Shared response-ability: covering 4,500 square miles of Mid and West Wales is no easy task for...

The Co-Responder scheme, a partnership between the NHS Ambulance Trust and the Fire and Rescue Service, involves training firefighters to respond to calls alongside paramedics. The scheme is specific to 999 calls and has proved particularly valuable in calls from remote areas where a paramedic

When a life-threatening 999 call is identified, an ambulance controller sends an emergency ambulance to the scene and sends out a pager signal to the Fire Service Co-Responder. Both attend the scene as quickly as possible. The NHS Ambulance Trust determines which calls merit a Co-Respender attendance within guidelines agreed with the Fire and Rescue Service.

Naturally, the treatment offered by Co-Responders depends on the type of call. The nature of the calls vary tremendously, from assisting a six-week old baby who had stopped breathing, to treating a 101-year-old lady who had sustained a head injury.

The first few minutes of a medical emergency have a critical effect on the outcome for the patient. The defibrillator is one of the most used pieces of equipment, with a large proportion of other calls requiring first-aid skills, usually supported by oxygen therapy. Firefighters previously trained in first aid have received additional training by paramedic instructors from the NHS Ambulance Trust to provide this enhanced service.

Interestingly, since the inception of the Co-Responder scheme there has been a significant shift in public perception within the communities served by these schemes. The improved liaison between the two partners has led to greater co-operation between firefighters and ambulance personnel at all incidents, resulting in better care for the patient.

Improving primary response times when reaching seriously ill patients is just one of the benefits of this community-based service. The first pilot scheme in Reynoldston, Gower, has been proving highly effective, with the unit answering 112 call-outs during its first 15 months. Following the success of the Reynoldston scheme, there are now six schemes running in the Mid and West Wales area and many lives have been--and are being--saved.