Nathan Chambers and Walter Diver from the Red Cross, pictured with pupils from Ballinamallard Primary School in 2013 at a Be Safe Project. From left are, Jack McGowan, Stewart Little, Louise Quinn and Clara McBrien
A LOCAL First Responder service is seeking new volunteers to add to their team. Within the past year, the service has had to scale back their operations due to falling number of volunteers.
In a bid to return to 24 hour cover, the First Responders are hoping to recruit four new volunteers.
The service started in 2006 and used to have six members who were able to provide local, lifesaving skills round the clock. In the last year, due to some volunteers having to step down, the service has been reduced and can now only cover 12 hours per day.
The role of the volunteer includes responding to calls concerning chest pain, shortness of breath, lose of consciousness and cardiac arrest. The service is also paged at the same time as the ambulance and proceed to the help stabilise the patient until the ambulance arrives.
Red Cross volunteer, Nathan Chambers, is one of the scheme’s founding volunteers and would like to hear from anyone who might be interested, even if they think they don’t have the necessary skills or would just like to find out more.
“For anyone who is a real ‘doer’ and who likes to get stuck in and make a difference in their community, this is a great volunteering opportunity. It’s so gratifying to be able to help people out in times of crisis, when they’re worried, frightened and vulnerable. You don’t need to have a medical background as we provide full training and careful, supportive mentoring.”
The service is based in Irvinestown but covers a 5-7 mile radius, responding to calls from Ballinamallard, Lack, Ederney, Kesh, Trillick, Lisnarick, Killadeas and Kilskeery. The service is run in partnership with Northern Ireland Ambulance Service and all volunteers will be issued a pager and will carry a Red Cross defibrillator response bag and oxygen supply.
Nathan says that people are generally very relieved to open the door to the first responders.
“In rural areas like these, people know that ambulance times can be a bit longer than if you live in a big town. On average we get sixteen calls a month and we arrive to around a third of the calls received before the ambulance does.”
If you would like to find out more about volunteering for the service, or any other Red Cross volunteering opportunities in your area, contact Natasha on 028 9073 5350 or NLLiddle@redcross.org.uk
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Posted: 5:00 pm July 22, 2016
