Page 49 - RADC Bulletin 2019

Scheme Activities
Our vehicle, CFR22, goes out nearly every evening, and the scheme has totted up a substantial amount of ‘logged on’ hours, with a number of responders having completed over 750 hours of volunteering over the past year. Responders are presented with certificates from East Midlands Ambulance Service once they have reached 500, 750 and 1000 hours of volunteering. Responders are also presented with a ‘Return of Spontaneous Circulation’ (ROSC) certificate if they successfully
seeing us arrive before an ambulance crew on over 80% of the calls we attended.
Achievements
My involvement with the Rutland and Leicestershire Army Responders has
seen me achieve a number of recognition certificates and awards from Anglia Ruskin University. In the past year I have been awarded the bronze, silver and gold Volunteering Certificates and also won
the Volunteer of Month Award. I went on to successfully win Volunteer of the Year
assistance in the Cambridge area, giving students the opportunity to get involved... and who knows, I may even set one up at my new posting!!!
If anyone is interested in first responding or other volunteering opportunities, please get in touch. I am involved with a number of volunteering activities, including offering assistance and support in refugee camps.
Giving your time to assist others in need, or less fortunate than yourself, is an amazing thing to do. What better way to end the day than knowing that your actions have helped
resuscitate a patient after conducting CPR and using an AED.
We took part in the annual International Restart-A-Heart Day Campaign, a campaign that aims to raise awareness about cardiac arrest and demonstrates life-saving skills to school children. We successfully trained 364 secondary school children on the day which contributed to the national total of 238,793 trained children. We were even treated to a good old school dinner!!!!
As qualified responders we have the opportunity to partake in ‘3rd Mannings’ - 12 hour shifts with ambulance crews. This gives us vital experience and understanding of each link in the chain from a 999 call being received to the patient arriving at hospital for advanced care. Through this, I have been given the opportunity to conduct ECG’s on patients, administer medication and hand the patient over to hospital staff. The crews are great and you can learn so much from them when out on a shift.
I have also been given the opportunity, on a number of occasions, to visit the despatch centre in Nottingham where I have listened to 999 calls and witnessed the despatch of resources to various medical emergencies.
Fundraising
As we are a not-for-profit organisation, we raise our own funds to upgrade kit and equipment, pay for uniforms and more recently, to purchase our lovely new car, CFR22. I have personally raised over £7000 in the last year for the Scheme which has paid for the initial lease of CFR22, with funds to spare for the vehicle to receive the exterior stickers. Our previous car, CFR13, was small but exceptionally nippy around the narrow streets of Leicester city centre,
Award in April 2019, an award presented
at a prestigious award ceremony which
saw me triumph over nominees from
three different Anglian Ruskin University campuses. Finally, I have been awarded the ‘John Spence Student Community Prize’, an award presented to only two students per academic year across all three campuses, recognising excellence and outstanding contribution to the community.
So what next...
Unfortunately my time in Rutland has come to an end and so must my tenure as Coordinator for this amazing Scheme.
It will be left in good hands though
and will continue to provide care to the people of East Midlands. My days of responding and managing first responders is not over just
yet though!!! I am currently in
the process of setting up a new Scheme at Anglia Ruskin University (Cambridge Campus) to provide
another in their hour of need.
RADC BULLETIN 2019 47