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Wecome to the Ibstock and Heather First Responder Scheme Website | |
            
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Founded in 2006, the Ibstock and Heather First Responder Scheme was founded by an Ambulance Emergency Medical Technician, Dave Poulton, in memory of his father, Roy, who passed away aged 72 years in 2004 from an Abdominal Aortic Aneurism, some seven days before Dave's admission to the East Midlands Ambulance Service. Sadly, at the time, on a particularly busy day for the Ambulance Service, no vehicles were immediately available. The Scheme does not only cover Ibstock and Heather in North West Leicestershire. Responders cover a five mile radius around the two locations currently for Category A Calls - in other words those requiring an 8 minute response, and a ten mile radius for Category B Calls. Other Schemes cover the bordering locations. We exist to supplement the service provided by the NHS Ambulance Services, and to bring Emergency Care to our Locality in times of need for it's inhabitants. For the past two years Dave has been recruiting to bring in more responders and volunteers in the area, and to raise funds and awareness of the Scheme. He has so far managed to provide uniform for up to 14 Responders, and has purchased one additional set of equipment from his own pocket. More Responders would mean faster response over the area to medical emergencies, improving the chances of survival for patients who may otherwise have to wait for treatment. Given the rural area in which we reside, and increased pressures upon our emergency service resources, this is a much needed Scheme, and we are glad to work closely alongside other Responder Schemes in the overlapping areas. Many hands make light work in an emergency! We need Fundraisers and Responders. These people are unpaid Volunteers who give up some of their time to help their community, and save lives in the process. They determine how much of their time they donate to the scheme, although somewhere in the region of one night per week on a rota scheme would be the minimum. East Midlands Ambulance Service Community First Responder schemes operate throughout Leicestershire, Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire and Northamptonshire, with volunteers responding to 999 calls to provide life-saving treatment prior to the arrival of an ambulance. These community volunteers are dispatched to a patient in their own community at the same time as the emergency ambulance, but as they are likely to be so much closer than the nearest ambulance, they can be giving treatment in the first few vital minutes of an incident. In some cases this can mean the difference between life and death. All volunteers receive comprehensive training and regular refresher updates in basic life support, which includes the use of Automatic External Defibrillators, oxygen therapy and the treatment of a wide range of potentially life-threatening conditions. But they do need to continually raise funds to buy new, additional and replacement equipment. |
This site was last updated 09/08/08
