Community First Responder Training

Prior to being accepted onto a training course, you will be expected to:

• Undertake an enhanced criminal records bureau disclosure (CRB)
• Agree to the East of England policies and procedures of Community Response
• Be declared fit for the role by the Trust’s Occupational Health department.

You will then attend an intensive 18 contact hour training usually held at weekends.

The course aims to provide you with the knowledge and skills to act as an agent of the East of England Ambulance Service and to be able to attend life threatening medical emergencies. It will give you the knowledge and skill to deliver emergency first aid and resuscitation to a patient prior to the arrival of a health care professional.

The programme will also train you in necessary health and safety requirements, and in communication and risk assessment to enable you to operate in a safe and ethical manner in line with ambulance service policies and procedures. It will incorporate an induction to the NHS to ensure every volunteer understands their role within the NHS and the Ambulance Service.

The intensive weekend training course will teach you the following subjects:

• Basic life support and the use of automated external defibrillator (AED)
• Basic life support
• Use of an automated external defibrillator (AED)
• Oropharyngeal airways
• Suction
• Recovery position
• Oxygen therapy
• Choking patient
• Chest Pains. 

In addition you will learn about:

• Patient assessment
• Choking patient
• Asthma
• Hyperventilation
• Reassuring a conscious patient
• Control of bleeding
• Fitting patient
• Allergies
• Diabetic emergencies
• Stroke patient.

As part of the course you will be taught how to respond to an emergency call, communicating with patients, infection control and prevention and also administrative procedures.

Having completed the training you will undertake a written exam followed by practical scenarios.