Life-saving partnership with Meadowhall for first responder training

Yorkshire Ambulance Service has teamed up with Meadowhall to train colleagues as Community First Responders (CFRs), equipping them to provide vital care, comfort and reassurance in medical emergencies before an ambulance arrives.

The three-day CFR course included training on CPR and operating a defibrillator, administering oxygen and assessing a patient’s condition to determine whether to call an ambulance or treat on site.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service has also provided Meadowhall with two additional new defibrillators, taking the total number available in the centre to five.

The training has been completed by colleagues from across the centre, including security teams, caretakers and electricians, and Meadowhall will always have at least one trained CFR on site at all times.

Darren Pearce, centre director at Meadowhall, said: “The safety of our visitors, colleagues and retail partners is our number one priority. Many of our colleagues are already first aiders and we’re proud to now have 17 Community First Responders as part of the team too.

“We’re looking forward to rolling the CFR course out to even more of our team, so that if the worst happens, we’re on hand to provide the best possible first-response care and keep our visitors safe.”

Warren Bostock, Community Defibrillation Officer with Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: “We’re always on the lookout for more volunteers and we are really pleased to partner with Meadowhall to deliver our training to 17 of their colleagues.

“CFRs make an extremely valuable contribution to their communities, and visitors and those working at Meadowhall now have the benefit of having CFRs on site. We know that in many medical emergencies, such as a heart attack, breathing difficulties or a collapse, the first few minutes are critical. If effective treatment can be given within those first minutes, lives can be saved.”