The Scheme was launched in the village of Hurworth Place near Darlington in November 2005 with one volunteer who covered the entire response area. We now have additional cover in Darlington itself provided by a further First Responder. Between us we provide cover whenever we are available. We are urgently looking for more volunteers to join the scheme and be trained by the Ambulance Service. This will enable us to provide a greater level of cover and an increased level of patient care.

The principle behind Community First Responders is that we are a resource to supplement the existing Ambulance cover in our local area. On each occasion a 999 call is made within our response area, the Ambulance Control Room dispatches an Ambulance to the incident however at the same time they will contact the local Community First Responder who if available will also make their way to the incident. As First Responders cover a localised area we often arrive on scene first and can begin to treat the patient. 

In cases of cardiac arrest where every second counts, getting assistance to the individual as quickly as possible is vitally important and this is where the principle behind First Responders is firmly rooted. As First Responders one of the most essential pieces of equipment we carry is called an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) which in the case of cardiac arrest, would be used to deliver a controlled electric shock to help put the patients heart back into a normal rhythm. If this defibrillator can be used within the first few minutes of the patient suffering a cardiac arrest then the greater the patients chance of survival.