Why we have First Responders

Over the past few weeks, there have been instances where some members of the general public have been accusing some of the First Responder group of volunteers of being responsible for the poor ambulance service in our area.

The basis of their argument being: "If there were no responders then the ambulance would have to improve," or: "when you arrive at an incident, the clock stops and the ambulance does not have to rush". That attitude, I would suggest, is both unfair and uncalled for! Let me explain why.

To set the record straight, it is necessary to explain on behalf of the Parish Council why we have First Responders and why the Responder Group was formed in the first place.

As a parish, we were experiencing a very poor service from the North West Ambulance Service which resulted in the Parish Council registering a formal complaint.

As a result there were a number of meetings with the Parish Council, and an open meeting in the Public Hall in June 2008 chaired by local MP Stephen O'Brien. We wanted an improved service from the NWAS before someone passed away waiting for an ambulance to arrive.

The National target for attending a Cardiac arrest is 8 minutes as your chances of recovery diminish rapidly in the crucial early minutes after a cardiac arrest.

Where we are located, it is extremely difficult to achieve this target. So, it was agreed we would establish a First Responder Group, trained by the NWAS to provide an immediate response to a 999 call requesting an ambulance to attend.

Part way through this programme of training, it became obvious that the NWAS were reducing the level of training meaning that the responders could only attend cardiac arrest cases. They would not be permitted to attend any other calls.

Catch 22At this point we found ourselves in a catch 22 situation. Do we withdraw from setting up a volunteer Responder Group or do we continue? We decided to continue and fight for a higher level of training such as Nantwich and Loggerheads in Staffordshire have.

Since that point, your Parish Council has continued to push for both a better ambulance service and more training for Responders so they could attend a wider range of incidents. We joined with Nantwich and enlisted the help of our MPs, Stephen O'Brien and Edward Timpson (Nantwich).

A more local ambulanceAs a result of this pressure, we are now to have an ambulance based at Nantwich covering Nantwich and rural South Cheshire, specifically Audlem and district. This improved service starts on the 1st March and will be on duty 16 hours a day, 7 days a weeks. (See announcement on Audlem Online, Wednesday 3rd February)

In addition, the Nantwich First Responder is having his blue lights reinstated. This will enable him to offer support to Audlem more rapidly should it be required.

Care and ComfortNWAS now recognises that 'Care and Comfort' is an important role for First Responders. The local Parish Councils are continuing to press the case for a higher level of training in our area (remember the Questionnaire late last year), and we will continue to do so at our quarterly meetings with the Chief Executive of the NWAS.

It is a fact that when a First Responder arrives at the door it does not stop the NWAS target clock. The clock continues to tick until the ambulance arrives. Anybody who says differently needs to study the guidelines for response times in respect of Audlem and local areas. The clock simply does not stop!

SupportSo, can we please support our First Responder Group one hundred percent? They are nine very special people who give their spare time free of charge to provide an extremely important service to the village and surrounding areas. Thank You Mike Hill (Audlem Parish Councillor)

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