Community First Responder profiles

Community First Responders all over London volunteer in their spare time to attend patients in their area. Here are some real life stories of community responders explaining how they fit volunteering into their lives.

 

David Forward (Enfield)

David is a Community First Responders in Enfield and found out about the scheme after doing a St John Ambulance first aid at work course. It gives him an opportunity to use his skills and he is a believer in helping his community. Responders are required to commit to four hours a month but David volunteeres up to 18 hours a week.

Pamela Chamberlain (Romford)

Pamela became a Community First Responder in Romford after reading about the scheme in her local paper. She was keen to learn a new skill and to help people in her local community. She does at least one shift a week and has been called to those who have fainted or are unconscious.

June Bedding (Havering)

June is an ex-auxiliary district nurse who wanted to go on serving her community. Because she is now retired she has more time to volunteer and manages two shifts a week, in the day or evening from Monday to Friday. She has attended many incidents and once helped to resuscitate a man in the street.

Pauline Chapman (Croydon)

Pauline is a lay chaplain who sees the scheme as an excellent way of serving her community. After picking up a leaflet in her doctor’s surgery, she was inspired by the warm welcome she received at the first meeting. This encouraged her to sign up straight away.

Ajaz Khan (Chessington)

Ajaz is an IT consultant who wanted to give something back to his community. He’s on duty between four to eight hours per week but also does extra shifts.He enjoys the work as it’s so different to his day job. He finds the job really rewarding, and especially welcomed the medical training.

Kelly Hayes (Waltham Forest)

Kelly is a pastoral manager for children and volunteers approximately twenty hours a week. She really likes the flexibility of the roster, which means she can fit it around her day job. Kelly is called out almost every time she is on shift and has attended all kinds of incidents including seizures and cardiac arrests.

John Jeal (Harrow)

John is an engineer who found that being medically trained can have a really positive impact on critically sick people. He does a shift in Harrow for four hours a week and believes it’s really important for Community First Responders to have good communication skills.