Waterhouses Community First Responders in Training

 

Would you like to train as a First Responder?
Have you got what it takes?

You can make a valuable contribution to your local community, as well as gaining an extremely useful set of personal skills, by becoming a member of our First Responders Team, and the more Responders we have, the better the cover we can provide for your community.

Before you can become a Responder
you have to attend a training course run by the Ambulance Service

The next training course is scheduled for January 2009
If you would like to join this course and become
a Waterhouses First Responder, please contact
Tim, our Co-ordinator ~ telephone 0796 732 5352
or email coordinator@waterhousesfirstresponders.org
  • Do I need to have any prior medical/first aid knowledge or training? No, none whatsoever. Training is done by West Midlands Ambulance Service paramedics who have specialised in training.
  • What level would I be trained to? All Staffordshire First Responders are trained to Ambulance Technician standard.
  • What does the training involve? The new training schedule runs over a number of consecutive weekends. This replaces the previous six months, one night a week course, and means that you would be qualified to respond over a much shorter timescale. After you qualify you then have to do a number of shifts as an observer with an ambulance crew, plus an afternoon in Ambulance Control.
  • Are there any exams? There is a (multiple choice) test at the mid-point and at the end of the course. There is also an assessment of the practical skills you have learned.
  • How much does it cost? The training is provided free by the Ambulance Service: you will just need a couple of textbooks (which you can probably borrow from somebody in the group). Once qualified, your uniform will be provided by the First Responder Group.
  • Is there an age limit? Responders have to be over the age of 18, and over 25 to drive the response vehicle. Currently our oldest Responder is 65. You do of course have to be reasonably fit.
  • What would my duties be? Responders usually go 'on-call' in pairs. You can volunteer to do as many or as few shifts as you are able. The co-ordinator draws up a duty rota depending on volunteer's availability. When on call you or your buddy has the response vehicle at home and you need to be ready to go out at a moment's notice.
  • Do I have to live in Waterhouses? So long as you live reasonably near, or are able to spend your on-call time at your buddy's home, there are no specific residential requirements.

The Waterhouses CFR training courses are held at Lafarge Cement's training and conference centre - we would like to thank the management of Lafarge Cauldon Works for their support in providing this facility.

Training 2007

The second cohort of Waterhouses trainees (myself included) started their course in October. I will try to press one of the others to write something, but in the meantime, here are my first impressions.

I was familiar with the training set-up as I had been to several sessions on the previous course taking photographs when wife/fundraiser was doing her training, but this is different ~ realising just how much there is to learn.

The course was initially run by Dave Prigg who has (unfortunately for us) moved jobs, and his place has been taken by Liz.

The first few weeks were all theory. We learned (?) all the anatomy & physiology we need to know, and then started to learn some of the techniques of basic life support. It was emphasised that this is the fundamental aspect of first responding, as in a cardiac arrest situation, minutes can save lives, so we need to learn to be able to carry out procedures 'in our sleep'. We learned the theory of CPR and defibrillation, and then we were let loose......on a dummy.

At the first attempt we were all nervous, and consequently clumsy, but we were encouraged that, like most things, it will become easier with practice, and during the course we will practice this and many other procedures over and over again.

Last night we were told we have a test next week, so instead of writing this, I should be swotting. More anon ~ either from myself or one of the others.

Below is a selection of photographs taken during our first training course, run by Dave, a Staffordshire Ambulance Service Paramedic