Coordinating our community first responders
Every day, volunteers and specialist staff across the North East support patients by responding quickly to emergencies in their own communities and providing life-saving care.
Our Community Response Team manages the movements of these responders, as well as sourcing and registering community defibrillators.
There are a range of volunteering and community service roles, including:
Community first responders (CFRs)
Volunteers who are trained to attend certain types of 999 calls in the area where they live or work. Their role is to help stabilise the patient within those crucial first few minutes of an emergency and provide appropriate care before the ambulance arrives on the scene.
Co-responders
Employees from an existing public service, such as police, fire or military. Their training is the same as a community first responder and they are available for emergency calls while carrying out their regular work duties.
Staff responders
Staff who work for the Trust in various capacities but also respond in their spare time outside work. They can also be called from work in times of high pressure.
Medical first responders (MFRs)
Medically trained responders, such as paramedics, who respond to emergency call in their own time. They can provide additional treatment options beyond those provided by other responders and are permitted to have blue lights and audible warnings fitted to their vehicles.