New group aims to save lives

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A NEW group has been launched in Lymm – aiming to save the lives of local people.
The fledgling Lymm Community First Responders group aims to work with the Ambulance Service to help cut the time it takes to give a local resident medical treatment in the event of a life-threatening situation.
On average, it takes an ambulance 10-and-a-half minutes to reach Lymm in the event of an emergency.
Every minute that help is delayed following a cardiac arrest reduces the chance of survival by about 10 per cent.
Last year, 410 people in Lymm called for an ambulance in a crisis, so the problem is not a small one.
The idea behind the First Responders group is to set up a team of local people who would be able to get to the scene of an incident quickly, stabilise the patient and keep them alive until the ambulance arrives.
The responders would be ordinary people who have received full training and then do a few hours “on call” each week.
If a call comes in, they drive to the incident and start medical treatment.
This can half the response time and double the chance of a casualty surviving.
Local first-aider Graham Gowland said: “It’s really simple stuff, but it can make the difference between someone living or dying.
“I’ve applied to become a responder and I work for a brewery. If I can do it, anyone can!”
More information is available at the website www.nwas-responders.info and and interested people are asked to email [email protected] with their address, stating they are interested in the Lymm CFR scheme. Applicants will be sent an application form, and interview and training will follow.
All equipment and training is provided by the ambulance service, but Lymm & District Round Table has pledged £3,000 to support the scheme.
The First Responders scheme supports the existing Heartstart project, that has seen the placing of more than 15 community defibrillators throughout the village, and has trained more than 200 locals over the
last year in emergency first aid.
Courses are held every month – email [email protected] to book.


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