A1 rating for WMAS

West Midlands Ambulance Service has yet again been awarded an A1 rating for the delivery of the First Person on Scene (FPOS) training courses.

The rating has been issued to the Trust from the examining board Edexcel who is
the UK's largest awarding body.

The Trust delivers three levels of FPOS courses; Basic, Intermediate and Enhanced,
with the Enhanced course being written and developed by the ambulance service in
conjunction with Edexcel and the Royal College of Surgeons (Edinburgh) and
launched back in September 2010.

As with all training bodies, Edexcel carries out annual assessments at the ambulance service evaluating a number of competencies. This is now the fifth year that the Trust has been awarded this top class rating for its courses.

To date West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) has trained literally thousands
of responders in this course including its volunteer community first responders
and all operational firefighters within Staffordshire Fire and Rescue Service.

The First Person on Scene (FPOS) course provides these responders with essential
knowledge and skills to enable them to save lives prior to the arrival of ambulance personnel. The course
provides responders with basic life saving techniques such as airway management, basic life support, defibrillator training and oxygen therapy
skills amongst others.

Matt Heward, Community Response Manager for West Midlands Ambulance Service
said: "It is excellent news that once again the Trust has been credited with this top rating for the delivery of its FPOS courses. Over the years the Trust has made a significant investment in developing courses and supporting our
community first responders. "The service has now also been chosen as the lead ambulance service to help Edexcel further develop their FPOS online course. We are
extremely proud to be leading on this project as this will be the first course of its kind available; providing the highest level of training available
to lay responders."