Who are we?
Coventry Community Responders are volunteers from all walks of life that hold down full time jobs. Coventry Community Responders are based within the local community and we respond to ‘999’ calls within a 7 minute (3 mile radius) from our home addresses. We aim to be on duty 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Coventry Community Responders attend a wide and varied range of calls that we have been trained for. These are:
- Cardiac Arrest
- Heart Attack
- Strokes
- Choking
- Diabetic Emergencies
- Trauma Emergencies
Training
Each member of Coventry Community Responders has attended and successfully completed a nationally recognised IHCD First Person on Scene Intermediate Course which consists of practical assessments and an exam. This is refreshed on a yearly basis to ensure each member of Coventry Community Responders remain proficient. The course covers the use of Automatic External Defibrillators (AED’s), Oxygen Therapy, Airway Management and how to treat and initially manage potentially life threatening conditions until more qualified help arrives.
Why are Coventry Community Responders so important for Coventry?
The government recently produced a white paper report entitled “Saving Lives - Our Healthier Nation”, which stressed the importance of early public access defibrillation.
In the UK alone, 135,000 people die from what is commonly known as a heart attack (myocardial infarction) Two thirds of these deaths happen in the pre hospital environment but studies prove that this can be reduced. Death is usually due to lethal, but treatable, electrical abnormality in the heart beat rhythm called ventricular fibrillation (VF). The main treatment that has been found to be effective is DEFIBRILLATION. This is the aim of Coventry Community Responders to attend as many of these incidents as possible to enable this to happen.
The quicker the defibrillation takes places, the greater the chance of survival. Coventry Community Responders aim to be at scene with 7 minutes which will allow defibrillation to be started before the ambulance arrives. Studies prove that every minute that passes from a patient collapses suffering a heart attack and is in VF, there survival rate reduces by 7-10%. It is the aim of Coventry Community Responders to have a volunteer available in every area of Coventry.
Coventry Community Responders are actively recruiting volunteers to become trained responders. If you are interested in joining Coventry Community Responders email info@coventrycommunityresponders.com