What we do...

Hey all... Again...

Hope all are well and good... Just thought i would expand a bit more on the Community First Responder (CFR) role...

So what are we???

CFR's are volunteer members of the community who are trained to respond to emergency calls through the 999 system in conjunction with the South East Coast Ambulance Service NHS Trust.
CFR's are not a substitute for the ambulance crews, but because they are based within the community in which they live or work, they are able to attend the scene of an emergency in a very short time often within the first few minutes and in the majority of incidents they would be first on scene. The CFR can then begin vital life saving first aid before the arrival of an Ambulance, further increasing the patient’s chance of survival.

So now i guess you are thinking what training do CFR's get???

Well i will go into further detail about the training i got soon, and how it has affected things etc... But in the meantime this is what the SECAMB website states...

Volunteers attend a two-day course, taught by Ambulance Service Trainers, which covers all aspects of emergency first aid, including:
Basic Life Support (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation)
Use of a Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
Oxygen therapy
Medical emergencies
Minor trauma
Patient assessment

Each new responder must complete a formal assessment at the end of their training and regular ongoing training and refresher sessions are undertaken by the volunteers.

So i will update you all shortly on the training and assessments...

Bye for now guys...

:-)

A bit of background info!

Hi All,

So here we go... My first blog... A blog virgin so to speak... Have a look around, and watch the site grow and grow...

A little scene setting excercise... And it will sum up my new role as a Community First Responder for South East Coast Ambulance Service... (I will explain how training went next...)

OK, so imagine this... Your Mum, Dad, Nan, Grandad, Sister, Brother or whomever you choose, suddenly becomes very ill and requires urgent help! First thing your likely to do is pick up that phone and dial 999... You then say (In a panic) "Ambulance Please" then you get put through to the call handler for the ambulance service... You go through some questions, and then if you tick the right boxes, you will get an ambulance sent, but in serious cases like breathing difficulties, Cardiac Arrest, Chest Pains etc, a Community First Responder may be sent too...

Now your first thoughts are “I expected a big yellow van, with blue flashy lights, and sirens” Well how wrong you will have been… You open that door, and there before you is a person, with a big bag and a defibrillator (Machine that shock’s the heart) wearing not green overalls, but a RED T-Shirt and a High Vis Jacket saying they are a Community First Responder… You look at them blankly and say “OK… quick help… They’re through here!...!

There you go, a Community First Responder is born, saving your precious loved one and you don’t really know what they do! Well I am here to try and explain to the best of my ability and tell you about how I am finding the role, and what I come across when I am on call… But in the back of your mind, I bet you are still thinking “I expected a bloody Ambulance…”

Hope you enjoy the blog, and expand your knowledge as much as I am whilst still learning the ropes!!!