More volunteers than ever want to help save lives according to latest figures.
Last month, the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST) received a record 110 applications to become a community first responder (CFR), a figure that has doubled compared with June last year.
The success comes off the back of National Volunteers' Week in which EEAST celebrated the work of CFRs via its website and social media.
Regional Lead for Community Partnership, Lorna Hayes said: “Our community first responder scheme has gone from strength to strength and it’s wonderful to see so many people wanting to get involved. Our volunteers do a fantastic job and make a great contribution to their communities.”
The latest figures have brought the total number of applications to 565 so far this year. There are 266 responder groups in the east of England and around 40 newly trained volunteers every month.
The CFRs respond to 999 calls in their local area and can get to patients in life threatening conditions within three minutes. They are trained by EEAST but raise money for extra equipment they need such as a defibrillator and oxygen themselves. Many of them teach others first aid skills and have campaigned for public access defibrillators in their areas.
The volunteer applications were made via the EEAST website where there’s more information about the CFR takeover week.
