West Bergholt First Responders

The single most important factor in survival is the period between the patient collapsing to them being defibrillated to restart their heart. It may sound dramatic, but with the correct training almost anyone can save a life.

The West Bergholt Community First Responders are a group of volunteers who live in the village. We range in age from 18 to over 50, male and female, working and retired. We have all been trained by Essex Ambulance Service to attend certain emergency calls where time can make the difference between life and death. We provide care until the Ambulance arrives, usually only a few minutes later.

Very often the role they play is one of reassurance. In instances where someone has chest pains, simply giving them oxygen can make a big difference. In extreme cases they can perform CPR (cardio-pulmonary resuscitation) or in extreme cases use the defibrillator to restart someone’s heart.

Each volunteer takes it in turn to be ‘on call’ either singularly or maybe with their spouse or partner who will be trained too. They carry basic First Aid equipment and a simple to use Automated External Defibrillator (AED). The Ambulance Service controller sends them to Category A (immediately life threatening) medical calls; they are dispatched at the same time as the ambulance crews but because they are often in more rural areas, can often arrive more quickly than the ambulance service.

The scheme can be incredibly rewarding as you could well end up saving someone’s life. Many villages where schemes exist show great community spirit knowing that there are people there who could be lifesavers.

Volunteers do not need previous first aid experience to join their local group, as full training will be provided.