A number of volunteers in the east Midlands have been trained in providing emergency medical care and in the use of first aid equipment so that they can help to save lives. Castle Donington Community First Responders attend 999 calls under the control of the East Midlands Ambulance Service, AboutMyArea reports.
Each individual involved in the scheme lives or works within the local community and can be with patients with a matter of minutes to provide treatment until the ambulance service arrives.
Speaking to AboutMyArea/DE74, scheme coordinator Ian Beard remarked: “It has been almost four years since we became operational in Castle Donington and during that time we’ve seen our call rate steadily increase to the current level of some 350 calls, as well as seeing some changes in our personnel.”
He went on to point out that recently the responders were able to invest in new equipment. Precise details concerning the type of first aid supplies purchased was not provided, but it may have included items like oxygen masks, blood pressure monitors and other such things.
According to Mr Beard, it is thanks to the “outstanding generosity” and support of local people that the responders have been able to get to their current stage.
However, he went on to point out that having the necessary equipment is not enough by itself. It is also important that there are sufficient numbers of volunteers to make use of the resources.
He stated: “We currently have six fully trained and experienced responders, but there is plenty of room for more, In fact the more the better. Better for us as an organisation but far more importantly, better for those people in the community who need us.”
Mr Beard stated that Castle Donington is developing quickly and suggested that this process brings more people to the area to live and work, placing local services and emergency services under greater pressure.