First Response – Comrie

First Response - Comrie
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First Response - Comrie is part of First Response - Scotland(external link) which is committed to improving the response to emergency situations where patients present with a life threatening condition

First Response - Comrie

Every Two Minutes of Every Day Someone in the UK Suffers a Heart Attack

The requirement for early defibrillation is well documented. A Patient who is defibrillated immediately has an 85% chance of survival. Each minute delay with no intervention reduces this by 5%; with the national 8 minute response time allowed for an ambulance to arrive, will potentially result in the patient’s chance of survival being reduced to 45%.
Emergency response to Cardiac incidents

Our volunteers are fully trained in defibrillation and carry appropriate equipment in the car to support the patient until an ambulance arrives on scene.

Volunteers are known as Community First Responders they are local volunteers who agree to undertake training in order to be able to provide life saving treatment to those people within the community who are critically injured or ill in the first few minutes prior to the arrival of an ambulance.

Community responders cover a predetermined area of operation.
Responders are equipment to support a casualty in a life threatening situation prior to an ambulance arriving on scene.
The range of travel they are asked to undertake tends to be 6-8 minutes from their static location.
Responders may also attend local events where their emergency aid skills will assist the community.

First Response - ComrieResponse Times

Because the first responders are locals they can arrive on the scene and begin undertaking basic life support before an ambulance can arrive, improving chances of survival.
Training of Volunteers

First Response tends only to use volunteers who have been selected from the local community.
All volunteers will have passed FPOS Intermediate or equivalent before being eligible to come on to the scheme.
Candidates who apply go through a formal process of approved application.
On acceptance of an application candidates are interviewed by Local Managers and National Staff before appointment.
Following selection volunteers are allocated a training course at an approved Ambulance Training Centre

The training covers:

Intermediate Life Support (including Defibrillation)
Oxygen therapy
Trauma Skills
Use of Cervical Collars & Rescue Board
Incident Management
Patient Lifting & Handling
Ambulance Service Paperwork & Procedures

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