Mayfield & Ellastone
Community First Responders

Who are we?

The group was first formed in 2002 and are now part of the West Midlands Ambulance Service. If a 999 call is made in our area, we are contacted and are usually first on scene. Our trained responders can start treatment straight away but are always backed up by a professional paramedic and/or ambulance crew.

We have a Land Rover Freelander, which was bought with funds raised by the local community.

All responders are local villagers who know their area well. Although we may be neighbours, rest assured that all details of any call-out remain totally confidential.

What do we do?

People sometimes ask us what sort of incidents we get called to – do we only go to those that the Ambulance Service consider not worth sending an ambulance to?

Most certainly not is the answer. If there is an ambulance 999 call in our area and we are on duty – we get sent. In fact we are probably at our most valuable when there is a dire emergency because we can get to an incident far faster than an ambulance.

For example, if you or a relative had a heart attack we could be on the scene in minutes: our vehicle carries a defibrillator, and our volunteers are fully trained to use it.

We hope we won’t have to use it, for you or anybody else, but if we do, the time saved in getting to you could mean the difference between life or death.

Saving Time can Save Lives

We do not of course replace the regular Ambulance Service. When you dial 999, the control room will dispatch a First Responder team (if available) in addition to the ambulance. It is simply that, because of our proximity, we can arrive sooner, and start procedures that may save precious time, and with it, a life.

 

Community First Responders: Learning skills to help save lives in rural emergencies