Burnley gains first ever community first responder team

The North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) Cumbria and Lancashire Community Resuscitation Team helped to launch the first-ever Burnley Community First Responder (CFR) Team this June.

The Burnley Community First Responder (CFR) team officially launched on 1 June 2012, and will provide emergency 999 call-out support for the entire Burnley area. Their first action was the donation of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) to local public house, The New Waggoners.

Patrick O'Reilly is the founding member and Team Leader of the Burnley CFRs. Previously a member of the Clitheroe CFR team, Patrick is also Field Trainer and Heartstart Instructor. The New Waggoners, Burnley, where Patrick is a Manager, were the proud recipients of a North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) donated Automated External Defibrillator (AED).

Burnley CFRs are currently a two-man team. A third member is anticipated to join the team on completion of training, which will be provided by NWAS.

Jane Atkinson, Community Resuscitation Development Manager, says "CFRs are volunteers who are trained in life-saving care and dispatched to potentially life-threatening incidents in their local area by the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS). Their role is important in providing care and support to patients, until the ambulance crew arrives on site. NWAS trains and equips CFRs with defibrillators, oxygen and first aid kits."

Mark Evans, Community Resuscitation Manager for Lancashire and Cumbria, says "With a patient in a life-threatening condition, it is the simple things that save lives, including the type of assistance and the speed of response, which is why we use CFRs."

The HeartStart training courses, provided in conjunction with the British Heart Foundation, gives members of the public the confidence and skills to assess an unconscious patient, perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), how to deal with choking, serious bleeding and help someone that may be having a heart attack.

30,000 people a year suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital and almost half of these are witnessed by a member of the public. By providing the public with training and equipment, NWAS hopes that more of these patients can receive immediate medical attention from a passerby. In the case of cardiac arrest and heart attacks, minutes can mean the difference between life and death.

CFRs can and do save lives - Padiham CFRs have also expanded with two new active responders, and a further two in the recruitment stage. New volunteers looking to get involved are always encouraged to get in touch, visit:
www.nwas-responders.info