Warwick District Community First Responders

Warwick District Community First Responders are a group of volunteers trained by the Ambulance Service to a nationally accredited level in emergency life saving treatment and advanced First Aid. Working in partnership with the West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (WMAS) we respond to 999 calls delivering urgent medical assistance (including defibrillation and resuscitation) to people living within the Warwick District. Warwick District covers the South Warwickshire towns of Warwick, Royal Leamington Spa, Kenilworth and many of the surrounding villages. When a 999 call is made an ambulance is despatched and if the incident is deemed “serious and/or life threatening” the Community First Responder (CFR) on call will also be contacted. As we live in the communities in which we serve, we can often reach the scene of an incident significantly in advance of the regular ambulance staff providing vital “first-person-on-scene” treatment. In the case of a cardiac arrest, where immediate defibrillation is crucial, this can make the difference between life and death. The Community First Responder scheme is a national initiative and is an integrated part of the Ambulance Service. We are all volunteers who give up our time to respond to 999 calls, undertake ongoing training courses and actively raise funds for the Group enabling us to recruit and purchase new kits etc. In common with all CFR schemes, we receive no funding from the West Midlands Ambulance Service or the NHS and so we are totally dependent on fundraising in our communities in order for the scheme to operate.