Latest news with #firecoresponders
Yahoo
4 days ago
- General
- 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."
BBC News
13-06-2025
- General
- BBC News
Cornwall fire co-responders 'undoubtedly saved daughter's life'
A man from Cornwall who believes his daughter's life was saved by fire co-responders is urging an ambulance trust to rethink its decision to replace them with Martin's daughter, Holly, 19, suffered a severe traumatic brain injury during a horse riding accident in trained firefighters, known as fire co-responders, were the first on scene. They are sent to category one emergencies in situations where they can reach a patient more quickly than an Western Ambulance Service said its decision to replace fire co-responders with community first responders would mean an improved service that "better suits patient needs". The trust said it had more than 650 volunteer community first responders and in 2024 they responded to 29,232 incidents across the said if, after a 12-month transition period, it had not recruited enough additional volunteers in a specific area it would "consider an alternative arrangement" for that co-responders attend incidents with a minimum of two people and they travel using blue lights, but they have to go to the fire station first responders usually attend alone and often using their own vehicles without blue light training, but they can go direct from their home or workplace. Ms Martin's injury occurred when her horse bolted on the family farm in Coverack, throwing her off and landing on her head on a stone Martin, the watch manager at St Keverne fire station and a fire co-responder, said a team was sent from nearby Mullion and were on the scene within about 20 "administered CPR and got Holly back into a stable breathing rhythm, which undoubtedly saved her life", he said. 'Massive bonus' Mr Martin said he was concerned his daughter might not have received the same level of care from a community first responder."Being able to blue light their way to us was a massive bonus, and two guys working in tandem is also a huge advantage," he said."It gives you confidence when there's two of you and you can rely on each other, you know each others skills... one of you is unpacking kit, another is assessing the patient."Mr Martin said his daughter was still recovering from the accident and the brain damage it caused, but she was receiving intensive physiotherapy and continuing to make good progress. Jane Whichello, head of volunteering at the ambulance trust, said she wanted to say "a huge thank you" to fire co-responders for the service they had given over many years. She said as a paramedic herself she felt patients were "at the heart" of every decision made by the service."It's absolutely not our intention to remove something without having an alternative in place which is better for our patients," she said."I'd like to reassure people, it's not about stopping something, it's about replacing it with something we feel better suits patient needs." Year-long transition Asked about fears some fire stations might be forced to close because of the change, Mrs Whichello said the trust was "continuing to talk to fire service colleagues".On the issue of community first responders attending incidents alone, she said they had "a direct link to ambulance control" and could get "remote clinical support" on scene, whereas messages from fire co-responders had to be relayed through fire control Whichello said she was "not concerned about response times in most areas" because community first responders could respond directly from where they were, adding the trust would revisit the plan if it could not recruit enough community first responders."We have planned a 12-month transition for this programme, at the end of that 12 months it is possible there will be some pockets where we haven't been able to recruit to the level that we would like and we have to come up with an alternative arrangement," she said.
