WELCOME TO HOTSEAT!
Surprise, surprise! We're back! After a long hiatus, Matt's finally back to put some of your favourite members of the staff team back on the Hotseat! I'm really glad to continue writing this article as it's one of my personal favourites and I do hope you enjoy this and future editions as well! From hobbies to professions and maybe even some hot takes, I hope you'll get to know our staff much better! In this edition of Hotseat, we welcome our one and only Assistant Director, Georgia! And without further ado, let's dive right in!
Matt » Hey Georgia! How've you been? Anything you've been up to recently?
Georgia » Hey Matt, not a lot tbf just working a lot
Matt » Tell me more about your work: what'd you work as?
Georgia » I’m an ambulance technician and i focus mainly on motorsport events so i’m trained in major traumas and stuff like that so i see a lot of mangled limbs. But i also do smaller festivals and events and stuff. I’m also doing my Nursing degree at Swansea University!
Matt » That does sound quite stressful. What do you think is the toughest part of the job?
Georgia » Uhhh i’d say the toughest part of the job is the prep leading up to the event, because it’s my dads business i’m involved in a lot of the prep side of stuff so a one day event for us is actually two days and we’re only getting paid for one because we have to check all the kit, complete any vehicle maintenance, make sure staff are all in line and able to get to the event. I think a lot of people assume that they kind of book us and we just turn up and “sit doing nothing 9 times out of ten” but so much more goes into it behind the scenes.
Matt » I think you guys are so under-appreciated and deserve so much more recognition! How did you get into this role? Did anything draw you in?
Georgia » So my dad volunteered for St John ambulance with his dad and brother from the age of like 13 and then moved onto being a manager of the first aid side of the British Red Cross and then worked for a private company for 10 years until covid which is when someone approached him and was like do you want this contract i have it’s nightclub no one wants it so he took it and started up his own business which is essentially how i got involved, but we no longer do the nightclubs hence the motorsport focus but the medical side of things has always been in my family so it was inevitable but i’m the only one out of 5 kids to follow in my dads footsteps
Matt » That's some really interesting backstory, thank you so much for sharing! And now on the flip side, what's your favourite part of the job?
Georgia » honestly it sounds bad but my favourite part is 100% the gore if i’m seeing a severed limb or an open wound im bloody chuffed its the most amazing part. But on the flip side I also love letting the little kids in and out of the ambulance and letting them play around and get comfortable showing them the equipment we use and why and showing them that it’s not actually scary and although being in the back of one might be the scariest day of their lives they shouldn’t be scared of what’s to come.
Matt » Honestly, yeah, I do get how that might be thrilling. As well, I'm sure the kids are having an amazing time with you as their guide! Now, what surprised you the most about this job? Was there anything new/special you learnt?
Georgia » There’s surprises at every turn no one patient is the same so it’s all about adapting to the patient and what they need. One random thing i learnt which is like my biggest party trick and i tell my patients im a magician is that if they’ve had Ketamine and taken too much of it, orange juice reverses the side effects and brings them back to normal it’s bloody incredible
Matt » I didn't know that, super cool! How did you learn to adapt? Was there any strategy?
Georgia » Honestly it’s difficult to adapt i find you just have to go with the flow and hope for the best
Matt » Fair enough, no bread and butter strategy to be honest. What was one of your most memorable moment as a technician. Is there any specific fun or thrilling story you have for us?
Georgia » honestly the thing that stands out the most was probably a month after i qualified as a technician I was on a motorcross event that we’ve been covering for years and my friend was out on his bike and he had come off very badly, lucky to be alive, if i can find the photo of him in the air i’ll share it for the article but we got to him and he was complaining of neck pain so i was bracing his neck and keeping him calm the air ambulance doctor turned up and told me that because he could move his toes he was self cleared so i got into an argument with her and said im not letting go of his head until he’s got head blocks and a neck collar on because i know this man and he doesn’t complain of pain. He had his scans at the hospital and he’d damaged a few discs in his spine, me letting go of his neck and allowing him to move around could’ve furthered the injury.
Matt » That genuinely is really inspiring - advocating for what you thought was right (and you were!) Were there any scary parts of the job? Maybe a super stressful time?
Georgia » I’ve had a few scary parts, some of them i’m not allowed to share because of them being looked into by police etc but i’ve had knives pulled out on members of security i work with, i’ve had fights that leave people in critical condition in hospital. Honestly no day could be the same i never know what the outcome could be it could be a cut finger or it could be a death.
Matt » It does sound like something extremely adrenaline inducing and a lot of the times, unpredictable. I remember you mentioned about a Nursing degree, how is that going?
Georgia » It’s going well, i’m only a few months in so at the minute it’s basics and things i already know so sometimes it’s very boring
Matt » Fair enough, I'm sure you'll do excellent with your current medical background. What inspired you to get into nursing?
Georgia » I currently can’t do my Paramedic Science because i don’t drive so nursing was the best next thing, then following that i’ll be doing my Paramedic Science degree when I can drive!
Matt » That's exciting! Although, I'm not quite familiar with the system in the UK. Could you tell us what the difference between an Ambulance Technician and Paramedic is?
Georgia » Honestly it’s quite difficult to explain unless you’re in the role yourself so i’ll grab the definitions of them that London Ambulance Service provide
Georgia » Ambulance Technician: Can administer a limited range of emergency medications, monitor vital signs, perform CPR with airway management, and manage trauma scenes.
Georgia » Paramedic: Possesses a broader, autonomous scope of practice. They can perform advanced procedures like complex airway management, intravenous (IV) access, administering a wide array of emergency drugs.
Matt » Ahhh, I see. Just an experience and educational different mostly I presume. Moving a little bit away from your current career, what things do you like doing outside of that?
Georgia » I go to a lot of gigs, see a lot of bands live and spend a lot of time with my family!
Matt » Sounds fun! What's your favourite band so far and why? Any song from them you'd like to share with us?
Georgia » Uhhh my favourite band i’ve seen live has to be The Hives a Swedish band, best song has to be two-timing and touch and broken bones. I’ve seen them live 11 times so far.
Georgia » My second favourite band is a small band from Mansfield in England called The Publics and my favourite song by them HAS to be Was That Kiss Meant For me? They’re just simply incredible
Matt » I'll give them both a listen! Sounds exciting! Anything particularly extraordinary about The Hives live? What was the atmosphere like there? Did you meet anyone new?
Georgia » The way the hives perform is just massively immense they work well with the crowd they have so many crowd interactions and they’re just so professional with what they do, they were born to perform.
Matt » I'm glad you got a good experience. Is there anything particular about their music that intruiges you or just everything about it in general?
Georgia » Just them as a band to be fair, i was about 10 when i first saw them at a festival no clue who they were and fell in love
Matt » Fair enough, sometimes it’s just the vibe. Do you have anything else that’s been carried over from your childhood?
Georgia » Uh maybe my love for cars tbf u love a big land rover or a proper classic car
Matt » Thats interesting, if you remember, what interested you in cars in the first place and what kept you interested?
Georgia » My family have always owned land rovers so it was cool to learn how they work and get to drive them and stuff and then classic cars was just a lot of car shows as a kid
Matt » I see. What’s one fun fact that you can tell us about cars in particular? Or anything interesting you think might be niche to know?
Georgia » i’m not really sure we used to run a lot of our older off road vehicles on used chip fat from the local chippy
Matt » That’s new, didn’t really know you could do that! Now, if you had to pick a favourite, what model car would it be and why?
Georgia » I love the land rover defender but it has to be the older models like the 90 or 110
Matt » Could you tell us a little more about the car? What sets it apart and why is this your favourite?
Georgia » Honestly i’ve just always loved them no clue what it is about them i just do
Matt » Fair enough! Let's move onto some rapid-fire takes!
Matt » Coke or Pepsi?
Georgia » coke
Matt » If you could bring only 3 things onto an island with you, what would it be?
Georgia » vape, food & water
Matt » Favorite social media app?
Georgia » tik tok
Matt » Favouirte sauce/condiment?
Georgia » mayo
Matt » Sweet or savoury?
Georgia » savory
Matt » And let's talk a little bit about UpBeat!
Matt » Tell us about your role here at UpBeat!
Georgia » I’m an assistant director at UpBeat, i’ve been in the role for i don’t even know how long now but it’s been a bit of time. I originally joined upbeat in 2022 for the community think i joined the staff team in July 2023. I assist with the running of the radio and help and support the admins and managers with their roles
Matt » What's your favourite part about being here at UpBeat?
Georgia » The people, i’ve made some great friends here and even met my best friend, Dylan through UpBeat. Only downside is meeting Che (i’m joking pls don’t kill me)
Matt » And finally, what would you say to someone who was thinking of joining the staff team?
Georgia » Probably that it’s not as hard as it looks, everyone has to start somewhere and this is a great place to start and become more confident in your hobby and love for presenting or writing.
Matt » Definitely! And to close off, anything you'd like to say to the community?
Georgia » Join the team! And also take part in our events they take us ages to plan
Matt » Thanks Georgia!
THAT'S THE HOTSEAT!
That concludes the first edition of Hotseat's return! Thank you so much for reading and I do hope you've managed to learn a little bit more about Georgia, our lovely Assistant Director here at UpBeat. Have any suggestions as to who should be put on the Hotseat? Leave a comment down below or let us know in the UpBeat Discord, tagging Matt! Once again, thank you for reading and stay tuned for who'll be in the Hotseat next!
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