LAFR Chairman’s Report for the 2009 AGM

 

It has been something of a mixed year for the Lonach Area First Responders. We finished the previous year with much frustration that we were not receiving the training support needed from the Scottish Ambulance Service. These feelings were alleviated by some new arrangements and appointments within the Ambulance Service and there were promises of a more vigorous engagement with First Responder organisations. Unfortunately re-postings and other commitments meant the support was not as forthcoming as anticipated.

 

Nevertheless, First Responder schemes have become a significant component of emergency medical care nationwide. There are about 70 throughout Scotland, of which there are 12 in the North East. For the Lonach Responders, the prospect of Ambulance Service support does remain: there have been some new - albeit more limited - commitments to training, and there has been the acceptance that Responder Schemes should be reimbursed for the use of oxygen cylinders.

 

On the subject of finances, these remain strong, and on the subject of numbers, we should note that the number of volunteer responders on the Lonach Area list has dipped marginally to 15. Yet, the LAFR team does include some new faces and has continued to fill the out-of-hours gap with on-call responders covering weekday nights and throughout the weekends. We are still indebted to those who provide most of the cover, but need to recognise the value of the contribution of those who can only provide one night a week. If we can encourage more people to offer even this level of commitment, then the burden for all would be eased and the community would benefit simply from having more people around who are trained in first aid and basic life support.

 

In addition to boosting numbers and providing the continuous out of hours cover, the other objectives of the LAFR for the year ahead are much the same as before: to keep up efforts to encourage extra training support from the Ambulance Service, and to raise the profile of the LAFR within the community.

 

Even though the number of callouts dropped noticeably last year on the previous year, the importance of the service provided should be acknowledged. The key element being that the LAFR scheme makes it more likely that early CPR and defibrillation will be available to those that need it. These are critical elements that contribute to significantly increasing the chances of survival for heart attack patients. Even if there was only one life saving callout in a decade, it would still be worthwhile. And with this in mind, it is important that the potential value of the responder scheme is not underestimated by responders themselves as well as the wider community.

 

 

Rob Lowry

26th June 2009

 

 

 

Is the Lonach Area First Responder scheme worth it?

By Robert Lowry (August 2008)

 

The LAFR scheme might not have the highest of profiles, but it has continued to provide a steady service to the local – and occasionally wider – community since going live more than two years ago.

 

The main aim of the scheme is to provide treatment to the injured or ill in the first few minutes prior to the arrival of an ambulance, and Lonach responders have attended an average of just over 1.5 callouts a month. Significantly, they have arrived on the scene up to 40 minutes ahead of the ambulance, and when the time from the initial call is added – which may be an extra 5 to 20 minutes – it becomes evident that the Scottish Ambulance Service aim to provide early access to emergency care is a tough challenge, even if they prioritise calls.

 

While there is no intention to belittle the invaluable work of the Ambulance Service, there is a need to recognise that their resources are limited and it seems unlikely that they, or GP surgeries, will be in a position to provide sufficient 24-hour cover to outlying regions like the Lonach area in the foreseeable future. The importance and value of the LAFR should, therefore, be clear, with the availability of trained volunteers equipped with oxygen delivery systems and external defibrillators being the main strands of the LAFR service.

 

The LAFR has been able to fill the out-of-hours gap with on-call responders covering weekday nights and throughout the weekends. This cover is sometimes achieved only at a stretch and is very dependent on some core volunteers, yet while there are 17 responders for the area, more promisingly there are others awaiting training. It should be stressed that these are “volunteers”, and perhaps more people should be encouraged to recognise they could be trained in valuable life skills that might as soon be called on when they are not on responder duty. Indeed, the responder team has recently helped pass on these skills by providing some first aid training to school children.

                                                                                                                        

The LAFR is fortunate to have experienced trainers amongst its numbers. The LAFR will, nevertheless, need to keep up efforts to encourage extra training support and assessment, as well as material support, from the Ambulance Service if it is to maintain a proficient service by volunteer personnel.

 

Financially speaking, the LAFR certainly appears worth it. LAFR finances are in good shape, and this is indicative of the generosity of local people and businesses, and their recognition of the valuable service that is being provided. Yet, while the LAFR raises funds as part of its charitable status, it has been argued by some that these funds are in fact subsidising government efforts to meet performance targets. However, curbing efforts to provide the important service offered by the LAFR until more favourable financial support is received, should not be an option - especially if one acknowledges the life-saving potential the LAFR has in filling the so-called “therapeutic vacuum” between the time of a 999 call and the ambulance arriving.

 

If you need urgent medical care, call 999 for an ambulance. During out-of-hours periods, the Emergency Medical Dispatch Centre will notify the on-call Lonach Area First Responders whilst an ambulance is also dispatched.

 

If you feel the need to learn some valuable life skills, come and join the LAFR team. To do this or to support the LAFR in other ways, please visit www.lonachresponders.org for more details.

 

Is it worth it? – YES.

 

 

 

First Responders    by Robert Lowry

 

So, you’re in the Lonach area and you come across someone who is suffering a heart attack, having breathing difficulties or is unconscious. They need immediate medical help. What do you do?

 

Dialing 999 is the first thing to consider. You could phone the doctor, but it’s out of hours. You could attempt to implement some of that first aid training you had a few years back, but you’re not too sure.

 

Meanwhile, you have to wait on an ambulance coming from Alford or Tomintoul, or even further afield if these are already dealing with other emergencies. So you wait…perhaps pondering on statistics about ambulance response times and chances of survival. Early access to emergency care, early cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (CPR), and early defibrillation are all crucial components to the widely-recognised Chain of Survival that greatly improves a heart attack victim’s chances. So you wait for help to arrive.

           

The first people through the door will more than likely be from the Lonach Area First Responder Scheme. Earlier that evening the volunteers would have picked up the first responder kit consisting of defibrillator, oxygen and other first aid supplies. They would have signed on with the Ambulance Control Centre before continuing with their normal family routines. 

 

The original 999 call would have prompted the dispatch of an ambulance to the incident scene and the ambulance control centre would then mobilise two on-call first responders. These volunteers will provide life saving treatment in the minutes prior to the arrival of the ambulance.

 

The Lonach Area First Responder (LAFR) scheme is a charitable entity that operates under the auspices of the Scottish Ambulance Service. However, the LAFR scheme is purely community funded, and as a result of the generosity of local people and businesses, we have been able to establish two teams of first responders, which provide cover for Corgarff, Strathdon, Glenbuchat, Glenkindie, Towie and Kildrummy. The training of first responders is an ongoing - though not onerous - process and includes instruction and assessment by the Scottish Ambulance Service.

 

The on-duty responders are directed to attend incidents notably those involving chest pains, breathing difficulties, suspected heart attacks and unconscious casualties. Since going live in May 2006, Lonach Area First Responders have attended around one call every four weeks – including a few outside the Lonach area.

 

There are currently 17 first responders providing out of hours cover: 1830 - 0800 weekdays, and round the clock on weekends and bank holidays. Although this might seem adequate, we still need more people to come forward and help us in any way they can to provide this invaluable life-saving service to our communities.

 

If you would like to find out more, please take a look at our website at http://www.lonachresponders.org.

 

 

This article first appeared in the Lonach Programme - August 2007.

 

 

 

 

Lonach Responders set to go live

 

 

The Lonach Area First Responders have informed the Ambulance Operations Centre that they are ready to become operational on Monday 22 May. The move follows the training of 17 volunteers in defibrillation and other life-saving techniques.

 

It is nearly a year since a steering group was formed to set up the first responder scheme in the rural Donside area where lengthy distances mean that it is not always possible for the Scottish Ambulance Service to arrive at an incident within the critical 8-minute period.

 

Various fundraising events and generous donations have enabled the Lonach Responders to purchase two kits – one based in Strathdon and the other in Towie – each costing around £4,000. The kits comprise automatic external defibrillators and oxygen as well as other basic first aid equipment.

 

 

19 May 2006