Join us as we explore the first installment of Dan Dan the Ambulance Man, a heartwarming children’s book by Paul Eaton, a former paramedic. This delightful story introduces young readers to Dan Dan, a calm, capable hero who shows up when it matters most. Dan Dan and his team—including Lucy Bandage—teach kids what paramedics do and remind us all that help is always on the way. Get ready because Dan Dan the Ambulance Man is about to meet Percy Bunn the Baker…

Subscribe with your favorite podcast player

Welcome to this edition of Newsgram!

Today I thought it would be fun to jump right into a new character that I hope you’ll enjoy meeting. His name is Dan Dan the Ambulance Man and he is the creation of children’s book author Dan Eaton. 

He is always ready to assist those in need, whether it’s at a football match, a theme park, or during everyday situations. Dan Dan is a role model for children because he teaches them the importance of emergency services in a fun and reassuring way

Paul – The reason why I wanted to do it this way is because not many people know, particularly young children and also parents as well, they don’t know what paramedics do.  They treat whatever they find and then they take you off to hospital. 

That simple explanation? Perfect for young children. Paul should know—he served as a healthcare professional in the West Midlands, England, with extensive experience in emergency services.

Paul – What I wanted to bring with the books is that paramedics and doctors aren’t nasty people, but they’re there to help. In the four years that I was a paramedic, I dealt with loads of children. When a stranger turns up in a big ambulance, with blue lights going, and certain sirens, and then these paramedics walking with all their equipment, that children, particularly young children, get really scared, because they don’t know what’s happening. They don’t know what the paramedics are going to do. And not only that, I wanted to bring that point home for the parents as well, because when I’ve dealt with children in the home, the parents, particularly if it’s a serious case, the parents get really scared as well. 

Drawing from his background in emergency care, Paul Eaton didn’t just create Dan Dan the Ambulance Man—he built an entire series of children’s books that offer real insight into the world of emergency responders. These stories shed light on the daily responsibilities of paramedics, a role he once cherished until life took an unexpected turn.

Paul – I sustained a severe head injury. And I couldn’t drive. I couldn’t drive the vehicle anymore. And because when you’re a paramedic in England, I don’t know whether it’s the same in America, but when you’re a paramedic in England, even though you’re with a crew partner, you take it in turns to drive. So they said, there’s no way that we can, you know, my station officer, station manager turned around and said, I’m sorry, Paul, but there’s no way that we can sanction you driving anymore. Just in case you end up blacking out because of a head injury.

So I took early, I took retirement on medical grounds. And then I went back to my old career, which was a first aid instructor. And then while I was doing my own business, I ran my own business doing first aid instruction.

And I was teaching members of the public, people at the workplace first aid, defibrillator, the automatic defibrillator, health and safety, handling and lifting, you name it, I did it.

And so his new series of books is just another way for Paul to give back to his community and continue to help people in new ways. In the first book is Meet Percy Bunn The Baker but then in book two we meet  Lucy Bandage another first aider that joins Dan Dan to help out at a public event.

Paul – The third one is Dan, Dan, The Ambulance Man Goes to the Football Match. And the fourth one is Dan, Dan, The Ambulance Man Goes to the Theme Park.

In that one everything seems to be going smoothly until Timothy Tornado and George Gander encounter some trouble. Dan Dan’s quick response  in an unexpected situation saves the day.

No matter what the situation, Dan Dan is a calm, capable presence in times of crisis and for young children, especially those who might be afraid of emergencies or medical situations. The pictures and narrative are designed to help normalize the presence of emergency personnel and show that there are good people out there ready to help when needed. 

Let’s take a look at the first book, Dan Dan the Ambulance Man Meets Percy Bunn the Baker. It tells the story of a bakery fire where Dan Dan arrives to help Percy, who has.  inhaled too much smoke.

Paul – There’s a picture in the first book of the bakery on fire and the firemen are there pulling the fire out. And the firemen say your casualties over there pointing to someone on the floor. So Dan Dan the Ambulance Man goes over and puts an oxygen mask on the face of Percy Bunn the baker because he’s having trouble breathing, because of breathing in a lot of smoke. And it says in the book, this will help him to breathe. It’s oxygen. And then he said that he examined the rest of his body while he’s in the ambulance. And when he got to his tummy Percy Bunn winced so he said, I’m just going to put a burn dressing on that and then we’ll get you off to hospital. And then the next scene is where they arrive at hospital and Dan Dan the Ambulance Man’s wheeling the casualty in and there’s a drawing of the doctor as well.

The visual storytelling helps children understand medical procedures in a non-threatening, empowering way. Dan Dan is a bridge—connecting children to emergency personnel with kindness and courage, he’s an ordinary person doing extraordinary things.

Paul – I said, we’re not nasty people. We’re not like to cause harm. We’re there to help and get them to the hospital if they need to go to the hospital. Also, maybe, maybe if it inspires a young child now and when they leave school to be a paramedic or a doctor or a nurse, then those are the points that I wanted to bring across.

Whether it’s a bump, a burn, or just a scary moment, Dan Dan the Ambulance Man shows kids that there are good people out there—ready to help when it matters most. 

All of Paul Eaton’s books are now available online.

Stay safe out there and  remember—help is always on the way. Thanks for listening to this edition of Newsgram from webtalkradio.com. 

The post Dan Dan the Ambulance Man Meets Percy Bunn the Baker appeared first on WebTalkRadio.net.