More than 30 fire fighters across four East Riding fire stations will soon be responding to selected emergency calls at the same time as an ambulance, thanks to the further roll-out of the county’s first Emergency First Responder (EFR) scheme.
The scheme is a joint initiative between Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust (YAS) and Humberside Fire and Rescue Service (HFRS) and has been running at seven stations in the East Riding during the summer.
The scheme was originally trialled at Pocklington Fire Station during 2013 and it will now include further stations at Beverley, Hornsea, Withernsea and Patrington.
Each EFR has been trained in basic life support, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and oxygen therapy. They are equipped with a kit which includes oxygen and an automated external defibrillator (AED) to help patients in a medical emergency such as a heart attack, collapse or breathing difficulties.
An EFR will be despatched at the same time as an ambulance and will not replace the usual emergency medical response from YAS. However, their location within local communities could mean they are nearer to the scene in those first critical minutes of a medical emergency, delivering life-saving care until an ambulance clinician arrives.
David Whiting, Chief Executive at YAS said:
“We have a responsibility to ensure we explore every available option to improve clinical outcomes for people in the East Riding and we are delighted to be working in partnership with HFRS on the expansion of the county’s first Emergency First Responder scheme.”
“We have a very clear ambition to improve the survival rate for those people who suffer from a cardiac arrest in the community.
“We want to have world class levels of survival from cardiac arrest and the expansion of this initiative is another important element in saving more lives.”
“The East Riding is already served by our award-winning Community First Responder teams who do a fantastic job as volunteers in their local areas. The addition of Emergency First Responders has further strengthened our response in these communities and the two models work side-by-side to save more lives.”
“We are also working with health partners, local MPs, Councillors and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) to increase the number of public access defibrillators in the area and further improve cardiac arrest survival rates in the East Riding.”
Emergency First Responders are only available for dispatch when staffing levels at their Fire Station allow and the scheme will not impact fire cover.
HFRS Chief Fire Officer Dene Sanders is proud of the way his crews have adapted their skills:
“I am delighted that the trial at Pocklington and first phase of the roll-out was such a success and that the scheme will now be extended across four more of our stations in the East Riding. Our fire fighters have received exceptional training from Yorkshire Ambulance Service and are looking forward to offering their assistance to patients through the scheme.”
“The overriding aim of Humberside Fire and Rescue Service is to protect our communities and reach and save those in danger who are in need of our help as quickly as possible. This joined-up approach can only enhance the service we provide and will improve patient outcomes across the East Riding.”
The scheme has been welcomed by Graham Stuart, MP for Beverley and Holderness, whose area will now be covered by the scheme:
“Rural Holderness has seen poor performance in ambulance response times over recent years and my constituents have been campaigning hard for an improvement to the service.”
“Last year I handed in a petition signed by hundreds of constituents calling on Yorkshire Ambulance Service to improve emergency response times in Beverley and Holderness.”
“If somebody suffers a cardiac arrest, they need help fast. I welcome the introduction of Emergency First Responders in Beverley and Holderness which will mean more responders are available to help when an ambulance is called and more lives will be saved.”
YAS Chief Executive, David Whiting, summed up the move by adding:
“The demand placed upon blue light emergency services increases every year and our approaches to providing the best response and best patient outcomes available are continually evolving. By exploring innovative and alternative ways of working with all partners, together we can ensure our service remains responsive and safe and this will lead to more lives being saved.”
