At about 9pm, her friend received a call. It was from a group of friends who had been drinking in a nearby field. One of them had drunk too much and had fallen unconscious. When Holly heard this, she realised that the girl was potentially in danger, so she gathered a blanket and some warm clothing and, with her friend, rushed to the scene on foot.
On arrival, she found the teenager on the grass and, having carried out a Primary Survey, realised that the girl was unconscious and had vomited. Holly made sure the girl's airways were clear and that she was breathing, before putting her in the recovery position and covering her with the blanket.
Cadet Hogarth then found out that the group had also contacted the casualty's sister, who was still connected via Facetime - the sister, a young adult, did not want to involve the authorities (as she was the one who had supplied the alcohol) but Holly insisted that she phoned for an ambulance and inform their parents of the situation.
Some time later, the casualty's mother arrived - in the interim, Holly had kept a constant check on the girl's condition to make sure it didn't worsen. As it was now approximately 10pm, the mother said that she would wait for the ambulance and that Holly and her friend could go home.
The next day, the very relieved mother travelled almost 20 miles to visit Holly to thank her. She reported that the paramedics had been full of praise for Holly's actions, and said that putting her daughter in the recovery position had prevented her from choking on her own vomit.
Strensall Detachment Commander, Lt Mike Richardson, praised the actions of his young cadet. "Holly was quick to react, was proactive in her determination to provide help, and provided a great standard of First Aid at the scene. We are all very proud of her, and we have been informed that she will now receive a Praiseworthy First Aid award."
Well done, Holly - your actions are an excellent reflection of both the good quality training provided by our Adult Volunteers, and the ACF motto - To Inspire To Achieve!
If you are inspired by Cadet Hogarth's actions to think about joining the ACF, follow the link to find your nearest detachment and register your interest:
