About
Community First Responders
Who are First Responders?
First Responders are volunteers who help save lives. They provide immediate care to members of their local communities who are showing signs of heart attack or have suffered a collapse. They are trained to attend emergency calls received by the South Yorkshire Ambulance Service, providing life saving care in the vital minutes prior to arrival of the ambulance. They are also trained in Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an Automatic External Defibrillator (AED). This is a machine that delivers a controlled electric shock to restart the heart. Volunteers work on a rota system and are provided with an AED and a mobile telephone to ensure the South Yorkshire Ambulance Service Communications Centre can remain in contact with them. They administer treatment at the scene until an ambulance crew arrives. |
How Does the Scheme Work?
When an emergency call is received at the South Yorkshire Ambulance Service Communications Centre, an ambulance is despatched immediately. At the same time a First Responder, on-call in the area, is notified with the relevant details and asked to assist at the 999 incident.
Research has shown that early defibrillation is the most important factor affecting the survival of patients in cardiac arrest. If the collapsed patient receives effective CPR and early defibrillation within the first few minutes of their heart stopping, the chances of survival are greatly improved.
Why Are First Responders Necessary?
- More than 300,000 people have heart attacked in England every year
- 110,000 people dies from heart problems
- 50,000 are under the age of 75
- In South Yorkshire, chest pains and other heart related conditions account for a large percentage of all 999 calls.
- Cardiac arrest is the single leading cause of sudden death
- Time is the crucial factor in these life-threatening situations - from the onset of the collapse and the patient's heart stopping their chances of survival reduce by 10% every minute
Responder@jetuk.com
