Community First Responders

A Community First Responder (CFR) Scheme is a group of trained volunteers who live in the community they serve.

When certain 999 calls are received, the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service (NIAS) may alert nearby CFRs while an emergency ambulance is being dispatched. CFRs aim to reach the patient during the vital first few minutes before the ambulance crew arrives.

CFRs are trained to:

• Provide Basic Life Support (BLS)
• Use an Automated External Defibrillator (AED)
• Place an unconscious casualty in the recovery position
• Provide lifesaving interventions for a choking casualty
• Update the Emergency Operations Centre (EOC) when required

CFRs work alongside NIAS. They never replace emergency ambulance crews; instead, they provide immediate, often lifesaving care until advanced help arrives.

When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, the heart stops pumping blood and normal breathing stops. Every second matters.

CFRs can often reach a patient within minutes because they live locally. In an emergency, those few minutes can make the difference between life and death.

In Northern Ireland:

• Approximately 1,500 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests (OHCA) occur each year where resuscitation is attempted.
• Fewer than one in ten people survive to return to their families.
• Longer ambulance response times in rural areas increase the need for early local intervention.

CFRs are trained to deliver the first three links in the Chain of Survival:

1. Early recognition of cardiac arrest
2. Early CPR
3. Early defibrillation

By providing these critical first steps quickly, CFRs can greatly improve a casualty’s chance of survival. In some situations, they truly can make the difference between life and death.

CFRs are usually called to potentially life-threatening medical emergencies where a rapid arrival could improve the patient’s outcome.

Alongside emergency life support, CFRs offer reassurance and comfort to patients and their relatives during distressing situations. This calm, compassionate support can be just as valuable as the medical treatment provided.

CFR schemes operate in partnership with NIAS to deliver rapid emergency life support to patients.

NIAS does not fully govern or fund CFR schemes, but it provides:

• Clinical governance and indemnity
• Clinical guidance and training
• Support to maintain a scheme
• Volunteer dispatching and troubleshooting assistance
• Welfare support for volunteers

CFR schemes are usually independent community groups or charities. Each scheme has a coordinator who acts as a point of contact for CFR volunteers and for the Ambulance Service.

New CFRs receive their training from the Community Resuscitation Team within NIAS. The process includes: