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Operational Details : What
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What is a
Community First Responder (CFR) ?
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Community First Responders are ordinary members of the community who volunteer to be trained to respond to medical emergencies in their local area as an additional resource within the Ambulance Service.
CFR's provide urgent medical care to patients in areas where distance may delay a conventional Ambulance response. We are trained in Basic Life Support and the use of a defibrillator (AED) and respond to appropriate life-threatening calls where our quick intervention could benefit the patient.
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As First Responders we cover a localised area around where we live or work. Because of this, we can attend any incidents in a very short length of time often being the first form of medical assistance to arrive on scene. We can then initiate life saving first aid prior to the arrival of the Ambulance, increasing the patients chance of survival and rate of recovery. First Responders are not a
substitute for a conventional Ambulance; an Ambulance will have already been dispatched to the incident before the First Responder is contacted. First Responders do make a difference not only in rural areas where an Ambulance may have to travel a long distance to an incident, but also in urban areas where increased traffic problems and a higher rate of incidents can delay a response. |
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The North East Ambulance Service can get to most incidents very quickly however the period of time between the 999 call being made and the Ambulance arriving on scene is the most crucial for any patient,
particularly one who is in cardiac arrest or unconscious. A trained First Responder can fill this gap and provide the simple but effective treatment required in these crucial few minutes. |
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