What is a Community First Responder Scheme?
Community First Responders are teams of volunteers trained by the ambulance service to a nationally recognised level and provide life saving treatment to people in their local communities.
Community First Responders are always backed up by an ambulance vehicle with a paramedic or technician.
Immediately after a heart attack, a patient begins with approximately 80% chance of survival. This is reduced by 7-10% for each minute that passes without a defibrillator. This is where Community First Responders can save lives.
Because of good road links, we will also respond to serious incidents further north and south along the A449 ‘corridor’ as well as into parts of Cannock Chase District
Why are schemes so important?
The governments white paper “Saving lives – Our Healthier Nation”, stressed the importance of early public access defibrillation. In many illnesses or injuries, the first few minutes are critical and simple interventions can be performed in order to save lives and prevent disability.
Defibrillation
In the UK, 135,000 people die each year due to what is commonly called a heart attack or Myocardial Infarction. Two thirds of these deaths occur outside of hospital. Death is often caused by a lethal, but treatable, electrical abnormality in the heart called Ventricular Fibrillation or VF. The only treatment is DEFIBRILLATION. Minutes save lives. The sooner a defibrillator is used, the better the patients chance of survival
The life we save could be yours.
Penkridge & District Community First Responders 