David Carter of Tameside CFR (C) receives the cheque from the ELMC from Stuart Tennant (R), District Charity Steward. Peter Douthwaite (L), District Chairman, looks on”

David Carter is an Enhanced Community First Responder. He and his colleagues are individuals who live and work in the local community. They are trained and activated by the North West Ambulance Service and can attend certain emergency calls, particularly when their attendance can mean the difference between life and death.

The Community First Responders provide care until an ambulance arrives. They are a small group who are trained to attend most emergency situations under the direction of the Ambulance Service. They have, however, set out to further assist the community by training groups in Basic Life Support

This particular group of Community First Responders are based in Tameside (and there are other similar groups in other local communities) They hold training and instruction sessions in Mossley, Ashton and Audenshaw.

A number of AED machines have already appeared in the local community, but many people are still not sure how to use these “Defibrillators”. David says that while holding familiarization sessions, “it has become increasingly obvious that knowledge is sparse on the minimum techniques required to maintain life until medical help arrives. As a group and as individuals we will train any group or organization, free of charge, in the proper use of AEDs and other emergency techniques.”

To assist in this work David Carter sent an application for assistance to the District Charity Steward for Ashton & Mossley District, Stuart Tennant. Stuart then assisted David in putting together an application which he forwarded to the East Lancashire Masonic Charity. The Application sought funding for a Resuscitation Mannikin (often called a RescusciAnnie), an AED training machine and some consumables. The bid amounted to £548.00 in total and the ELMC were happy to give them the full amount.

David recently came into Ashton Masonic Hall, with his new equipment, to receive the ELMC’s cheque from Stuart Tennant and District Chairman Peter Douthwaite.

Text and Photograph by Kevin Hall, District Communications Officer