Hi,

My name is Steve Wootton and I am a Community First Responder (CFR) within the North West Ambulance Service. I joined the Fylde CFR group in October 2018 because I wanted to make a difference to people‘s lives. As a First Responder I go ‘on call’ and if there is a medical emergency within the local area (Fleetwood, Cleveleys, Bispham, Blackpool, South Shore, Lytham and St Annes) I may be called upon to go to a patient to give lifesaving treatment until the Ambulance crew/ Paramedics arrive. In the time I have been doing this role I have already attended patients with Cardiac Arrest, Convulsions and Breathing problems.

I do this role in my own time, at nights and weekends, and I operate from home using my own car. This is a voluntary role that sits alongside my normal day job.

So far we have been sharing kit bags and defibrillators with other First Responders. In order that we can be an affective team we need our own kit (bag, bandages, masks, tubes, pulse oximeter and oxygen) and defibrillator as these really can make a difference to keeping somebody alive. It would mean I would be able to go on call more frequently and for longer. This would also mean more CFR’s can log on at any given time, meaning more availability for patients in need.

The funds raised will pay for two sets of kit, defibrillator and obs pouchs so that we can give the crew additional information such as pulse rate and oxygen levels on their arrival saving precious minutes.

I cannot tell you how much this cause means to me personally and what a difference this can make to the community as a whole.

Please share this far and wide so that we can raise the funds required and thank you for taking the time to read.