FlightPath Fund buys life-saving kit for local first responder group
The FlightPath Fund has awarded £800 to help community first responder volunteers buy life-saving equipment.The award made to Milngavie Community First Responders was used to purchase a training defibrillator.
All Milngavie Community First Responders are volunteers and are trained by the Scottish Ambulance Service to attend specific 999 calls in the local community in the crucial minutes before an ambulance arrives.
Their role is to help stabilise a patient and provide the appropriate care until the more highly skilled ambulance crew arrives on scene to take over the treatment. One of the team’s key roles is in dealing with cardiac arrests, where first responders can administer a defibrillator to shock a patient and conduct airway management with the addition of oxygen therapy until an ambulance crew arrives.
The team also attend the following medical emergencies as first responders in their local area:
- Stroke
- Choking
- Diabetic emergencies
- Breathing difficulties
- Seizures
- Chest pains
- Unconscious patients
“Our other roles in the community include familiarisation courses on CPR and de-fibs, raising awareness and helping to advise, secure funding and establish Public Access Defibrillators. As we are self-funded, this would only be possible with generous donations by organisations like Glasgow Airport’s FlightPath Fund. Without it we wouldn’t be able to build community resilience and help to saves lives in the community.
“We would like to thank the FlightPath Fund for this support and know that this will help to reduce the number of out-of-hospital cardiac arrests that so often have a bad outcome.”
The Community First Responder initiative creates an even faster response for patients and is co-ordinated with NHS ambulance resources. In a medical emergency it is often the simple first aid skills, like making sure an airway is clear, that can save a life.
To find out more about the work of Milngavie Community First Responders click here. The group is always recruiting and local residents interested in volunteering should email [email protected]
