When Jacqueline Brown first started working with the St John Ambulance Brigade as a teenager (and she refuses to say when that was exactly) the charity had no ambulance and no permanent home, and volunteers frequently wore a drab grey uniform.Much has changed since then.Today, St John Ambulance has its own home on Point Finger Road with plans to build a new one at the same location in the near future.Volunteers also look a little better these days their uniform is usually black pants and a white shirt or hospital greens. They are frequently called out to provide first aid at community events. Sometimes they are called to the scene of an emergency if they are closer than ambulances from King Edward VII Memorial Hospital.Ms Brown became executive director of St John Ambulance nine years ago, after working for many years in Canada and Bermuda as a dietician.“When I was a cadet, I had a grandmother who had had a number of strokes,” she said. “The family nursed her at home. I was quite pleased when I could bed pan my grandmother. In those days St John taught home nursing, but they don’t anymore. After working as a cadet I had wanted to become a nurse, and was accepted into nursing school. I changed my mind and went into dietary science when I realised I didn’t really cope well with blood.”She said she never expected in a million years to find her way back to St John Ambulance but she did. She started back with them almost a decade ago as a part-time worker, although her hours were really 9am to 5pm. She eventually became the first full-time executive director in 2007.Like most charities in Bermuda St John is struggling currently with the poor economy. The charity will often show up to events at the drop of a hat and receive little other than a thank you in return. It is also very costly to run, with insurance bills for their ambulances running up to $11,000. That is why they were overjoyed this month to be named as one of the charity recipients of funds raised from next year’s Catlin End to End Walk. The donation is particularly special, because they are always on duty at this event.“So many charities are at risk because of the financial downturn and we are no different,” said Ms Brown. “People often say to us, we didn’t make any money at the event. Even if it is a $50 donation, it may not pay for the ambulance coming out, but it still assists us. The End to End money was so much appreciated. It will go to our Medical First Responder (MFR) training programme.”Regardless of how tight money is, St John Ambulance has tried to maintain a high level of volunteer training. This requires the purchase of books, tools and other training materials.“We have pushed the envelope trying to do that,” she said. “The money we will receive from Catlin for training and MFR training will be such a blessing. One of the new rules we have made just this past year, is that by the end of a probationary person’s first year, volunteers must be MFR-trained. That means we will be putting all of our members through the medical first responder training. MFR training is pretty important.”She said they often preside over high-speed sporting events where injuries can be quite traumatic and their immediate care requires a lot of training.“Now with the MFR training, it means our volunteers can handle more difficult problems or trauma,” she said. “Since we try to work as a team with the hospital and Bermuda Fire Service, I think it also raises their level of confidence in our skills, if we should be the ambulance that should be closest to a trauma.”This time of year is a busy time for St John Ambulance. During Christmas week there are many soccer games. There are also sporting and entertainment events planned around New Year’s Eve.“Usually, that whole week we are scrambling to meet the community’s needs while recognising that a lot of our volunteers like to go away during that time period,” she said. “It is always a challenge. It is busier and more short-staffed, but it is not hectic. November could be considered a lot more hectic. Track is still on. Rugby is on. You are still seeing motocross taking place. There are football games on. Anything that usually has an international team coming in often requires our services. It causes us to keep racing.”Ms Brown went on ambulance calls once or twice in her early years as executive director, but quickly decided to stick to the office.“I try to avoid mixing my role, because then people expect you to be out there, and there is nobody else sitting in the office,” she said. “I don’t have a secretary although I desperately need one. We can’t afford one. I try to stay focused on the administrative side of things. We have about 75 to 80 people involved right now. A couple of times I have heard the rumour in the community that our volunteers are paid. They are not paid anything for their time. They are volunteers.”One thing she is particularly proud of is the St John Ambulance cadet programme restarted last year for students ages ten to 16. There are 23 people currently in the programme. The students learn first aid, but also take field trips around the Island and have classes in fitness and nutrition among other things.“Our core concentration is first aid, but we also want our cadets to be well-rounded human beings,” she said. “At the age of 12 they can go out on duty and observe. They cannot participate, but they can watch what is going on. They can begin to train as a volunteer at 16 years old.”The St John Ambulance in Bermuda is linked to those in the Caribbean. They are now helping St John chapters there create similar youth programmes.“One of my dreams is that eventually, at least for one week during the summer, the cadets will have the opportunity to travel to the Caribbean and meet with other cadets and have additional programmes,” said Ms Brown.She said it’s a good thing she’s not married because if she had a husband he would probably starve. She is very committed to her work.“I am always on the run,” she said. “I do live with my mother, Pauline Daniels. She is ageing and needs my assistance. She keeps me busy. I do have trouble leaving my work behind, because quite often I take it with me.”