Page 10 - Phonebox Magazine April 2011

South Central Ambulance Trust Community first responder for olney
New members required to join the volunteer first responder scheme
I work for Thames Valley Police in my main paid job as a Police Community Support officer in Bletchley, Milton keynes. This is varied shift work. I have lived in olney since 2007 and generally have a callout to respond to every other week. The scheme is non-paid and relies on people to give up as little or as much spare time as they want so they can respond if they get a phone call or text from the Ambulance control room. All of the training and kit is provided free of charge from SCAS (South Central Ambulance NHS Trust). The initial training is one weekend which is held down in Bicester at HQ. The support for volunteers is very good and there are continual training refreshers on a regular basis. Members of the scheme use their own cars to respond, and as such have to drive in accordance with the highway code and not break the speed limit, they must also have business insurance for their car.
Nine times out of ten the jobs that the control room will ask you to go to will be literally two miles or less away from your home address and you can get there in about 4-5 minutes whilst an ambulance is en- route. The whole idea of the Community first responding scheme is to provide vital life support or treatment in the first few minutes of someone in your local area calling 999. The Ambulance will always get despatched, but the Cfr (Community first responders) aid the patient survival rate. we also get the chance to go out on shifts with Ambulance crews to aid us with our working knowledge of kit and also develop a good relationship with crews - as they may arrive at jobs that we have arrived at.
There has also been a recent introduction of a South Central Ambulance responder car which is livered up in high vis yellow and red to be used by responders on call (but not to use the lights or
sirens as
training is not
given to
volunteers). The
typical jobs that
I have been
sent to are
things like some
one with
problems
breathing or
heart attacks.
You will get the
full training for
this and at the
present time will not get sent to road traffic accidents or situations where there is risk of harm. If anyone has any questions on the scheme I would be more than happy to answer them and if I can't find the answer then I will forward the question on to my colleagues. My number is 07970 923648.
The website for SCAS responders is www.scas-responders.info/
Many thanks
Chris Nicholls (call sign NF307) Olney Community First Responder
STORAGE
at Mill Farm, Gayhurst
Contact Arthur Adams
01908 611489 07713 740746
Central Heating Services Keith Pryce
Tel 01234 241172 Mobile 07764 577292 www.climaheat.co.uk corgi registered 24-Hour call-out
Installation, maintenance & repairs on all Gas appliances
Kevin Viney
Photography
Portraits
Photo I.D. (adults to babies) Product (farewell to the tungsten)!
Tel: 01234 711918
email: c@mera.uk.com
122 East Street, Olney, Bucks MK46 4BT www.kevinvineyphotography.co.uk
J. G. Southall
For all your general odd jobs and property maintenance
Please call Jon on
01234 721886
07986 601273 (near Olney)
10 Phonebox Magazine