Military co-responders thanked on Remembrance Day

EEAST CEO Neill Moloney thanked all members of the armed forces for their selfless commitment to helping our communities on Remembrance Day.

More than 100 wreaths are being laid at ambulance stations across the region on 11 November.

As well as employing veterans and having many Reservists at EEAST, the ambulance service also works closely with military co-responders – armed forces personnel with medical training who volunteer their services to respond to 999 calls in their local area.

Co-responders are trained to assist patients who have fallen from the floor and make an assessment with a clinician in the ambulance control room to determine whether the patient can be safely left at home or needs further care. They can also be dispatched to the most serious medical emergencies, delivering vital life-saving support while waiting for ambulance crews to arrive.

EEAST has 60 military co-responders operating from RAF bases across the region. They operate from vehicles provided by EEAST and wear EEAST uniforms when on-call. They have logged over 5,000 volunteer hours so far.

Since January 2024, military co-responders have attended over 2,000 calls, arriving first on scene 90% of the time and being able to help over 440 of these without the need for an ambulance, freeing up resources to respond to other emergencies.

EEAST chief executive officer Neill Moloney said: "I would like to thank all of our armed forces for their service on Remembrance Day.

"EEAST is proud to have many colleagues who have had experience in our Armed Forces, either as a regular or Reservist. Many of our colleagues are serving Reservists.

"Our military co-responders selflessly volunteer to support their communities, often helping patients who need assistance but often won’t need an ambulance. This means patients are helped more quickly, and often means our crews can attend other emergencies.

"These sentiments of public service – a willingness to help or act for a community, being ready to act to help others, often in challenging situations – are shared between our armed forces and at colleagues at EEAST, and it is fitting to appreciate these shared values at this time of year."

Notes:

• EEAST's military co-responders operate from RAF bases across the region: RAF Henlow, RAF Wyton, RAF Marham and RAF Honington.
• This year, military co-responders have logged 5,097 volunteer hours with an average shift length of 8 hours 9 minutes.
• They attended 2,026 calls, arriving before an EEAST ambulance crew 90% of the time.
• In 444 incidents attended by military co-responders, equating to 21%, there was no need for an ambulance to attend. This frees up ambulances to respond to other medical emergencies.