Co-responding partnership extended to Littleport and Soham

27/07/2022

A life-saving partnership between ambulance staff and firefighters has been extended with the addition of new co-responding fire stations in Cambridgeshire.

From 4 July, on-call firefighters from Littleport and Soham joined the scheme, which is part of a regional memorandum of understanding with the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST).

It sees on-call firefighters sent to emergencies, in addition to ambulance clinicians and community first responders, to calls where a patient is not breathing, and their heart has stopped beating.

In rural locations, it’s likely that a fire engine would arrive first. As the on-call firefighters are trained in basic life support and equipped with defibrillators, they are able to begin potentially life-saving treatment until the ambulance crews arrive.

Firefighters from Soham and Littleport in East Cambridgeshire have joined their colleagues at Ramsey and March fire stations, who have been taking part in the scheme for a number of years.

Speaking about the partnership, Group Commander Kevin Andrews commented: “We are very excited to extend this initiative to two additional stations in Cambridgeshire. Our on-call crews taking part are already at the heart of their communities and have been very enthusiastic from the onset.

“We are passionate about providing the best possible service to the people of Cambridgeshire and by building on the support we provide to EEAST we will be able to help each other in delivering life-saving assistance.

“Building on the collaborative work already undertaken, we can support the ambulance service in responding to the most life-threatening medical emergencies, by getting to patients quickly and starting basic life support. We know that the quicker someone starts cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and gets a defibrillator to a patient in cardiac arrest the better chance they have of surviving.

“The ambulance service will continue to send clinicians to such patients as a top priority, but the best thing for the patient is to get someone trained in basic life support to their side as quickly as possible.”

EEAST has already trained the on-call firefighters, and will continue to provide ongoing support to those taking part in the scheme.

Tom Barker, Regional Lead for EEAST said: “We are delighted that more on-call firefighters in Cambridgeshire are taking part in the co-response scheme.

“It is important for residents to be aware that, if they call 999 to report a cardiac arrest, a fire engine may arrive before an ambulance – especially in more rural areas. The firefighters responding have all received training and have the skills and the equipment they need to provide vital care until ambulance crews arrive, in turn giving the patient the very best chance.

“We look forward to developing this partnership in the future.”