Latest News from Five Villages Community First Responders

Misterton First Responders Celebrate Fourth Birthday

The local First Responder team which covers Misterton and surrounding villages is celebrating it's fourth birthday this week.

The volunteer group who work in partnership with East Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EMAS) went live on 5th April 2004 responding to medical emergency calls in the local area.

Five Villages First Responders as they are known are called by the Ambulance Service to attend life threatening calls such as chest pains, breathing problems, collapses, cardiac arrests and strokes within the rural villages of Misterton, Walkeringham, West Stockwith, Beckingham, Gringley, Everton, Wheatley and others in North Nottinghamshire and North East Lincolnshire. They carry life saving heart defibrillators, oxygen and resuscitation equipment.

First Responders live or work within the local villages and work on a rota basis to be available to attend calls. Because of their location in the local area, they respond straight from home or work and can often arrive at the scene of the emergency quickly after the "999" call is made and begin care of the patient until the Ambulance crew arrive.

Group coordinator Martyn Johnson said: "The team has been live and operational for four years this week. Since then we have attended over 800 emergency calls in the local villages and have been able to provide immediate assistance to patients and give reassurance to their families until the arrival of the Ambulance. We have a dedicated team of volunteers who give up many hours of their time being on call and undertaking constant training. We have also received a lot of support from local people, businesses and organisations including kind donations and fund raising, without which the scheme could not continue to operate. I'd like to say a personal thank you to all of the First Responder team, all our local supporters and the local Ambulance crews. We also receive a lot of support from the crew at Misterton Fire Station."

The First Responders have received many thank you notes from patients that they have helped over the last four years. One lady patient from Misterton said: "I cannot believe how quickly the First Responders arrived, we had no sooner put the phone down from calling for the Ambulance and they were knocking at the door. My husband was very poorly and I was very upset. Thank you for arriving so promptly and for the care that you gave to my husband and the relief which you brought to me when you walked through the door. It's so re-assuring to know that you are so close by and so caring and professional."

The Misterton based Ambulance Service First Responder team currently have seven fully trained First Responders who operate on a rota basis, with the aim to be available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The team are always looking for other suitable local people who would like to train as a First Responder or can give some time to help with fund raising. For more information contact the groups coordinator, Martyn Johnson, via the website: click here for contact page.

03/04/08.