Leominster Community First Responders, a dedicated team of trained volunteers often first on the scene to provide emergency life support, have a brand new set of wheels.
For five years the First Responders have relied on their own cars to cover a 10-mile radius of Leominster, and now they are delighted to have a dedicated vehicle.
These three volunteers provide immediate care to patients in their community before the ambulance arrives on the scene.
“We understand this is the first vehicle in Hereford and Worcester which we have got with the help of our MP, Bill Wiggin who pointed us in the right direction,” explains Carol Thorne, part of the team which includes her husband, Bill and Robin Smith.
“We are very proud of it and it will mean that we will be more easily recognised.”
West Midlands Ambulance Service will be fitting communications and satellite navigation equipment which will be a great bonus for the volunteers who have until now had to rely on mobile phones.
Says Carol: “We take our observations and reassure patients before the paramedics arrive on the scene.”
Able to give oxygen and take blood pressure, the types of medical emergencies First Responders are trained for includes cardiac arrest, unconscious and collapsed patients, those with chest pains, breathing difficulties, fitting or convulsions, stroke, allergic reactions, and diabetic emergencies.
The new vehicle will allow the team to maintain a 24-hour cover. “We can give reassurances to the patient, a friendly face,” says Carol. “We love what we’re doing.”
But like responder groups across the country, the service is not funded and the volunteers’ time is given free.
However, the new vehicle will cost £1,000 a year to keep it on the road, and the team is hopeful that local businesses and organisations in and around Leominster might be able to offer sponsorship to enable them to pay the running costs.
