First Responders are a hidden gem

COMMUNITY First Responders

(CFR) are the hidden gem of South Central Ambulance Charity, says their nominator for Volunteers of the Year.

There are nine CFR volunteers that cover the Reading area responding to 999 calls and providing essential lifesaving treatment and other medical treatment.

The Cf Rs are trained and dispatched by South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS) and can be sent to calls ranging from falls to cardiac arrests.

Their nominator said: “The importance of the CFRs are that as they are based within their local communities, they can react fast and arrive within minutes of a call being made.

“With a kit bag that weighs 13kg, there is nothing that they cannot start treatment for.”

They added: “We are very grateful to the CFRs who are based in the Reading area – since the start of 2023 they have already responded for over 1,500 hours keeping their communities safe and well.”

However, responding is only part of what they do, they said.

South Central Ambulance Charity fully fund all their volunteering projects and, when their dedicated band of Reading CFRs are not responding to 999 calls, they are supporting the charity as fundraisers.

From standing in local supermarkets for a bucket collection to attending local events they help raise vital funds that mean they can continue to grow the number of CFRs in Reading.

Finally, they take on an education role with visits to local schools and community groups teaching them CPR.

“Anyone who has had a CFR attend their family are amazed that these people are volunteers and do this for their communities,” said the nominator.

The award is sponsored by A.B. Walker.

Here are the lovely Community First Responders whose work we featured last week. Unfortunately we were supplied with the wrong picture. We’re happy to feature them with the correct picture (above) and their nomination this week