First responders expands towards area in Saintfield

First responders expands towards area in Saintfield

6 December 2023

THE lifesaving work of a community first responders organisation has been expanded to cover the Saintfield area.

Working alongside the Ambulance Service, the Mid Down and Lisburn Community First Responders group can provide immediate assistance to those who suffer a cardiac arrest and are waiting on paramedics to arrive.

The group was launched a year ago and one of its key members is Lynda Donaldson.

In January 2011, she suffered a cardiac arrest in the street in Saintfield, with the traumatic experience imbuing her with a sense of purpose. 

Thankfully a school nurse was passing and a first aider with a defibrillator and they were able to resuscitated Lynda in what she has described as a “textbook rescue”.

Spurred by the knowledge that every second counts in cardiac arrest and the ongoing issues within the health service and ambulance response times, Lynda and her partner Graham Walsh trained with the British Heart Foundation to deliver community CPR training. 

They then studied for a first aid qualification and training qualifications and launched Avonmore Training 

Solutions Ltd., now the governing body for Mid Down and Lisburn District Community First Responders (MDLDCFR).

Writing in the latest edition of Saintfield News, Lynda said the group is now the busiest of its kind in Northern Ireland.

MDLDCFR includes volunteers who, when alerted by the Ambulance Service, can attend the patient quickly if they are already in the area. The first responders are trained by the Ambulance Service, but many already have pre-hospital care knowledge and training.

Lynda said anyone with an interest and time to help people in a medical emergency, which is not always the most pleasant of situations, can join.

”We have a doctor, retired emergency medical technicians, retired Fire and Rescue Service Commanders, St John volunteers, first aid trainers, qualified first response emergency care personnel and some with little first aid knowledge or experience,” she explained.

The volunteers are trained to deal with Category 1 and 2 calls which include suspected heart attacks, chest pain, cardiac arrest, diabetic issues, drowning, electrocution, seizures, difficulty breathing and choking. 

When the group went live a year ago, it had 20 responders covering a broad area from Dollingstown to Newtownbreda, but has now expanded to cover Saintfield. 

“It was important for us to include Saintfield as this was where it all started,” said Lynda.

“We currently have an additional 10 responders in training. These new recruits buddy up for a while till they find their feet and have a review at six months in. There is always someone to help, to give advice or support. 

“A few times, there have been three or four responders having coffee in my or someone else’s kitchen at midnight after a difficult call out. They attend in twos, threes or fours, depending on the call, although some of the more experienced responders can attend on their own.’

Lynda said two responders will be located around the Temple and others in Carryduff who will cover the Saintfield area.

She also confirmed the team would like to recruit more responders in the future, but is also appealing for fundraising support from the communities they cover. 

“Every CFR has a NIAS identification card and a kit bag valued at £2,000 which contains a Zoll Defibrillator, blood pressure monitor, thermometer, pulse oximeter, airway management, slide sheets and patient report forms which is the documentation that the Ambulance Service uses,” Lynda explained.

She said observations and patient report forms can be completed by the responder so that work is done when paramedics arrive and provides them with a head start. 

Lynda said that in the the case of a very ill patient, the community first responder will will assist the Ambulance Service crew as directed by them.

The team have raised enough money to kit out the latest intake of responders, with three more Zoll defibrillators needed, and Lynda would like to provide them with branded jackets. 

She added: “Once established, our operating costs are low. However, we do need replacement pads for the defibrillators and to keep an eye on the future to build a fund to enable replacement of all equipment in around five years and uniforms in two years.”

More information about the community first responder group is available at www.middownandlisburncfr.org