Pennard Community First Responders

What is a Community First Responder?

We know that in many medical emergencies and after accidents, people can die within the first few minutes. We also know that if certain simple but critical interventions can be performed within those first few minutes that life can be saved and disability reduced. This is especially the case for heart attacks, choking and injuries that have caused someone to lose consciousness.

Even the best ambulance service in the world cannot always get to every 999 call within the first few minutes, especially in countryside areas or large commercial complexes. There is a period of time between the 999 call being made and the ambulance arriving in which little or no emergency care takes place. This time period has been called the 'therapeutic vacuum'. We know that community-based first responders can fill this vacuum and provide essential simple treatment in those crucial first few minutes.

In recent years, advances in technology have been made, and many interventions which were previously performed only by highly trained individuals are now available to people with much less training. These include small, easy to operate 'automated external defibrillators' (AEDs) and lightweight oxygen delivery systems.

With the right training, equipment and support, Community First Responders can work alongside the Ambulance Service and provide the best pre-hospital care that is possible. The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust provides the organisational framework within which volunteers in the community can be trained and equipped to become Community First Responders.

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.

At each incident, the Community First Responders will record information about the interventions they performed and their effects. Critical information such as the times the Community First Responders mobilised and arrived at the scene, and the actions they took, are recorded by Ambulance Control. All of this information will be analysed by The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust to ensure that they are providing the best possible service to the community.

The Welsh Ambulance Services NHS Trust has channelled some funds towards the setting up the Community First Responder Schemes in Wales and providing equipment and training. In addition, the British Heart Foundation has, in some cases (including Pennard's), supplied the automated external defibrillator. Some schemes have not been so lucky and have had to raise the necessary funds to buy their own equipment. It costs approximately £5000 to train and equip a group of volunteers in a scheme and there are already more than 100 First Responder schemes involving around 1500 volunteers across Wales. The Welsh Ambulance Trust First Responder Scheme website gives details of the schemes that operate in Wales. Individual volunteers and local schemes don't receive any payment and fund-raising efforts may be needed in order to support the First Responder Schemes.