Ex-RAF man is now flying to the rescue
ROSSENDALE’s busy team of Community First Responders save lives and care for the Valley by supporting the North West Ambulance Service. Established in 2003, the Rossendale team is one of the busiest in the North West, covering a large rural area of 53 square miles and more than 70,000 people. In this series of articles, the Responders tell their own stories.
RAF veteran Richie Watts has a history of serving the public, so it was only natural after he left the forces in 2005, that he sought something to fill the gap.
Richie, 56, has been a Community First Responder (CFR) in Rossendale since 2007 and went on to complete a further four months of intense study to become an Enhanced CFR.
The grandfather, from Helmshore, is a full-time lecturer in Public Services at Blackburn College and fits his voluntary role around his work and family commitments.
He said: “I spent 22 years in the RAF in catering as a Mess Manager, in Wales,
England, Scotland, Germany, the Falkland Islands and Bosnia.
“I found out about responding when I was at Marl Pits in Rawtenstall at a dog show and my former teacher Brian Pickup was there as a first responder, and he suggested that I train. There were more than 30 of us in the Rossendale team then and what I liked was the camaraderie because I missed that from my time in the forces.”
Since training, he has volunteered two evenings a week to be on call; sometimes he can respond to up to three calls in a session, and sometimes his pager does not go off.
Richie said: “I have brought people back who have been in cardiac arrest and it is very rewarding being able to make a difference. I can often be there in two minutes so I will be ahead of the ambulance, and I have been trained to take the patient’s temperature, blood sugar, oxygen saturation, respiratory data and pulse.
“We do make a difference just by walking into the house and putting the patient and their family at their ease; just by being there we provide a buffer and can calm a situation.
“It is completely voluntary, but it is my way of giving back.”
During the pandemic, Richie joined the volunteer support drivers at North West Ambulance Service on the Critical Care Transport team working out of Barton Aerodrome. He completed 12-hour shifts supporting the transference of Covid patients between hospitals.
Richie encourages anyone who is thinking about becoming a responder to give it a go because it is very rewarding and you can make a difference to someone’s life. Basic training is four days over two weekends and the team is actively recruiting now.
If you are interested in becoming a Community First Responder, for an informal chat contact Team leader Dawn Taylor on 07812 303 856 or email dawntaylor_ 6@ hotmail. com, or Andrew Walmsley on 07786 151 021.
To apply email Shaun. Sproule@nwas.nhs.uk and in your reference state CFR for Rossendale.