Pictured above: (l-r) Bob Oldmeadow, Mick Curtis and Stuart Cook

Two employees of Gloucestershire training specialist C&G Services have joined the Community First Responders scheme in the South Cotswolds area.

Community First Responders (CFR) were introduced by Great Western Ambulance Service to provide additional response and early medical intervention for local emergencies.  The responders are unpaid volunteers who are called out at the same time as the ambulance service.  Because they are called to incidents within a 2.5 mile radius of their homes or workplaces, they may be first on the scene if an ambulance is some distance away - and they can save valuable time, sometimes lives, by providing vital early treatment.

C&G Services has provided two company vans to enable Mick Curtis and Stuart Cook, who have had special training in dealing with medical emergencies, to respond to life-threatening calls at a moment's notice. 

CFRs attend incidents involving sudden life-threatening conditions where early intervention can make a big difference to the victim, such as acute chest pains, seizures, choking, diabetic collapses, strokes and falls.

All CFRs complete a three-day intensive training course run by St John Ambulance and are tested by a senior paramedic from Great Western Ambulance Service (GWAS).  They also attend monthly update training sessions in their own time.

They are fully equipped with automated external defibrillators (AED), oxygen and masks and an emergency first aid back pack.

Mick Curtis, who joined the scheme in November 2009, completed training and "went live" in January 2010, is the Operations and Quality Manager at C&G Services.  St John Ambulance, which administers the scheme, has now appointed Mick as CFR Co-ordinator for the South Cotswolds. He has already responded to more than 40 calls.

"Responder calls are only made in perceived life or death situations and require a priority 1 response" said Mick, who is also a special police constable.  "A few days ago I received five calls in a single night. Yesterday I was called out to provide first aid to an elderly lady who had collapsed on the floor and had been lying there for over six hours.  

"It's very rewarding work, and you never know what will come up next."

Mick has now been joined by skills trainer Stuart Cook, who has just completed the intensive training course. Stuart is a qualified first-aider and a local community scout leader.

"AT C&G Services we believe in putting something back into the community" said C&G Managing Director Bob Oldmeadow. "We're very proud of Mick and Stuart for giving up their time to make this valuable contribution to public safety, and we're delighted to be able to provide them with company vehicles for this important work."