Community First Reponders
Who are Community First Responders (CFR's)?
CFR's are volunteers who provide immediate care to those in their community who have fallen ill. The CFR's are dispatched by the South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb).
CFR's are trained to attend emergency calls received by the Ambulance Service, and give life-saving care in the minutes up to when the ambulance arrives.
Training is provided by the Ambulance Service and covers Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED).
The aim of the group is to provide a service 24 hours a day 365 days of the year.
What do Community First Responders do?
The main responsibilities are:
- To attend emergency calls in their area and aim for an 8 minute response time. CFR's are not allowed to go faster than the normal speed limits when responding to calls
- To provide appropriate treament prior to the ambulance arriving
- To document, record and inform the NHS ambulance crew of the patient's condition and any treatment given
- To assist the NHS ambulance crew as instructed to
- To stay with the patient until the NHS ambulance crew have arrived and are happy for them to leave the scene
Why do we need Community First Responders?
Dr Richard Cummins, from Seattle, discovered that heart attack victims stand a greater chance of survival if the following events take place:
- Early Access
- Early Resuscitation
- Early Defibrillation
- Early Advanced Life Support
This is know as the Chain of Survival
CFR's are trained in providing the first three of these events. Taking these actions can increase the pre-hospital survival rate to between 20-40%
What can I do to help?
- Volunteer to be a First Responder
- Help with the administration of the local scheme
- Help with fundraising to buy more kits
- Help with sponsorship
- Make a donation
- Help with raising awareness of the scheme within your area
- If you have encountered First Responders we would love to get your feedback