VOLUNTEERS will refresh their lifesaving skills so they can treat casualties in big crowd events across the region.

Medical Response Team (MRT) volunteers from St John Ambulance will take part in the first aid charity’s training weekend to enable them to access and treat casualties at events such as the Durham Miners' Gala, the Great North Run, Sunderland Airshow and concerts.

More than 20 volunteers, advanced first aiders and ambulance crews will take part the weekend at the Easingwold Emergency College, in York, this weekend (Saturday, March 7 and Sunday, March 8).

There will be a series of simulated scenarios from treating patients at a disco when they have to deal with a dark room, loud music and flashing lights to a mass incident at an outdoor event.

There will also be skills lectures, training, trauma incidents and simulations enabling response crews to read crowd behaviour, identify risks that may put a patient in danger and how to work in difficult and challenging conditions.

Kelvin Williams, MRT manager, St John Ambulance, said: “It is vital that we constantly refresh the advanced first aid skills of our Medical Response Teams to be the difference between life and death when patients are in big crowds, are difficult to reach and need prompt medical intervention.

“We respond to 999 calls at events where ambulances can’t access from street carnivals and big celebrations to festivals and marathons.”