EMSWORTH AMBULANCE COMMUNITY RESPONDERS CONTINUE TO GROW
Since the Emsworth Ambulance Responders Scheme went live at the end of July 2006, they have had a very busy time. By the end of March 2007 there will have been more than 150 emergency calls made to the ambulance service, from the area.
In order to respond to these calls, Emsworth Responders are constantly recruiting and training new members to the high standards set out by the NHS, to deal with CAT 1 calls (life threatening situations). The group has just been successful in increasing their quota of trained Responders by four, as recent trainees qualify, bringing the total up to twenty fully operational members, an encouraging approach to the target of thirty qualified members. Once qualified, the Responders continue to train and update themselves on a regular basis under the expert guidance of paramedics and ambulance technicians from the Hampshire (now part of South Central) Ambulance Service.
The group's aims for the near future include the purchase of a second AED (automatic external defibrillator) and associated equipment bag, which will allow the Responders to attend two calls at the same time. They are also hoping to have an internet web site up and running shortly, which will give you the opportunity to track their progress and keep you up to date with their latest news. Details of the web address will be published as soon as the site is live.
One challenge faced by the Responders on call is locating the patient's property. In order to save them valuable time, please make sure that your house number is clearly visible from the road, preferably lit, also leaving some lights on at the front of the house. If possible, ask someone to wait outside the house to guide the Responder or ambulance.
If this article has interested you and you would like to volunteer to either train as a Responder or help out in a non-operational capacity, please contact Janet Barradell on telephone number 01243 430289. You may gain considerable satisfaction in helping the community in this way as well as working with a good mixed group of interesting people.