More people volunteer to become Community First Responders for Yorkshire Ambulance Service (From Bradford Telegraph and Argus)

More people volunteer to become Community First Responders for Yorkshire Ambulance Service

9:00am Monday 11th February 2013 in News

Yorkshire Ambulance Service has received a flood of calls from folk keen to become Community First Responders across the Bradford district.

Following an article in the Telegraph & Argus on Baildon’s first Community First Responder Rob Higgie, the service has received at least a dozen enquiries from potential volunteers, a spokesman said yesterday.

“There certainly was a spike of interest following last month’s article in the T&A,” the spokesman said.

Some 140,000 people die each year due to a lack of quick, basic treatment for emergency conditions. Community First Responders are alerted following 999 calls when there is no ambulance immediately available.

There are about 300 volunteers across West Yorkshire who provide immediate life-saving care in their communities in an emergency medical situation, such as a heart attack, breathing difficulties or a collapse in the vital minutes before the ambulance arrives.

Businessman Mr Higgie, 52, donates four hours a week to being a Community First Responder.

“We’ve had some 12 people contact us from across Bradford and we are actively pursuing people who have shown an interest,” the ambulance service spokesman said. “They’ve been invited to an introduction evening where there will be a one-to-one chat with our officers about the techniques of defibrillation.

“That is one means of sorting out whether people might be suitable to progress with the scheme.

“If that’s the case, then they will be asked to fill out formal applications in order to go on our next training course which is planned for March.”

Anyone interested can find out more at communityresponders.

yas.nhs. uk or on 0845 120 3155.