Greenhous Dacia show support for community first responders

The charity funded organisation based in Bishops Castle and the Clun Valley, needed an ambulance to add to their scheme that was suitable for the rough terrain in their area and the Duster fitted the bill perfectly.

Edmund Jones, secretary of the Bishops Castle and Clun Valley Community First Responders, said “As an ambulance service situated in a very rural part of Shropshire, we reached a point where we needed to purchase an additional vehicle suitable for travelling in those areas.

“With small country lanes, pot holes and dirt tracks a common occurrence in our day to day duties, we needed a fully functional, four-wheel drive vehicle that was durable and reliable in order to cope with the conditions.”

Community First Responder volunteers are trained to attend emergency calls received by the ambulance service and provide definitive and supportive care to the patient until the ambulance arrives. Volunteers need to reach an emergency scene in a matter of minutes in their local area, making it vital that the vehicles used for the ambulances are up to standard.

The schemes operate as a support to the West Midlands Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Having someone in the community who has been trained in first aid and can reach the patient quickly makes all the difference. The Responder’s early intervention further increases the patient’s chance of recovery.

Edmund continued “We chose the Duster over other vehicles on the market as along with being able to handle the rough terrain, the price was unbeatable for what the car offers. The Dacia brand obviously takes a no frills approach to their manufacturing but the car has more than enough features for what we need at an extremely reasonable price.

“The Duster has high clearance, heavy large wheels that are able to handle the condition of the roads it will be regularly travelling on. It is also practical, easy to access and has plenty of room for all of our medical equipment.”

Edmund concluded “We were thrilled when Greenhous surprised us with a TomTom on the handover of the Duster. It was something that we desperately needed in order to access all the hard to navigate, rural areas and we couldn’t be more grateful for the kind donation.”

Richard Potts, franchise director at Greenhous, said “It is a real testament to the Dacia Duster that it was chosen as an ambulance vehicle for Community First Responders. These volunteers do an incredible job, made even more important because of the rural nature of our county and the difficulties faced in getting to emergencies quickly. The ambulance vehicles must be able to cope with the terrain and the Duster does just that.

“We are delighted that Edmund is happy with his new vehicle and that it is meeting the necessary requirements. When we found out that they were in need of a sat nav, we didn’t hesitate to help out a great organisation that relies on donations.”