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Student says he's not a hero;

Mohamed Jama springs into action when fellow Eastdale student is injured

GREG FURMINGER
Local News - Tuesday, May 01, 2007 @ 09:00

 

Eastdale Secondary Schoolhas a rescuer among them, in 18-year-old student Mohamed Jama. Last Friday the trauma gear kept handy in his trunk was put to good use when the St. John Ambulance volunteer came to the aid of a fellow student who was injured after collapsing in a classroom

While some of his teenaged peers stash Rollerblades, hockey equipment and beach blankets in the trunks of their cars, Mohamed Jama keeps his stocked with oxygen, a spinal collar and other medical supplies.

It's a good thing he does for one Eastdale Secondary School student who fainted face forward in its metal shop, striking a welding table last Friday morning.

Jama was in a hallway on a spare period when he saw "everybody panicking." Knowing someone had been seriously injured, he instinctively ran to the school parking lot, where he retrieved from his car his two trauma kits.

Returning to the classroom, he found a 17-year-old male with whom he'd eaten lunch a couple weeks earlier incoherent, unable to remember his name or what had happened.

As trained to do so in such cases, Jama fitted the victim with a neck brace and administered oxygen.

"It's not my first time I've been called into action off duty," says the 18-year-old.

"I've been to several car accidents as well."

For the past five years, Jama has climbed the ranks of St. John Ambulance, today a sergeant and advanced medical first responder with the Welland-Port Colborne branch, which also serves Pelham and Wainfleet.

"This is the most unique way, as a youth, to serve your community," Jama says.

The Grade 12 student started his volunteer career as a cadet at age 13.

Never having spent a penny for his St. John education or equipment, he now is trained in various degrees of first aid, basic water rescue, as an emergency response cyclist and vehicle operator. Through a partnership with U.S.-based Mercy Flight, he just recently was trained how to guide helicopters in for rescue landings.

"It's like an alphabet soup (of skills)," he says.

The fellow student whose aid Jama came to Friday, and who broke one of his orbital (eye socket) bones is recuperating well, he says.

Jama sees himself as a valuable member of the community, but not a hero.

Messages left with school principal Cheryl Mancuso seeking comment were not returned yesterday.

With the assistance of the school nurse, Jama tended to his patient until paramedics arrived, then helped them prepare the student for transport by ambulance to Welland County General Hospital, says Jama's unit commander Steve Murphy, who had nothing but praise for the teen.

"I think it demonstrates what a young member of society is capable of," says Murphy.

"He's what you'd want every 18-year-old man to be."

Murphy will recommend Jama receive a commendation through the Order of St. John.

"When he went to pick up his gear at Welland County General Hospital, he was congratulated by the emergency room physician," he adds.

Jama is one of 21 volunteers with the local St. John Ambulance branch, and which has only four youth members.

Its official cadet program that Jama started with was scrapped two years ago because of lack of interested parties.

Murphy says it is now accepting 16-year-olds into the first responder program. Recruiting takes place in August.

Jama, who's now on co-op placement with the Niagara Regional Police special victims unit - it deals with sexual, child and elderly abuse cases - plans to become a police officer after high school, but while maintaining practice as a first responder.

He encourages other teens to join St. John Ambulance, especially those considering a career in paramedics, but notes they must be dedicated.

Last year Jama spent about 300 hours in training and logged more than 1,000 hours volunteering at community events. gfurminger@wellandtribune.ca