An emergency medical team that has had more call-outs than ever in the North Lakes this year has been invited by Keswick Town Council to turn on the town’s Christmas lights.
The invitation has been accepted by the Keswick and District Community First Responders and it will provide an opportunity for residents to meet members of the team in their hi-viz jackets on Friday November 19.
Flicking the switch to turn on the festive display will be Nick Ball.
For the first time, there were more than 50 calls to the group in August and September to help both residents and visitors.
All responders carry a defibrillator along with other basic medical equipment, and nowadays must always wear personal protective equipment (PPE) for every call-out.
The team cover a wide geographic area: from Bassenthwaite in the west to Threlkeld in the east, and from Applethwaite right down to the southern end of the Borrowdale, St John’s and Newlands valleys.
They attend calls to residents’ homes, shops, pubs, cafes, car parks, hostels, caravans and even tents.
Their aim over recent years has been to provide a full kit for each responder to keep at home so when team members are available, they can be poised to attend call-outs in very short order and can hold the fort until an ambulance arrives.
Each kit costs around £1,250 which has to be funded from donations.
With each Responder having their own kit they can try to get to most venues within 10 minutes. They do not have blue lights and of course must always drive steadily.
Each type of call out now has its own type of practical problem from traffic queues down Borrowdale (especially in recent years), parking difficulties in busy areas of town and struggles to find house names or numbers in the dark.
First Responders are not always needed.
Sometimes the ambulance can get there before them – although the limitations and pressures on the ambulance service mean that people in the Keswick area sometimes wait 30 to 50 minutes for an ambulance.
“Although the skills of Community First Responders are more limited than those of the awesome ambulance crews, when someone is in pain and waiting 30 minutes for an ambulance it is obviously such a relief to them and their families when someone shows up to help – and first responders can genuinely save lives during that time,” said team leader Jackie Knights.
“The team train together each month to keep their skills up to date. As local volunteers, first responders are not always available as sometimes calls will come when they are all busy with work or other commitments — so they always welcome enquiries from potential new responders.”
They are particularly keen to hear from interested people in the villages and outlying areas.
Anyone wishing to find out more is welcome to attend the group’s annual general meeting at Portinscale Village Hall on Monday, December 13, at 7pm.
Otherwise speak to a responder at the switch-on or contact team leader Jackie Knights at [email protected]
