Milford Haven: Part of the co-responding station team

MID ​AND WEST WALES FIRE AND RESCUE SERVICE, in collaboration with the Welsh Ambulance Service (WAST) are pleased to start the new year by announcing that Milford Haven Fire Station is the first Station of 2016 to become a co-responder in the Service area.

For many years Mid and West Wales Fire Authority and WAST have been involved in a co – responding joint scheme that aims to provide the earliest possible response to life-threatening medical emergencies.

Milford Haven is the 15th station to take up co-responding duties, the first having been introduced in 1998. Since that time, Fire Service co-responding crews have attended 14, 610 medical related calls. Milford Haven is the first to go live in 2016, with Llanelli, Port Talbot and Builth Wells to follow suit.

Milford Haven have not had long to wait for their first co-responder incident. Yesterday (Thurs) at 1.16pm the crew were called to attend a female in need of medical attention and were on the scene within minutes, closely followed by an ambulance.

Steve Roberts, First Responder Officer at WAST said: “This is exactly what the scheme is designed to achieve and shows how effectively the Fire Service and WAST can work together for our communities”.

Milford Haven Crew Manager, Alun Griffiths said: “As a station we are very excited to be part of this exciting initiative. We have only been doing it for one day and can already see how beneficial the initiative is to our community”.

The Welsh Government and all public service bodies are committed to improving the quality of services provided to the public of Wales. One of the key enablers of improvement is an enhanced level of partnership in Wales to deliver services which better meet local needs and make a difference to the communities we serve.

Greg Lloyd, Head of Clinical Operations at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “Every second counts in an emergency.

“If our fire service colleagues can get to a scene before one of our ambulances they can begin to deliver life-saving treatment – that’s only going to improve that patient’s chance of surviving.

“Co-responders play an important role alongside frontline ambulance staff in making sure patients get appropriate help quickly and efficiently, and they’re very much part of the Welsh Ambulance Service family.”

Assistant Chief Fire Officer Rob Quin said: “We are delighted to be able to offer further support to the Welsh Ambulance Service through the inclusion of these additional locations as co-responder Stations.

“The Geography of Mid and West Wales means that we have many largely isolated towns and communities across the region. This partnership is a vital component to reaching those in isolated communities; during 2013/14 alone MAWWFRS co-responder teams attended 1,875 medical emergencies.

“The fact that MAWWFRS have firefighters located in the heart of these communities means that we are in a perfect position to offer help when it is needed. Our role, in supporting the Welsh Ambulance Service to shorten the time it takes to reach people in need of help can make the difference between life and death for many”.

ACFO Rob Quin continued: “I am also pleased to announce that another initiative is currently under development within the Service to equip front line fire appliances with automatic defibrillators; all donated to MAWWFRS by the charity Cariad.

“The medical response trial will see front line fire appliances at Haverfordwest, Milford Haven, Pembroke Dock, Llanelli, Port Talbot and Rhayader equipped with defibrillators.

“For the first time in Wales, the initiative will allow WAST to mobilise MAWWFRS appliances that are equipped with defibrillators to confirmed cardiac arrests. Whilst firefighters will provide an initial response to certain categories of call, Ambulance crews will also be mobilised to these calls taking over from the firefighters when they arrive”.

Charity founder Mr Anthony Hamilton-Shaw said: “Cariad is delighted to be working closely with MAWWFRS, providing the Zoll AED Plus defibrillator and training to front line appliances and personnel. This partnership including the Welsh Ambulance Service will be vital in achieving the aims of the charity to reduce the number of deaths caused by Cardiac Arrest within our communities. Time is critical when responding to a Cardiac Arrest, having defibrillators with trained fire fighters close by can be the difference between life and death within our communities.

“8000 people will suffer a cardiac arrest outside of the hospital environment each year in Wales. Sadly the current survival rate in Wales is just 3%. Working together we can make a difference”.

ACFO Rob Quin concluded: “Primary responsibility for responding to medical emergencies lies with the Ambulance Service, these initiatives will not replace these services but rather enhance them in a practical way by making good use of medically trained and suitably equipped firefighters who are often closer to the scene of an incident than Ambulance crews.”