Famous fairy tales aim to educate kids on 999 calls

A NEW children’s book will give age-old fairy tales a modern twist in order to educate youngsters on the importance of emergency 999 calls.

There were more than a million 999 calls in 2019, but it’s been revealed that more than a third weren’t actual emergencies.

North West Ambulance Service has been sharing some of the bizarre reasons people called 999 last year, with callers ringing for bizarre incidents such as stubbed toes, hiccups and being unable to reach the toilet roll.

NWAS has shared the figures as it embarks on a new scheme to teach children about the correct use of the 999 system.

It has created fairy tale book Happily Ever After to educate children on when to use the emergency services.

Grimm’s age-old fairy tales have been given a modern twist in the new book, which will be available to primary school children across the region.

Written by Mathew Owen and illustrated by Emmeline Pidgen, the book sees classic characters such as Snow White in scenarios that require emergency attention, whereas characters such as Sleeping Beauty deal with the prince having a seizure by dialling 111.

The aim is to educate young children on which scenarios are considered to be an emergency in a bid to reduce the number of non-emergency calls and help people understand where else they can get help.

Talking about the book, Ged Blezard, director of operations at NWAS, said: “There is clearly a need to educate the public on what constitutes an emergency situation, and what better way to connect with children than to turn the old fairy tales we all know and love into stories we can all learn from?”

He added: “By educating children early on, we hope to provide them with the knowledge they need to act responsibly and with due care should they ever find themselves in an emergency.”

Paramedics plan to visit primary schools to talk about the initiative, while lesson plans are available for teachers who wish to introduce their pupils to the scheme. To download the full book and lesson plans, visit www.nwas.nhs.uk/get-involved/ children-youth/lesson-plans/