What we do as first responders

The First Responder Team was set up to help the local community and also assisting the ambulance service. The ambulance has an 8 minute response time and with one ambulance only to cover a 20 mile area from Barmouth to Porthmadog this causes problems at times. This is where the First responder team comes in to help. If an ambulance isn't able to get to a patient in 8 minutes the first responders are called with the patient's details and address of scene. Then the first responders then go to the scene to assist the patient until the ambulance arrives.

Training to become a First Responder

If somebody wants to become a first responder a 2 day course is held by a fully trained paramedic with an exam at the end. Police checks are then completed which should roughly take 6 weeks. Once all checks are completed and cleared then you are ready to go live. Refresher training will then take place every 6 months for first responders to keep up to date with different training techniques.

How it works

There are 2 contact phones which are given to the 2 first responders who are on call along with a kit bag and AED this contains all equipment that is needed to help assist the patients. The person with the 1st phone should have the kit in the car ready this person will receive the call from ambulance control stating what is wrong with the patient and where the patient is located, the second person will be ready to be picked up by the first responder to go out on the call.

First responders assist the patient by doing what they have been trained to do until ambulance service arrives, first responders should not leave the scene unless told to do so by ambulance crew. If the patient is not critical then all equipment used out of the kit bag will be replaced by the ambulance crew if this is not possible then replacements can be collected from the ambulance depot.