Page 16 - Oundle Life October 2022

FIRST RESPONDERS
Help is at hand
For those who haven’t heard of us, we are a group of volunteers, trained by the East Midlands Ambulance Service.
car in or around the town. Unlike
other emergency vehicles we do not have blue lights or sirens but we may still be on the way to a life-threatening condition.
We certainly appreciate it when other motorists allow us to progress as quickly as possible. The East Midlands Ambulance Service pay for the fuel in our car, but we have to raise funds to pay
When an ambulance is called to conditions including cardiac arrest, heart attack, stroke, seizure, difficulty in breathing, chest pains, allergic reactions (and other conditions) we are dispatched to the scene. We carry defibrillators, oxygen and
masks, and the standard equipment
for taking medical observations such
as temperature, blood pressure, blood
sugar levels and oxygen saturation
levels. In most cases, because we all
live or work in the area, we can get to
the patient before an ambulance and
provide potentially life-saving care until
the ambulance arrives. We can only
attend calls to which we are sent: if we
don’t attend you or your relative then
this is because we weren’t notified of it or we were already with another patient!
Last year we attended 333 patients, and provided cover for 4054 hours (sometimes with more than one responder on call). In addition to this, many of us helped with the Covid-19 vaccines throughout Northamptonshire. You will also see us in attendance at events in the area, providing First Aid cover.
You will probably have seen our Responder
for the lease of the vehicle.
We meet every month to discuss
current issues and to undertake training, particularly with regard to Cardiac Arrest. We have electronic manikins that “score” our efforts
for adults, children and babies – we
are gutted if we get lower than 98% effectiveness! We recently attended a training meeting at the Oundle Fire service, where we were shown how they manage a road traffic accident. They
We have electronic manikins that “score” our efforts for adults, children and babies
then attended one of our meetings and tried their hand on our manikins. This cooperative approach must benefit our community.
If you are interested in becoming a First Responder, more information can be found on the EMAS website. More information about our particular group can be found on our website www.ocfr.co.uk.
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