Any Community First Responders on PH?
Discussion
I'm wondering if any other PH'ers on here are Community First Responders for their local ambulance service? Interested in hearing your experiences of the role, as I am awaiting an interview to join and train as a CFR in my area.
Aside from doing lots of research on the current resuscitation guidelines and brushing up on my current first aid qualification, I'm interested in hearing from any other CFR's.
Thanks
Aside from doing lots of research on the current resuscitation guidelines and brushing up on my current first aid qualification, I'm interested in hearing from any other CFR's.
Thanks
I looked into it as a like the idea, however after finding out they use the first responder arrival times to bump up the official Ambulance arrival time, I decided to not take it any further.
It seems to me, to be a system to get people to work for free and cover up failings in the ambulance service.
It seems to me, to be a system to get people to work for free and cover up failings in the ambulance service.
TheRainMaker said:
I looked into it as a like the idea, however after finding out they use the first responder arrival times to bump up the official Ambulance arrival time, I decided to not take it any further.
It seems to me, to be a system to get people to work for free and cover up failings in the ambulance service.
I have been involved with fund raising for our local CFRs, and know people whose lives they have saved. However I am concerned about the fact they are needed in the first place and it appears they assist in meeting ambulance targetsIt seems to me, to be a system to get people to work for free and cover up failings in the ambulance service.
My parents did it for a bit. After a while it was clear that they were being used as unpaid paramedics. My dad, a retired engineer turned teacher, was the techy guy getting trained up on the gear, my mum was talking to the real medics and looking after the non casualty family members. They did good service but came to resent the fact that they were being used to cover up the shortcomings of the real service.
I'm a Paramedic. CFR's can be very helpful, but mostly they are there to stop the clock. also, I noticed ours were being sent to more and more jobs where they didn't have the skills/ equipment to actually do anything, which is unfair on the CFR as people in a panic don't understand that they are not Paramedics and epect them to do something.
Also they are trained to stick high flow oxygen on COPD patients, which is annoying as the first thing we have to do is take it off and try to reduce the oxygen rate. Again, its not their fault, its what they're trained to do.
Some CFR's are great. SOme want to join NHS full time, some want to offer a real service in their community. Some are uber walts. If you are planning to buy an old ambulance, wear green combats and boots, get a star of life tattoo or buy your own kit, then please don't. but if you're interested, give it a go, its fun!
Also they are trained to stick high flow oxygen on COPD patients, which is annoying as the first thing we have to do is take it off and try to reduce the oxygen rate. Again, its not their fault, its what they're trained to do.
Some CFR's are great. SOme want to join NHS full time, some want to offer a real service in their community. Some are uber walts. If you are planning to buy an old ambulance, wear green combats and boots, get a star of life tattoo or buy your own kit, then please don't. but if you're interested, give it a go, its fun!
meehaja said:
I'm a Paramedic. CFR's can be very helpful, but mostly they are there to stop the clock. also, I noticed ours were being sent to more and more jobs where they didn't have the skills/ equipment to actually do anything, which is unfair on the CFR as people in a panic don't understand that they are not Paramedics and epect them to do something.
Also they are trained to stick high flow oxygen on COPD patients, which is annoying as the first thing we have to do is take it off and try to reduce the oxygen rate. Again, its not their fault, its what they're trained to do.
Some CFR's are great. SOme want to join NHS full time, some want to offer a real service in their community. Some are uber walts. If you are planning to buy an old ambulance, wear green combats and boots, get a star of life tattoo or buy your own kit, then please don't. but if you're interested, give it a go, its fun!
Paramedic here too. I'd broadly echo the above.Also they are trained to stick high flow oxygen on COPD patients, which is annoying as the first thing we have to do is take it off and try to reduce the oxygen rate. Again, its not their fault, its what they're trained to do.
Some CFR's are great. SOme want to join NHS full time, some want to offer a real service in their community. Some are uber walts. If you are planning to buy an old ambulance, wear green combats and boots, get a star of life tattoo or buy your own kit, then please don't. but if you're interested, give it a go, its fun!
As said, despite many of them (you) being enthusiastic, which is brilliant - don't get me wrong - they do have a quite limited remit of interventions, and often fail to recognise that 'less is more' in many cases. As said, one of the tools they have is an O2 cylinder and many strap that onto a patient regardless, as they sort of want to be seen by the family / bystanders as 'doing something useful.' However, too much O2 is as bad as not enough, for reasons too complex to go into now.
Then if they are unlucky enough to be sent to a real 'sh*t hitting the fan job' like a horrendous shortness of breath which will lead to a cardiac arrest, or indeed an arrest due to other cardic reasons like a heart attack or low blood sugars - it's gonna be terrifying for them, because the pressure will be on them as first on scene to recognise that situation quickly, and deal with it immediately with an intervention like chest compressions and / or defibrillation.
It was scary enough for me, after 3 years of training, to meet situations like that as a qualified Para, so please do understand that this is definitely a possibility for you.
It's something that you should do for one of two reasons in my opinion - to have a desire to help you local community and nothing more (e.g. to not become a dangerous Walt) OR as a stepping stone to wanting to continue to train to eventually be NHS ambulance staff.
Either way though, 99% of the CFR's that I meet on scene are pretty good, even if I do have to remove some of their well-intentioned interventions when I arrive! And I certainly wouldn't want to put anyone off doing it.
By all means PM me if I can help you further.
From 2004-2009 I used to volunteer as a First Responder for Wiltshire Ambulance Service (and then Great Western). It was different to the Community Responder work as we worked shifts and used marked vehicles (with appropriate blue light training). We were qualified to FPOS intermediate level, with some additional training such as administering aspirin and entonox.
Most of the volunteers were military or MOD civilian, with some ambulance service personnel as well. Thankfully there weren't any Walts involved.
We used to go to most serious and life threatening calls and would also be tasked to more routine stuff as well (e.g. falls, fights) if resources were stretched - which, on a weekend, was pretty much all the time. Admittedly, we were sometimes used to tick the response time box but, more often than not, we were used as a genuine resource.
Most of the full time ambulance crews were good to work with (although some hated the sight of us and would pretty much ignore us if we were on scene). If we were dealing with a cardiac arrest then we would quite often travel with the crew and patient to hospital - it wasn't always easy doing CPR on someone in the back of a moving ambulance!
It was something I really enjoyed doing as a volunteer but I wouldn't really want to do it as a full time job.
Most of the volunteers were military or MOD civilian, with some ambulance service personnel as well. Thankfully there weren't any Walts involved.
We used to go to most serious and life threatening calls and would also be tasked to more routine stuff as well (e.g. falls, fights) if resources were stretched - which, on a weekend, was pretty much all the time. Admittedly, we were sometimes used to tick the response time box but, more often than not, we were used as a genuine resource.
Most of the full time ambulance crews were good to work with (although some hated the sight of us and would pretty much ignore us if we were on scene). If we were dealing with a cardiac arrest then we would quite often travel with the crew and patient to hospital - it wasn't always easy doing CPR on someone in the back of a moving ambulance!
It was something I really enjoyed doing as a volunteer but I wouldn't really want to do it as a full time job.
Chrisgr31 said:
TheRainMaker said:
I looked into it as a like the idea, however after finding out they use the first responder arrival times to bump up the official Ambulance arrival time, I decided to not take it any further.
It seems to me, to be a system to get people to work for free and cover up failings in the ambulance service.
I have been involved with fund raising for our local CFRs, and know people whose lives they have saved. However I am concerned about the fact they are needed in the first place and it appears they assist in meeting ambulance targetsIt seems to me, to be a system to get people to work for free and cover up failings in the ambulance service.
TheChampers said:
ApOrbital said:
No problem.
Tango twix amiga foof oxo.
You are a prize prick.Tango twix amiga foof oxo.
Its actually doing something rather than dressing up, pretending, or trying to big up what you do.
I didn't realise it counted towards ambulance times though. It really should be counted as the interim measure thet it is, no more then a decent first aider.
Edited by 98elise on Wednesday 12th October 19:01
Paramedic here....Its a very community minded and commendable thing to do.
It lost my support a little when in my area they lowered the agent emergencies that CFR could respond to. It now incorporate children and not just adults only. No one with that level of experience or training should be sent into that environment. Specifically out of hospital cardiac arrests in children, the chance of survival is minimal anyway without putting someone in that position.
- Don't get in the way. Epecially if the patient is obviously poorly.
- Similarly don't hang around if there are intrusive procedures being done such as an ECG
- Do your thing, quick hand over and leave.
- Don't ask questions about the patient whilst the crew are dealing with the patient. By all means ask after the job or if the time is right.
It lost my support a little when in my area they lowered the agent emergencies that CFR could respond to. It now incorporate children and not just adults only. No one with that level of experience or training should be sent into that environment. Specifically out of hospital cardiac arrests in children, the chance of survival is minimal anyway without putting someone in that position.
- Don't get in the way. Epecially if the patient is obviously poorly.
- Similarly don't hang around if there are intrusive procedures being done such as an ECG
- Do your thing, quick hand over and leave.
- Don't ask questions about the patient whilst the crew are dealing with the patient. By all means ask after the job or if the time is right.
Any update on this OP?
I'm in the process of signing up for my local CFR program. I live in a rural area and know first hand the time it takes to get an ambulance on scene; having had a very poorly daughter with a hypo and MiL having a heart attack reasonably recently. Thankfully I'm reasonably well First Aid trained and had various experiences of deploying this "out and about" but nevertheless a scary situation to be in when family is involved. With the MiL a CFR attended and gave vital support to both me, MiL and reassurance to my wife. That was the first time I'd been aware of the program but it's stuck in my mind and now that I have some time on my hands (recently separated), I've decided it's time for me to support my local community and hopefully provide someone else with the same sense of reassurance and help we received that day with my MiL, when it's needed most.
I've certainly no desires to be a Paramedic or join the Ambulance Service, but just a strong sense of community and helping a fellow human being.
Would be interested to know how you have got on with it? PM me if you'd prefer.
I'm in the process of signing up for my local CFR program. I live in a rural area and know first hand the time it takes to get an ambulance on scene; having had a very poorly daughter with a hypo and MiL having a heart attack reasonably recently. Thankfully I'm reasonably well First Aid trained and had various experiences of deploying this "out and about" but nevertheless a scary situation to be in when family is involved. With the MiL a CFR attended and gave vital support to both me, MiL and reassurance to my wife. That was the first time I'd been aware of the program but it's stuck in my mind and now that I have some time on my hands (recently separated), I've decided it's time for me to support my local community and hopefully provide someone else with the same sense of reassurance and help we received that day with my MiL, when it's needed most.
I've certainly no desires to be a Paramedic or join the Ambulance Service, but just a strong sense of community and helping a fellow human being.
Would be interested to know how you have got on with it? PM me if you'd prefer.
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