| WHY DO WE NEED FIRST RESPONDERS? |
Nettleham is quite close to Lincoln but an ambulance with its sirens and flashing lights will typically take about 8 to 12 minutes to reach us. In a life threatening emergency such as chest pains, breathing difficulties, choking or cardiac arrest this can be too long and the casualty can die before help arrives. First Responders all live in the village and they can therefore respond quickly to any emergency.
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| WHAT IS A FIRST RESPONDER? |
A First Responder is a community-based volunteer who is trained to respond to a life threatening emergency and give early basic life support and defibrillation prior to the arrival of the ambulance. All First Responders are trained by the Lincolnshire Ambulance Service and are part of the network of L.I.V.E.S. Volunteers that includes off-duty doctors and paramedics.
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| HOW DOES THE SYSTEM WORK? |
When a 999 call is received at Ambulance Control an ambulance is despatched immediately. If the emergency is deemed to be life threatening the on-call First Responder will also be called upon to attend. While the ambulance is on its way the First Responder will be able to start giving early basic life support and improve the casualty's chances of survival.
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| WHY IS IT SO IMPORTANT? |
Research has shown that the survival rate following a cardiac arrest drops by 10% for every minute without defibrillation. First Responders are trained and equipped to provide early basic life support to the critically ill casualty and early defibrillation to cardiac arrest patients.
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