East of England Ambulance Service volunteers who are trained and deployed to life threatening 999 calls on behalf of the Ambulance service as the first link in the chain of survival. Their aim is to reach a potential life threatening emergency in the first vital minutes before the ambulance crew arrives on scene. Community first responders are sent by ambulance control to life-threatening emergencies such as cardiac arrests. They live or work in area where a group is set up and can get to an incident in just a few minutes while an ambulance resource is on its way. Their role is to help stabilise the patient and, in doing so, keep the patient alive until the arrival of the more highly skilled ambulance crew, who are trained to undertake further life saving techniques. Who can become a CFR? Anyone can become a community first responder but you must:
•Be physically fit
•Aged between 18 - 70
•Agree to a criminal record bureau check
•Have a sympathetic, caring nature
•Agree to undertake training
Each community first responder scheme is always looking to increase their team members, so, if you have spare time and would like to get involved, we would like to hear from you. The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust serves a population of more than 5.8 million in the east of England covering an area of 19,000 km2. This region is made up of the counties of Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Norfolk and Suffolk. The Trust was established on July 1, 2006 and provides not only emergency care, but associated patient transport and other services, including community health. Community First Responders are activated by the East of England Ambulance Service to attend emergency calls at the same time that an ambulance resource is dispatched, and often arrive first because they're so close to a call. Volunteers are trained in the use of oxygen therapy and an automated external defibrillator (AED) which allows them to give life-saving care until the ambulance arrives. The ambulance service provides free training and assessment, and start-up equipment, but groups are self-funded.
