Fire and ambulance chiefs discuss future of co-responders
As reported, South Western Ambulance Service announced it will be phasing out fire co-responders in order to 'develop and strengthen' its community first responder scheme.
Fire co-responders are firefighters trained to respond to medical calls and are paid separately for carrying out the function in addition to their main role.
The ambulance service has said this is no longer financial viable.
Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service chief Andy Cole had already expressed his disappointment at the announcement.
READ: Dorset fire co responders to be phased out amid cost cuts
However, in a meeting between fire chief across the south west and the ambulance service a decision was made to not remove fire co-responders until an appropriate number of community first responders have plugged the shortfall.
In a joint statement from the chief executive of the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and the chief fire officers from across the south west, including Dorset, they said: "The meeting was positive, and all chief executives reaffirmed their commitment to improving the safety of local communities and to ensure that by working together, the very best response to patients calling 999 can be achieved.
"The collective agreement is that the South Western Ambulance Service will continue with their plans to increase the number of Community First Responders across the south West whilst committing to not exiting any fire co-Responding scheme until appropriate backfill arrangements are in place."
Under the proposals fire stations in Dorset including Beaminster, Cranborne, Gillingham, Lyme Regis, and Swanage, would be at risk of losing the service.
During the meeting it was agreed that stations with low levels of fire co-responding would have their resources reallocated to areas where they would be more useful.
The statement continued: "It was agreed that in a relatively small number of Fire Co-Responding stations where Fire Co-Responding activity is very low, that lifesaving equipment will be re-purposed by the Ambulance Service to make sure it is available for people who need it most.
"The Ambulance Service and the Fire and Rescue Services will work together to ensure that this is handled locally and that this is a joint process.
"The chief executive of South Western Ambulance Service took the opportunity to reiterate his thanks to Fire Co-Responders who have provided dedicated care to patients over the years.
"All chief executives stated that they look forward to continuing to work collaboratively in the future."
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Two blind women left as only people on flight after other passengers rebooked onto earlier journey
Two blind women are calling for accessibility improvements after boarding a delayed Southwest flight, only to find they were the only two on it while all other passengers were rebooked for an earlier departure. Sherri Brun and Camille Tate had booked seats together on Southwest flight 2637 departing from New Orleans to Orlando on 14 July. After a five-hour delay, the two friends finally took off, but found that they were the only two passengers on board for the almost two-hour journey. Speaking to Orlando news station FOX 35, Brun and Tate explained that they had waited by their assigned gate, checking the Southwest app for updates. Meanwhile, unknown to them, nearly all other passengers had been rebooked on a separate Southwest flight to Orlando that was due to depart earlier than the delayed trip. This new flight had departed from a nearby gate, while Ms Brun and Ms Tate continued to wait at their gate for the delayed journey. "Nobody said a word to us about another flight," Ms Brun told the local station. "We were just waiting at the gate, checking the app, like everyone else." Ms Tate called on the airline for 'some improvement in how they communicate with their passengers, especially those that have disabilities.' Mrs Brun claimed that they were both told: "You're the only two people on this flight because they forgot about you.' However, Southwest says that reports that it 'forgot' the women are inaccurate. 'Many of the customers on that flight were accommodated on another MCO-bound flight that left a little earlier from a nearby gate,' an airline spokesperson told The Independent. 'We attempted to locate the two customers, but were unable to find them in time to rebook them on that flight. 'Our records show they flew to MCO on the airplane that had been parked at their original gate,' the airline said. Southwest issued $100 vouchers as compensation for the delayed travel. A full refund is not available as the two women completed their flight. 'We apologise for the inconvenience. Southwest is always looking for ways to improve our Customers' travel experiences, and we're active in the airline industry in sharing best practices about how to best accommodate Passengers with disabilities, the spokesperson added. Southwest said that for customers who are blind, escort and navigation assistance is available from the airport curb to and from gates and between gates for connecting flights. It said that customers must identify themselves and the type of assistance they require to a Southwest employee when they arrive at the airport, at any connection points, and when they land at their destination. 'In the event of a gate change, our employees are responsible for ensuring all customers who need assistance reach the new gate,' the spokesperson the daily Crossword
NBC News
2 days ago
- NBC News
2 blind women say Southwest Airlines left them behind following hourslong delay
Two blind women traveling from Louisiana to Florida said that Southwest Airlines "forgot" them at the airport following a nearly five-hour flight delay. The women said the ordeal happened on July 14 as they waited to board their flight out of New Orleans, according to WSVN in South Florida. The pair told the outlet that they realized they had been left behind because they were the only two on the Orlando-bound flight. One of the women, Sherri Brun, told the news station that they were told, "You're the only two people on this flight because they forgot about you." "I was angry and frustrated," Camille Tate said. Southwest denied that Brun and Tate were forgotten at the gate. The airline said the flight the women were scheduled for was delayed almost five hours and that many of the other passengers "were accommodated on another MCO-bound flight that left a little earlier from a nearby gate." "These two customers were not re-booked on that flight, so their assigned gate never changed," Southwest said. "Our records show that they flew to MCO on the airplane that had been parked at their original gate." Brun said that no one at the gate told the women about an earlier flight. "That airplane took off, and our boarding pass had not been swiped," Tate said. Both women said Southwest needs to change how it communicates with passengers who need extra help when traveling. "There needs to be follow-through," Brun told the news station. "There needs to be some improvement in how they communicate with their passengers, especially those who have disabilities," Tate said. The airline apologized and said it issued $100 vouchers as compensation for the delayed travel. "Southwest is always looking for ways to improve our Customers' travel experiences, and we're active in the airline industry in sharing best practices about how to best accommodate Passengers with disabilities," the company said.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Fire and ambulance chiefs discuss future of co-responders
AMBULANCE and fire chiefs have come together to discuss the future of fire-co-responders across the south west. As reported, South Western Ambulance Service announced it will be phasing out fire co-responders in order to 'develop and strengthen' its community first responder scheme. Fire co-responders are firefighters trained to respond to medical calls and are paid separately for carrying out the function in addition to their main role. The ambulance service has said this is no longer financial viable. Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service chief Andy Cole had already expressed his disappointment at the announcement. READ: Dorset fire co responders to be phased out amid cost cuts However, in a meeting between fire chief across the south west and the ambulance service a decision was made to not remove fire co-responders until an appropriate number of community first responders have plugged the shortfall. In a joint statement from the chief executive of the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust and the chief fire officers from across the south west, including Dorset, they said: "The meeting was positive, and all chief executives reaffirmed their commitment to improving the safety of local communities and to ensure that by working together, the very best response to patients calling 999 can be achieved. "The collective agreement is that the South Western Ambulance Service will continue with their plans to increase the number of Community First Responders across the south West whilst committing to not exiting any fire co-Responding scheme until appropriate backfill arrangements are in place." Under the proposals fire stations in Dorset including Beaminster, Cranborne, Gillingham, Lyme Regis, and Swanage, would be at risk of losing the service. During the meeting it was agreed that stations with low levels of fire co-responding would have their resources reallocated to areas where they would be more useful. The statement continued: "It was agreed that in a relatively small number of Fire Co-Responding stations where Fire Co-Responding activity is very low, that lifesaving equipment will be re-purposed by the Ambulance Service to make sure it is available for people who need it most. "The Ambulance Service and the Fire and Rescue Services will work together to ensure that this is handled locally and that this is a joint process. "The chief executive of South Western Ambulance Service took the opportunity to reiterate his thanks to Fire Co-Responders who have provided dedicated care to patients over the years. "All chief executives stated that they look forward to continuing to work collaboratively in the future."
