West Midlands  Ambulance Services are committed to providing the highest standard of pre-hospital patient care to all those living in or passing through our boundaries.

What is the Community First Responder Scheme

Community First Responder Schemes provide volunteers who are trained to attend emergency calls, providing life saving treatment to those people within the local community who are critically injured or ill in the first few minutes prior to the arrival of an emergency ambulance. 
We aim to respond within 2 minutes of receiving a 999 call which gives the patient the best chance of survival in the event of Coronary or Cerebral problems.

Why do we need the scheme

We know that in many medical emergencies and after accidents, people can die within the first few minutes. We also know that, if certain simple but critical interventions can be performed within those first few minutes, life can be saved and disability reduced. This is especially true for heart attacks, choking and injuries that have caused someone to lose consciousness.

The Trust is continually looking at ways of improving efficiency and healthcare to the communities it serves and to ensure that it meets the Government set targets. There are always times when an emergency vehicle cannot get to an incident within the first few minutes, particularly in more rural areas. Community First Responders provide essential treatment in those first crucial minutes, making the difference between life and death.

Thanks to the advances in technology many medical interventions are now more readily available for the layman to administer, following training. These include small, easy to operate 'automatic external defibrillators (AEDs) and lightweight oxygen delivery systems.

West Midlands & Shropshire Ambulance Service believes that with the right training, equipment and support, Community First Responders can work alongside the ambulance service providing the best pre-hospital care possible.

Recruitment

Using in-house knowledge, the organisation will identify and prioritise areas of the region that would benefit from the introduction of a Community First Responder Scheme.

Working with the local community, the Trust will use existing networks and community groups to raise awareness of the scheme, to attract volunteers to assist in the establishment of a local group.

The Community First Responder is a Volunteer.

Volunteers should be:

• Aged between 18 and 70
• Have a current clean driving licence
• Be physically fit with a mature outlook on life and have a sympathetic and caring approach to people
• (Volunteers over 65 years of age will be required to undergo an annual health check.)
• Volunteers may already have some basic understanding of first aid or perhaps be a member of a voluntary aid society, emergency service or health profession.
• Volunteers will need to be flexible and organised on a call-out basis to meet the needs of the first responder scheme and local community.

Training and Assessment

To be a Community First Responder the volunteer is required to attend a training course.

This involves approximately 64 hours of training in emergency care that culminates in an award of the nationally recognised IHCD (Institute of Health Care Development) First Person on Scene (FPOS) certificate for successful applicants.

Training courses are flexible and can be arranged at times that are mutually convenient for volunteers. (Usually undertaken at weekends).

The Training covers the following subjects:

Module 1
Introduction, scene safety, patient assessment, management, basic life support and defibrillation.

Module 2
Medical emergencies including cardiac conditions, diabetic/neurological/respiratory emergencies.

Module 3
Trauma emergencies and preparation for active duty.

Volunteers also receive instruction in:

Risk Assessment; Health & Safety; Patient and scene management; How to respond to a call; How to report untoward incidents or unusual occurrences; Administration; Verbal and written handover to ambulance crews; Consent, confidentiality & right of entry

As part of the training, Community First Responders will spend two days observing on an emergency ambulance and with a First Responder, including a visit to the Emergency Operations Centre to gain an appreciation and understanding of the process of receiving and responding to an emergency call.

Equipment

The Trust will supply a full responder kit for each scheme including:

• First Responder Bag containing an oxygen cylinder and tubing, assorted oxygen masks, bag/valve/mask, full range of airways, suction gun with disposable canister, dressings, blanket, bags for clinical waste and gloves/disposable eye/face shield.
• A fully Automated External Defibrillator, with spare pads.
• Mobile telephone
• Personal issue protective clothing including a coverall with corporate identity and a high visibility waistcoat/jacket plus ID card for presentation upon arrival at an incident.

Responding to a call

When the ambulance service receives a 999 call from a community where a scheme is running, which indicates a situation that is considered immediately life threatening, the duty Community First Responder will be contacted. The 999 caller will be told that a Community First Responder is on the way and that they will be backed up by an ambulance as soon as possible.

The Responder will either walk or drive to the scene. It is anticipated that all incidents will be within 4 minutes travelling time wherever possible in the West Midlands and 8 minutes in Shropshire.

If driving is involved, it will be under the Highway Code and Community First Responders are expected to comply with the law while driving to incidents - at all times.

On arrival, the Community First Responder will have all the training and equipment necessary to manage the patient in those first few critical minutes before the ambulance arrives. In many cases, the Community First Responder may not actually be required to do anything other than reassure the patient and make sure that the ambulance is able to find the location. However, we know that the Community First Responder could save a life, for example, as a result of a simple airway open manoeuvre, defibrillation or treating choking.

What happens after the incident

Support for the volunteers and analysis of the impact of the scheme in the community is an extremely important aspect. There may be times when despite all efforts, a patient dies or has already died before help arrives. This can be distressing for everyone involved and the Trust has experience in helping people to cope with these circumstances. Dealing with emergency situations can be stressful, especially if the patient is known to the Community First Responder. There will always be someone who can talk through the incidents and the emotions evoked.

Community First Responders will record information about the interventions they performed and their efforts. All of this infomation will be analysed by the Trust to ensure that the best possible service is provided to the communities.

What if a mistake is made?

Community First Responder Schemes ensure that local people are trained in simple and safe techniques that can be used to save life. These techniques are rarely associated with causing harm and in true life and death situations, there is often little harm that can be done compared to doing nothing at all. All Community First Responders are trained to a high standard and will be expected to operate within a code of practice. Community First Responders will be indemnified against accidental injury and third party liabilities by West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust. As agents of the ambulance service, they are insured against any medical errors arising, providing protocols are followed.

A typical local First Responder Scheme is:

• Run by a local co-ordinator
• Equipped and trained by West Midlands Ambulance Service
• Organised & flexible to meet the needs of the first responders and local community
• Organised on a call-out rota basis within the local community

  and has approx 10 - 20 volunteers

How to join

If you are interested or want more information about becoming a Community First Responder please write to:

The Community Response Co-ordinator
West Midlands Ambulance Service
NHS Trust
Millennium Point, Waterfront Business Park, Waterfront Way, Brierley Hill,
West Midlands DY5 1LX
Telephone: 01384-215555

or

The Community Response Co-ordinator
Shropshire Ambulance Service
Abbey Foregate
Shrewsbury
Shropshire SY2 6LX
Telephone: 01743 273600

This information supplied courtesy of the West Midlands Ambulance Service