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constant sniping.
    ‘It’s to keep … the
correct … rhythm,’ Jason explained, pumping hard. ‘Saw the actor
… Vinnie Jones … do this in a heart advert.’
    After two minutes of constant CPR, adark-haired woman strode through the haze of smoke towards them.
    ‘Ambulance is here!’ she
announced. ‘Well done, your casualty has survived … Unfortunately, the
other one didn’t.’

Charley exchanged confused looks with the
rest of the team before turning to their Buddyguard close-protection instructor.
‘What other one?’ she asked.
    Jody’s olive eyes turned to thearea behind them and she pointed. Seeing the bewilderment on their faces, she leapt
into a ditch piled with rusting tools, where a body lay partly concealed beneath a
sheet of corrugated roofing. ‘It’s the casualty who makes the least
noise that should be checked first,’ she stated.
    Charley wondered how the team had missed
the full-size training mannequin during their surveillancesweep. This was their
first real test since arriving at Buddyguard Headquarters in Wales four weeks ago
– and they had made a ‘fatal’ error.
    ‘But Blake was in need of
immediate medical attention,’ José argued. ‘He was bleeding
out.’
    ‘You have to resist the impulse to
treat the first casualty you encounter. If someone’s screaming, you know
they’re alive at least,’Jody explained as she climbed out of the ditch.
‘In an incident with multiple victims, it’s crucial toperform
triage
. Assess all casualties and sort them according to the
severity of their condition, using the principle of Dr ABC as a guide: airway,
breathing and circulation – in that order. Your aim should be to
do
the most for the most
.’
    Jody paused to allow the significanceof
this to sink in before continuing, ‘That means prioritizing the most
life-threatening conditions first. In this training scenario, the victim in the
ditch had a blocked airway. If you’d spotted them, taken a moment to remove
the obstruction, then put them in the recovery position, that person would still be
alive now.’
    Jason scowled at Charley and she knew
she wasto blame. The mannequin had been in
her
area during the initial
sweep. ‘I suppose that means we’ve failed,’ said Jason.
    Jody studied the notes on her clipboard.
‘Not necessarily. It’s a team assessment. José, you demonstrated
excellent medical knowledge and diagnosis. David, a calm and level-headed approach
to an emergency. Jason, you were proactive as team leader and performeda clean
insertion of the cannula. And, Charley …’
    Charley braced herself for the worst.
She knew she’d suffered a ‘brain freeze’ and that she’d
messed up the needle compression.
    ‘Despite a rash entry into the
danger zone and a potentially serious medical error, you showed good communication
with the casualty and a willingness to do what was necessary. The rest of theteam
should take note –’ she directed her gaze at Jason and David –
‘because one can’t be self-conscious or inhibited during an emergency.
If the situation demandsCPR, then get on with it. Failure to
act fast enough could mean the difference between life and death.’
    ‘And what about me?’ asked
Blake. He sat up, his fake wound still seeping blood. ‘I deserve an award forthat acting!’
    Jody arched a slim eyebrow. ‘Well,
you certainly made more fuss than Rescue Annie over there.’
    ‘Yeah, you screamed like a
girl,’ said Jason.
    Blake shrugged it off.
‘Wouldn’t you, with a bunch of clowns about to jab your arm and pound
your chest?’ He removed the cannula with José’s help and pressed a
plaster to the resulting pinprick of blood, thenglanced over at Charley. ‘At
one point I thought you really were going to stab me with that needle!’
    Charley responded with an awkward smile,
embarrassed by her relative medical incompetence.
    José laughed. ‘That certainly
would have given you something to scream about.’
    ‘What? Isn’t