a fantastic job, often in very difficult, challenging and dangerous circumstances; not really knowing what they were going to be confronted with, either en-route to the emergency, or indeed, at the emergency.

“But they did a fantastic job as they always do and they rose to the challenge.”

In presenting commendations to the command team, Chief Executive of NHS West Midlands Ian Cumming paid tribute to the senior staff who led the ambulance service during the riots and said: “I know what it’s like to be on call 24 hours a day.

“I know what it’s like for people to be expected home for a dinner party or because the kids are expecting them.

“I was with the command team when one of them received a phone call from their wife asking whether they were going to see them in the next 24 hours.”

He also commended West Midlands Ambulance Service for still being to meet its targets: “Every patient, every individual who needed help, support and care from the ambulance service received that in a timely fashion whilst this major response was being enacted.

“Enormous credit to all the team and particularly to the Command Team for ensuring that that was the case.”

Present at the event was Tariq Jahan, the father of one of three men who died. There was a standing ovation in recognition of his public appeal for calm. He was personally greeted and presented with gifts by chief executive Anthony Marsh.