Inspiration for change of career

FOR VOLUNTEER Emily Ledder, being part of the team has sparked a change in career.

A civil servant for two decades, she is now studying a paramedic science degree. She says: “We work really closely with the ambulance service and other emergency services

activities, including a maintenance session to check kit and equipment.

“We train every week but that only goes so far in that every rescue is different,”

Rob, who lives in Sowerby, reflects. “When you throw in the challenges of things like weather and night-time operations, there can be some stressful situations that we have to manage.”

Not every call-out has a positive outcome, regardless of the efforts from those involved. on a lot of the jobs so I had the opportunity to see first hand a little bit about what the role of the paramedic was like.”

Fellow volunteer Gareth Talbot adds: “There are people stuck in situations where genuinely we have saved lives and that’s such a privilege.”

“Sadly we do come across people who have passed away... which brings its own challenges for the patient, the family and ourselves,” Rob explains.

Balancing call-outs with family and work life also brings challenges. Volunteers are on call 24 hours a day. When they receive an alert, they indicate whether or not they can respond.

Emily Ledder who lives a stone’s throw from the team’s base in Mytholmroyd, says: “It’s a real adrenaline rush getting a call, whizzing around the house and getting all your stuff together, changing your clothes and getting to the base. You never know when you’re going to get a call-out. We’re always primed and ready to go.”

The 43-year-old, who joined the team in 2018, adds: “It’s quite a commitment. You’ve got to be prepared to put the team before friends and family a lot of the time. People wouldn’t do it if they weren’t getting some kind of reward from it, whether that’s hanging out with like-minded people or knowing you’re helping people out of a sticky situation and potentially helping to save someone’s life.”

For CVSRT, the impact of the pandemic has been felt not only in the rise in call-outs, but also in changes to protocol.

The team now treats every patient as potentially Covid-19 positive to minimise the risk of large numbers of volunteers catching the virus or having to isolate. That means wearing full personal protective equipment (PPE) for all of their jobs – a helmet, goggles, gloves and face covering as well as waterproofs from head to toe.

“That brings challenges on a sunny, hot day, operating in that level of PPE, walking up hills, carrying heavy equipment,” says Rob. “It’s tough, it’s hard work.”

After each rescue, there’s a decontamination process for the vehicles and equipment, with washable or disposable kit replaced before the next job.

The virus has also had a financial impact, with the cancellation or postponement of fundraising activities that help generate the £35,000 annual cost of keeping the team operational. There’s been an 80 per cent decrease in donations. “That reduction in funding is a huge concern to us,” says Rob.

“It really is a challenge for us going forward to keep our funding at a point where we can continue doing what we do.”

Visit www.cvsrt.org.uk to donate to the organisation.