Our newest recruits Sophie and Malcolm have each done a shift and had their first call and we look forward to them helping to play their part in supporting the local community.

In addition to being on call locally and attending calls whilst on shift, we have operated our Freelander as a dynamic response vehicle, on occasional days recently. This assists the ambulance service, gives our team extra experience and provides greater cover along the Solent coastline and New Forest area. Whilst we do not detail the nature of our calls we can report that we have attended casualties with trauma following a fall from height, non-injury falls where we were able to assist the patient without the need for an emergency ambulance attendance, a diabetic emergency, a medical emergency in the street, but the most rewarding was call to a person in cardiac arrest where we provided assistance to the ambulance crew and assisted in getting the patient into a state where they were breathing and suitable for conveyance to hospital.

Cases of cardiac arrest are always fatal without intervention. And that intervention needs to start immediately to have most effect. Whether it be by an ambulance crew, a community first responder or a passer-by, fast defibrillation and at the minimum, hands only CPR, will save lives. For every minute that passes without those, a person’s chances of survival go down by 10-14%. That is why we, as first responders, exist in our local communities.

We are still planning another public presentation for the village, to make everyone aware of where the local defibrillators are, how you get them, what you do with them and how safe they are to use. We will also demonstrate CPR and encourage you to have a go on our manikins.

Please keep an eye on our Facebook page for details in due course.