Community First Responders

Community First Responders ambulance

Who We Are

All Responders are volunteers
We all live locally and respond locally
All are trained by the Ambulance Service

Community First Responders team

Our Role

To attend life-threatening calls within our local communities
Dispatched by the Ambulance Operations Centre
Aim to be on-scene within 8 minutes
Always supported by an Ambulance crew
To act only within our Scope of Practice
To ensure patient confidentiality at all times
To treat everyone impartially and without prejudice
To act professionally and calmly under pressure
To escalate concerns of abuse or neglect through the correct channels

Responder providing treatment

Our Training

Attend an initial training course run by the Ambulance Service
Spend time on-shift with Paramedic crews
Complete continuation training
Skills are assessed annually

Training session

Types of Call

Cardiac Arrest
Heart Attack
Chest Pains
Breathing Difficulties
Stroke
Choking
Fitting
Unconscious casualty
Diabetic Incident
And more!

Responder training exercise

How We Operate

Each kit is fully equipped and includes a smartphone with dispatching apps
Clothing and PPE is personal issue
Dispatched by NMA app or voice call from the AOC
All information is in the app:
- Address
- Patient age
- Condition
We adhere to all standard speed limits

Responder rota system

Recruitment Process

Expression of interest
Interview with your local group
Application pack sent to you from the Trust
References and Occupational Health check
DBS and Right to Work checks
Volunteer ready for a course placement
Training invite sent directly to the volunteer
Shadow an experienced responder once trained
You do not have to go out alone
The Trust asks for a minimum of 16 hours per month
Book on as a solo responder when ready