First Responders launched on Holy Island
Wednesday, 12 April, 2017
North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) has been working with islanders and partner agencies on Holy Island in Northumberland to recruit, train and deploy a team of first responders.
Working closely with the HM Coastguard, the parish council and local residents, NEAS has now provided training for six co-responders to deal with first aid emergencies on the island.
Alex Mason, NEAS Community Development Officer, said: “Holy Island is an island cut off from the main land twice a day by the tide, with a population of around 160 permanent residents with hundreds of thousands of visitors. In the event of any incidents on the island, we already work closely with the HM Coastguard to agree the best option for access to and from the island be that land, sea or air. However, having responders on the island will provide even more support to patients and our crews.”
The HM Coastguards are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and are on call at all times, some also have other working commitments such as Kyle Luke, Coastguard Rescue Officer, who owns the popular ‘Crown and Anchor’ pub on the island and Emma Rothera, Coastguard Rescue Officer who is also a landscape photographer and writer.
Whilst CFR training was on going, HM Coastguard officers attended two emergency incidents on the island.
Kyle said: “We have seen just how difficult it can be to get access to the island during an emergency. Having CFRs who are able to deal with situations when the emergency services can’t get to the patient easily is massively beneficial to us.”
Alex Mason added: “When HM Coastguard staff are on station, they will log on to show that they are available and in the event of an ambulance being unable to access Holy Island or to get immediate care to the casualty, the Co-Responders can be paged by the HM Coastguard Operation’s room and communicate directly with us.”
The Island community already have access to a Community Public Access Defibrillator (CPAD), with a number of residents who are trained in its use.
