Steve Hendry (RVA Volunteering Development Manager) spoke recently with Mark a Community First Responder with South Central Ambulance Charity. Mark shared his experience of volunteering and his advice for anyone thinking of getting involved.

Tell us about the role you are volunteering in

A Community First Responder (CFR) is a volunteer role with South Central Ambulance Charity We are trained by South Central Ambulance Service to respond to 999 emergency calls so when I have time I sign on for a shift.

I sign on with the ambulance service and they will look in my area to see if there is anything they need my help with and will dispatch me to emergencies. It could be anything from cardiac arrest through to someone who has fallen and can’t get up. We are trained to deal with the most serious injuries and illnesses.

The jobs I get are varied, ambulance calls have a category, C1 is the highest so that’s your cardiac arrests, someone having a fit, and somebody who is not breathing We are able to respond to these quicker than potentially an ambulance due to our locations within our communities. We are then able to start treatment until the paramedics arrive on scene.

But also, because we are trained to use lifting equipment to get people off the floor we can be tasked with what we call non-injury falls and I get quite a lot of those as well.

A non-injury fall is when someone has fallen and they are on the floor unable to get up but not actually injured. They don’t therefore necessarily require an ambulance. So we can turn up with all the lifting equipment, and do all the safety checks to make sure they are OK. We will then consult with a paramedic over the phone who will give us the all-clear to lift and move the patient. Our attendance to these types of calls means that an ambulance can now be diverted to another patient and more importantly this patient has not had to wait on the floor for a long period of time. If we can get them off the floor in the first 20 or 30 minutes that’s obviously much better for the patient.

South Central Ambulance Charity funds all my training, uniform, equipment and expenses. A new Community First Responder set up costs are £2000 and an existing Community First Responders annual running cost is £300. None of this is funded via the NHS or government funding. This is why when we are not responding to emergency calls you will also find me, other CFRs and the charity carrying out fundraising work to ensure the CFR programme can continue to run and grow.

How did you come to be a Community First responder?

When I was younger I used to volunteer a lot with the British Red Cross doing first aid at events and stuff like that. When I had kids I had less spare time so I stopped doing that. Now my kids are grown up and doing their own things I found myself with more spare time and was looking for a new role. One of my daughters is a paramedic so she said you have done this kind of stuff before why don’t you have a chat with South Central Ambulance Charity about being a Community First Responder, I found out more about it, thought it would be good for me so signed-up!!

I have been doing it now for just over three years.

The minimum requirement is 20 hours a month, due to the training investment and also to ensure we continue to use the skills we have learnt but I tend to do a lot more than that. I tend to do two shifts a week. The shifts are flexible, you can do whatever you like but I tend to do 2 7-hour shifts a week, so I do quite a lot of hours.

Living near Reading, it being a densely populated area, it’s very busy for the ambulance service, so when I sign-on I tend to be busy all the time as there’s lots going on in the area and a lot of people.

How do you feel your volunteering benefits others?

We are trained to deal with emergencies, I’ll be honest a lot of the time we turn up and it is not an emergency. Don’t get me wrong we are happy to go, the patient is not feeling well and they need some help. It’s about being able to give that reassurance sometimes, even if I don’t have to open my bag, just to give the reassurance to the patient at that time, to help them calm down and feel a bit better about how they are feeling.

So the benefit is that if someone is not breathing I can use the lifesaving skills I have been trained in but the other side of it is that for someone who is having a bad day and is not feeling well I can still help just by talking to them. So it’s a very rewarding role, yes we can save lives but we can also help people feel better.

What do you feel you get out of volunteering?

It’s that sense of purpose, I have a day job working in IT it’s a good job that pays me a salary which is what I need to pay the mortgage and stuff but it doesn’t make me feel like I’m doing something beneficial to my community.

Being able to volunteer gives me two purposes. I get to help people and I like helping people, and the second slightly selfish purpose is that it makes me feel good, it makes me feel like I’m doing something useful, helping others, giving back and that makes me feel good about myself.

What would your advice be for someone thinking of becoming a Community First Responder?

Take a look at the charity website, it will tell you all about this role and our other opportunities and how to apply. They do prioritise the areas in which CFRs are needed so don’t be disheartened if they are unable to recruit you immediately. The initial training is 5 days and is run periodically throughout the year so sometimes it can be a long wait between application and starting but it is worth it!

If you are looking for a role that will allow you to get out there and help people, you’re willing to give a minimum of 20 hours a month to do the responding and if you have any interest, you don’t need training previously, but an interest in helping patients and first aid then absolutely sign up – It’s the most rewarding thing I have ever done.

You do need to be able to drive and have access to a vehicle although in some areas you will be able to use the vehicles provided and paid for by South Central Ambulance Charity after 6 months of responding.

Inspired by Mark’s experience and want to become a Community First Responder? Take a look HERE. Not quite for you but still want to help others and your community? Take a look at the Reading Volunteer Connect site for a wide range of volunteering opportunities.

This story is part of a series recognising, valuing and celebrating the varied work that volunteers do to make Reading a thriving community, improving and enriching the lives of all. Want to share your story or have volunteers who you feel have a story to tell? Contact Steve Hendry to arrange an interview.