Fylde Coast Community First Responders

We have some great news! We have been awarded £10,000 from the The National Lottery! 🎉

These funds will provide new additional kit for our responders to attend 999 calls on behalf of the North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust. As well as this we will have a strong focus on providing AED and CPR awareness sessions in our local community! 👀

Thanks to players for making our project possible. We’re making a huge difference to the lives of a large number of people in the Fylde Coast thanks to funding.

https://www.facebook.com/100057279737613/posts/641815394404446/

Paramedic and LGBT Network Chair Adam Williams is raising awareness this World AIDS Day - NWAS - North West Ambulance Service Today, 1 December, is World AIDS Day, an international day used to raise much-needed awareness of HIV and the stigma and discrimination still experienced by people living with HIV.

Tonight we are very busy 🚑 🚨 We’re doing our best, but you may wait longer for an ambulance than you expect. If you're reading this, you probably don't need us, but if your family or friends do and you can safely get them hospital without us, please consider it.

We have had lots of questions about our emergency medical technician 1 apprenticeship role which is brilliant! Applications open next week and so we have popped some frequently asked questions onto our website which may hopefully help you. ⬇️

https://www.nwas.nhs.uk/careers/roles/emergency-medical-technician-emt/

It’s Saturday…

We have responders out and about around Blackpool this evening!

Nigel and Jonny have also already attended jobs this afternoon. They continue to work into the evening!

Enjoy your weekend everyone!

It’s Bonfire Night! 🎉

Over the course of today we have had five responders out on the roads across Blackpool!

They have been attending 999 calls on behalf of the North West Ambulance Service!

So far, our responders have been to patients suffering with seizures, breathing problems and strokes to name a few!

What is a Stroke?

A Stroke is a medical emergency. The FAST test can help you recognise the most common signs.

Facial weakness: Can the person smile? Has their mouth or eye drooped?

Arm weakness: Can the person raise both arms?

Speech problems: Can the person speak clearly and understand what you say?

Time to call 999: if you see any of these signs.
Make sure you and your loved ones all know the FAST test.

*JOB ALERT*

Did you know that when you call 999, our emergency call handlers triage your call and pass this on to a whole team of dispatchers, who speak directly to our ambulances crews to get you the help you need?

We need more emergency dispatchers; this is a band 4 role with opportunities available in Liverpool, Greater Manchester and Preston.

Don’t miss out on a great opportunity, applications closing soon. Apply now:
https://bit.ly/3se7O4H

Today is Emergency Services Day and we are celebrating all our fabulous blue light family members. As a service, we are so thankful and proud of our staff and volunteers, especially throughout the hardest two years to date.

What makes all the emergency services great, is our people. Not only our frontline staff, but every person working behind the scenes who plays their own part in keeping us going.

Our police, fire, air ambulance, Royal National Lifeboat Institution, coastguard and mountain rescue colleagues are part of our family. Their support on serious or difficult incidents is vital and without them, we wouldn't be able to care for our North West community like we do. So, thank you! 💚

CPR is given differently to babies and children. We are holding a FREE online session to show you the skills you may need to help save a precious life. We hope you never, ever need to use it, but equipping yourself with these skills could make a massive difference.
Thursday 13 October, 10:30am, joining instructions/information below:
https://www.nwas.nhs.uk/news/learn-how-to-restart-a-heart-free-online-session/

Nine-year-old Lucas from Manchester was on his way home from school when he spotted a gentleman who had fallen at the side of the road and took immediate action to help him.

Lucas was in the car with his mum Anna, who works in our 111 service when Anna heard Lucas shout to pull the car over and to call 999.

Lucas had spotted an elderly gentleman lying on the floor with nobody around him with what looked like a serious head injury. Anna pulled the car over safely, and the pair jumped out to help the man and rang for help.

Whilst Anna called 999, Lucas continued to talk to the gentlemen to make sure he was okay, waited with him and wouldn’t leave him until he knew he was safe.

Lucas actions were remarkable and so heart-warming – well done Lucas!
https://www.nwas.nhs.uk/ambulance-academy/children/junior-lifesavers/lucas-and-annas-story/
If you have a junior lifesaver story from the last 12 months, please let us know by messaging us on here.

NWAS prepares to "go back to basics" with fresh strategy - NWAS - North West Ambulance Service North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust has published its new strategy, setting out how it wants to improve responses to patients, the work lives of its workforce and to contribute to the task of creating a safer and healthier community in the North West.

Blue Skies recently provided funding for ‘star projectors’ which are now located in our Maternity Unit. The projectors can enhance positive moods, promote a holistic environment and encourage a natural hormone release, benefitting mother and baby through the labour process.

Unit Manager, Rebecca Smith, commented: “We love these lights, they have made such a positive impact on our patients. We get so much positive feedback; people just love them. We would love to be able to have more of these lights in the future.”

Our team are busy fundraising again this week 🧡

This time we’re at Sainsbury's on Talbot Road. make sure you come and say hello 👋

Most GP practices need a minimum of 48 hours’ notice to issue a repeat prescription. Order your prescriptions today in preparation for the bank holiday next week 🗓️

Yesterday it was a very hot day! However this didn’t stop one of our responders Nigel!

Nigel had a busy day.

He went to an unconscious male.
A male who was having convulsions (fitting).
Also a female who was fitting.

He then attended a patient who was having unknown cardiac issues. Lastly he ended up at Stanley Park in Blackpool for somebody who unfortunately had an asthma attack!

Nigel is one of our most active responders! We are so proud he is apart of our team!

Thanks Nigel!

Heat exhaustion and heatstroke Heat exhaustion and heatstroke are potentially serious conditions that can occur if you get too hot. They usually happen during a heatwave or in a hot climate, but can also occur when you're doing very strenuous physical exercise.

Dehydration is a real risk during the extreme heat, make sure you drink lots of water.

Signs of dehydration include:
Increased thirst
Dry mouth
Dark urine
Urinating infrequently or in small amounts

Serious dehydration needs urgent medical attention. Call 999 in an emergency but for everything else visit 111.nhs.uk.

t's going to be epic weather over the next couple of days...
Heat exhaustion is not usually serious if you can cool down within 30 minutes. If it turns into heatstroke it needs to be treated as an emergency. See NHS website for more advice on treatment and prevention: http://bit.ly/2MavQd9

Ambulance crews and our first responders will always park as safe and appropriate as we can.

As we respond to life threatening emergencies these can happen anywhere and at anytime. We will park as close to the scene as possible.

In the past week some of our responders have responded to jobs at the following locations⬇️

North Pier
Central Pier
Tram & Bus stops.
Houses,Flats & Caravans.
And many many more….

If you see an unmarked car, marked car, ambulance, rapid response car or even a motorbike parked in an inconvenient place they could be responding to an emergency.

Our ambulance crews will always park as considerately as possible; however, we are here for life threatening emergencies which means we need to get to our patients as quickly as possible to give them life-saving interventions. On some occasions, particularly on certain road layouts, we may temporarily have to block a road.

If you do find that we have blocked a road or access to your driveway or house, we have not done it intentionally and would like to please ask you for your patience whilst we treat our patient as we are likely saving a life. Thank you. 🚑

Do you need to use the A&E department? Have you tried the 111 online or even by phone? Help our NHS staff by using the service appropriate to your needs 😊

🚨 We are seeing a high volume of attendances in our A&E department 🚨

If your condition in NOT an emergency, please consider alternative services such as visiting NHS 111 online.

Thank you for your support to

Meet Steph, a paramedic who, because of being her true self, has experienced abuse from the very people she has gone to help. All ambulance services are very proud of Steph but she, and all ambulance staff across the country, deserve to

We just wanted to say a massive thank you to Annie McKell! Annie has raised £484.04 for the Fylde Community First Responders. Annie did a skydive from 15,000FT!

We rely solely on donations to help us to support saving life’s. This donation will help to support us but uniform, kit, AEDs, training materials and lots lots more!

Thanks again Annie!

Anybody who is local check out the new guidance at the Blackpool Victoria Hospital!

Facemask guidance at Blackpool Teaching Hospitals has changed from today.

Please familiarise yourself with the updated guidelines if you plan on visiting any of our sites. ▶▶▶ https://orlo.uk/pOsXn

😷 💙

Don’t forget we’re down at the Fleetwood Jubilee Celebration today! Come and see us!

We will be teaching CPR and how to use an AED!

MASSIVE Thank you from myself and the team for everyone who came to see us today @ Kingscote Park! We estimate that we have raised awareness with roughly 500 people! Thank you to everyone who has donated and gotten involved! We will be down at the Fleetwood Jubilee event tomorrow so please come and see us and help us raise awareness on how to save a life!
Blackpool Stanley Rugby Club

Tom is also one of our Community First Responders! 😊

We often work together with our partner emergency services at major trauma incidents, ensuring our patients get the life-saving care they need.

This snap was taken recently by Emergency Medical Technician 1 Tom based in Blackpool, which he captioned; ‘Multi-agency working at its finest to give the best care to our patients with HM Coastguard, Wasdale Mountain Rescue and North West Air Ambulance.’

Whatever you are doing this weekend, please take care.

👀Here's a snapshot of another busy month at NWAS.
🚑Although we needed to answer fewer 999 calls we responded to more patients.
📞Also, calls to 111 remain high. Please try the online service at 111.nhs.uk You answer the same questions but it's likely to be quicker!

Anybody who is interested in a job in NWAS! Make sure you attend the Live Chat!👀

The next Live Chat sessions - hosted by our NWAS career team - will be aimed at people looking to become an emergency call handler. Starting Wednesday 25 through to Tuesday 31 between 1:30pm & 3pm and from 5:30pm till 7pm. Log on between those times at http://nwas.nhs.uk/careers