Mattishall First Responders.
Who are we and what do we do?
The team is comprised of: Jo Tomlin, Sarah Vargeson,
Holly Brown, Lucy Bambridge, Roger Serpell, Gary Davison
and Geoff Dorrie.
Community First Responders are members of the public
from a range of backgrounds who have volunteered to
be trained to respond to a range of potentially life
threatening calls that have been received by the Ambulance
Trust. These could include such things as: Cardiac arrest;
Diabetic hypoglycaemia and Choking/breathing difficulties.
How does it work?
When a 999 call is received at ambulance control they
first notify the nearest ambulance and direct them to
the address. They then call the local first responder
team (if there is one) and give them the same information
and the distance away of the ambulance en-route. Generally
speaking the first responder can reach the caller first
as we live in and know the area. We have a response
target of eight minutes from receipt of call to arrival
on scene. At this point we can then start to treat the
patient while the ambulance is on its way, which may
include administering oxygen, keeping them calm and
hopefully preventing their condition from deteriorating.
Our job during this time is to find out as much as we
can about the current status of the patient, any relevant
history and reassure them and their family.
When the ambulance crew arrive we can then “hand
over” the patient with a more or less complete
set of observations and history (this will include such
things as pulse and breathing rates, level of response
and relevant details of medication etc.) The ambulance
crew will then decide to either treat the patient at
the scene or take them to hospital.
It sometimes happens that the ambulance will arrive
at the same time or just before us, particularly if
they are coming from say, Dereham, as they have the
advantage of “blue lights and sirens”, whilst
we have to keep within the posted speed limits and cannot
“decorate our cars” with logos and signs!
Our designated area is: Mattishall, Barnham Broom, Welbourne,
Runhall, Garvestone, Tuddenham, Hockering and to the
edge of Dereham. In fact anywhere within an eight
minute response time.
We have been in operation for just over a year now (as
at June 2009) and in that time have received about 170
calls to which we have been able to respond to about
120. This is because some of the calls have had an ambulance
within 1 or 2 miles and are on the edge of our area
so we need to check with control to see if they need
us to attend. Sometimes an ambulance will be redirected
en route so we may be the only help available for a
short while. We do not, as yet, provide a round the
clock service as to do so would put too much strain
on the team and we would require double the number of
people.
We are very lucky in Mattishall to have a team which
is enthusiastic, committed and very competent in what
they do. The team also undergoes regular training and
re-testing of their skills every month.
The way that people and organisations in the village
have accepted us and welcomed the service we provide
has been very encouraging and their support has been
tremendous. We have to be self sufficient and provide
our own equipment, although the ambulance service will
replace consumables such as oxygen refills, masks and
bandages. Grants and donations have been received from
Dereham Lions, Rotary Club, and Round Table, Archant
(EDP) and Kettle Chips. From within the village we have
received money from Gill and Barry Currie, the WI, the
Mattishall Society, and several private individuals
who have received a “call” from us, and
others who have donated money given in lieu of flowers
at recent funerals. One of our team members even donated
money received in lieu of presents at his 40th birthday!!
Two organisations who also deserve mention are Poultec,
who have offered to fund the provision of a second emergency
equipment bag by holding a number of fund raising events
such as quiz nights etc. (Equipping one of these bags
costs over £2000). The second one is the Swan
Public House, where Grace and Roger have adopted us
as one of their charities. Through their events and
barbecues they have provided several hundred pounds
for new equipment and we are very grateful to them and
their customers.
This very briefly then is the service and how we
provide it. If you live in the village or the locality
and you ever need an ambulance please do not try to
contact us direct, we will be directed by ambulance
control and you may well find that we are at your
door shortly after you have put your phone down. Something
which is an enormous help to us is for house numbers
and names to be clearly displayed and visible from
the road, this saves a great deal of time as we search
for the address.
Very many thanks
to everyone who has supported us.
Geoff Dorrie and Gary Davison, Co-ordinators,
Mattishall First Responders.
|
