Amputees in Action Sponsors Trauma and USAR Challenges at UK Rescue Challenge London 2011
Amputees in Action, the country’s leading independent provider of fully trained amputee actors, is delighted to be sponsoring and exhibiting at the UK’s biggest and most prestigious firefighter event – UK Rescue Challenge London 2011.
Being held on Friday 23 September and Saturday 24 September 2011 at the award-winning Excel centre in London’s Docklands, the Challenge will feature firefighters from brigades across the country showcasing their skills and equipment in four rescue disciplines, including Trauma – the treatment of casualties before the arrival of medics.
And when it comes to preparing emergency services personnel for dealing with trauma victims, nobody can do it with more shocking realism than the actors from Amputees in Action. Drawing on their own personal trauma experiences and on their training in theatrical techniques and medical procedures, they are supported by a team of special effects (SFX) make-up, moulage and prosthetic artists who use cutting edge technology to enhance and extend the appearance and function of highly graphic limb-loss scenarios.
Amputees in Action was founded in 2004 by the current CEO, John Pickup. Having lost his right arm after a motorbike accident at the age of 17, John first got the idea for the agency whilst working on the set of “Saving Private Ryan”. But it was to be another few years before he actually founded the company with two other amputees whom he met on various sets.
Starting out as an agency providing extras for film and TV work – still one of the key areas of their business – Amputees in Action realised that the expertise they and their actors were developing could be applied to the training of people involved in saving lives. And it wasn’t long before it became clear that the use of trauma amputees in simulations was significantly improving the performance of emergency services and military personnel dealing with serious trauma incidents.
With their ability to remain in character throughout, the Amputees in Action actors quickly proved that they could create and maintain such a sense of adrenalin-raising realism that critical, life-saving procedures became instinctive to the trainees.
Commenting on the demonstrations they will be giving at UK Rescue Challenge London 2011, John Pickup commented:
“We’re really looking forward to being there with the brave men and women of fire brigades from across the country .We know that our demonstrations can be truly shocking experiences. But we make no apologies for that, because we also know just how much the realism we bring to training scenarios can help prepare people for dealing with real-life trauma incidents.”
Peter Dean of the London Fire Brigade added:
“We’re delighted to have Amputees in Action as one of our sponsors and exhibitors. It’s great to see people who have suffered from trauma injuries themselves working so professionally to help firefighters prepare themselves for the kinds of serious medical situations they have to face these days.”
UK Rescue Challenge London 2011, visit http://www.london-fire.gov.uk/UKRescueChallenge2011.asp
For more information please contact:
Amputees in Action Press Office: Singleton PR
+44 (0)844 822 1658