What does a Community First Responder do?
Whenever the Ambulance Service receives a 999 call from the Pennard, Southgate,
Parkmill, Lunnon, Kittle, Bishopston or Murton areas which indicates a situation that is
considered immediately life threatening, the Community First Responders currently 'on
call' will be contacted directly. The 999 caller will be told that the Community First
Responders are on the way and that they will also be backed up by an ambulance as
soon as possible.
The Community First Responders will usually drive to the scene. If driving is involved, it
will be under the Highway Code in the volunteers' own cars and no special
dispensation will be made for breaking the law. On arrival, the Community First
Responders will have all the training and equipment necessary to manage the patient
in those first few critical minutes before the ambulance arrives. In many cases, the
Community First Responders may not actually be required to do anything other than
reassure the patient and make sure that the ambulance is able to find the location. In
some circumstances however, we believe that the Community First Responders may
save life. This may be as a result of simple airway opening manoeuvres, defibrillation
or treating choking.
The Community First Responders will always be backed up by an ambulance.
For further information, click here and look at some of the reference topics on the
Pennard Community First Responders web site.
N.B. A Community First Responder is a local volunteer who agrees to undertake
training in order to be able to provide life saving treatment to those people within the
local community who are critically injured or ill in the few minutes prior to the arrival of
an ambulance.
