Clun Valley Community First Responders go live

After he was trained in CPR and using a defibrillator, a device used to restart the heart of someone who has suffered a cardiac arrest, by West Midlands Ambulance Service, Ian Owen’s first ever ‘real’ patient was Mandy Owen who has since recovered well.

Ian, a 51 year old trainer / instructor within the transport industry, said: “After the experience of what happened with my sister I thought it was a good idea to go on to become a CFR.”

Ian’s initial training that led to his treating his own sister was part of the Clun Valley AED scheme which has been introducing defibrillators to remote villages and communities in the Clun Valley area of Shropshire and finding volunteers to be taught how to use them.

But following his experience on April 10th 2011, Ian decided to progress further and in January 2012 he began training to become a Community First Responder. He can now attend to, assess and treat a wider range of medical issues while an ambulance resource is en-route.

Ian said: “The training was very good. I learnt a lot more than I expected. We got to know more about how the body works. It’s a bit like a mechanic learning what all the bits of a car do. And we began to understand all the symptoms people experience.”

Ian is now one of two new CFRs responding from their home village of Bucknell. The other is Nicky Edwards, 40, a parts administrator for a company making launch and recovery equipment for the RNLI. She was persuaded by Ian to join him in being trained as a CFR.

She said: “I initially did the defibrillator training as part of the Clun Valley AED scheme last April after a member of my family had a heart attack. The CFR training was really interesting. There were 15 people on our course including a former paramedic, someone who worked for an undertaker and a drummer in a band who also worked in a supermarket.

“A real bonus was going on observational shifts with ambulance crews. It was good to see what equipment is carried by ambulance crews in their vehicles. My first day with them was really hands on. I bandaged up a patient and did the observations on them in the back of the ambulance. It was a very good experience, especially when attending a case when you end up thinking ‘Just why did you call 999?’”

Both Ian and Nicky can now make themselves available to respond to medical emergencies while an ambulance resource is on its way. But Ian said: “We do need more volunteers to train as Community First Responders.”