Residents who attended the recent Eynsham Carnival may have spotted the presence of Community First Responders (CFRs) from the South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS). These are volunteers who are trained to provide immediate lifesaving care to members of the public in need. Is this something you might like to do?
CFR’s respond to emergency calls on behalf of SCAS before the arrival of an ambulance, working only within the area they live or have their job. They are dispatched to a range of calls including cardiac arrest, stroke, chest pain, breathing difficulties and trauma, and would undertake patient assessment and treatment whilst awaiting the arrival of an ambulance.
There are over 1,000 CFRs supporting SCAS across the four counties that the service covers, with 105 in Oxfordshire. None of the CFR volunteers are from Eynsham, so this could be a great opportunity for a resident who is seeking a meaningful voluntary role to consider taking part.
Volunteers don’t need to have any medical training or experience to be eligible, as all training and support is provided. The training takes a total of four days over two weekends at the training centre in Thame. The next available dates for these sessions are in early 2024, so this could be a superb way to start the new year.
In addition to the initial training, there are annual reassessments and volunteers are able to attend additional training sessions if they are of interest as well as provide first aid cover at local events, such as Eynsham Carnival (they attend every year!).
The only expectation is that volunteers are physically fit and have access to a vehicle. The role requires a minimum commitment of 20 on-call hours each month, although there is no set rota and volunteers can book on as and when they are available during each month.
Read more about what’s involved and how you can start the process of applying on the SCAS Charity website – the charity funds the uniforms and training for the CFRs. And let us know if you become our first CFR for Eynsham so we can celebrate your achievement and your incredible commitment to an important service.