I'm now a Community First Responder!

West

West

West

Soldato
Joined
22 Dec 2004
Posts
9,173
Location
Rugeley, Staffs
As some of you may of read in this thread:

http://forums.overclockers.co.uk/showthread.php?t=18098056

Wednesday I started my course to become an Intermidiate level CFR and today I finished the course by completing a written test and 2 Scenarios.

The first being an unconcious patient who had been knocked from his bike, so this included the safe removal of a helmet, fitting of a collar, Oxygen Therapy and then a full head to toe check checking all the base line obs (Pulse, Resps etc).

And then the important one, a full blown resus.

Walking in the room to the aptly named 'Jim' who collapsed in a fire station having being doing some weights, we come and and find him completley unconcious and not breathing. Between the 2 of us we then start CPR, my colleague does that I then get the Defibrilator (Training one ofc) and strap him up, Shock him, Fit an Oraphelangical (SP?) Airway and carry on doing resus, using Chest compression and Oxygen Bag and Masking.

It's been a brilliant week, I should get my kit next week and be able to respond to calls, really cannot wait!

If you have the opportunity to do this sort of thing, DO IT. It's worth 4 days of your time in comparision to the skills you learn.

Thanks for reading :D
 
When my sisters Fiance collapsed and stopped breathing over Christmas, it was the local first responder who got here several minutes before the paramedics. He was able to calm everyone down and make my sisters fiance comfortable until the paramedics turned up to take him to hospital.

He said that he was just about to clock off when he had the message through (about my sisters fiance) and because he only lived round the corner he thought he would take the call out. We all really appreciated him being here.

Good on you I say
 
Thanks for all the kind words, the feeling is absolutley great.. just itching to get hold of my kit etc!

And Dan: For sure :)
 
Congrats, you should be proud of yourself.

I find all this first aid stuff terrifying as I don't want to be the one that has to step up if I come across an accident.

Sounds ridiculous as not knowing it and been helpless is a far worse situation.
 
Hikari Kisugi said:
Although I am ALS certified, I've never actually heard of a 'community first responder'. Where are such positions held and who holds them?
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They are known as other things elsewhere, not sure as what though.. and also I don't think every county has them..

The positions aren't held as such, most come through a scheme via the Ambulance Service who then do the BTEC Level 2 for FPOS (First Person on Scene) which covers everything from early difibrilation all the way to trauma management and rapid extracation from a car.

Most of the schemes are charities although solo responders such as myself (Already working for the service in another capacity) go through the CFR Manager to do the course and respond in their own time on their own vehicle, the kit and stuff (Including the defib) are all either supplied by raising money or my kit which is supplied entireley through the Ambulance Service.
 
Congratulations, I would love to do some sort of course like that!

More importantly though, do you get to have a blue light or do you have to follow traffic rules like everyone else even if you're on route to an emergency?
 
Ahleckz said:
Congratulations, I would love to do some sort of course like that!

More importantly though, do you get to have a blue light or do you have to follow traffic rules like everyone else even if you're on route to an emergency?
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I will have to follow all traffic rules, I won't be exempt from the RTA but a scheme i'm gonna join later in the year has a Battenburged blue light response car, i'm hoping to be trained for that :)

Edit: Also because most calls will be within a few minutes it won't take that long to get there even under normal road conditions :)
 
Frank Butcher said:
Would you be uncomfortable divulging in details of pay roughly? I am in a similar sector to you looking to go upwards.
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I don't get paid for CFR Work, I can claim Petrol and Travel expenses from the service but the only job I get paid for is my job in the Control Room :)
 
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