Monday 25th March 2013 – 5.30pm – Suzie Fothergill.
As the snow fell heavily across Staffordshire and the West Midlands Region this weekend there was no stopping Flash and Longnor Community First Responders (CFRs*) from getting to members of the community that needed their help.
When the weather over Staffordshire Moorlands began to deteriorate and roads became virtually impassable the Flash and Longnor CFRs found themselves being unable to respond in their normal 4×4. Undeterred by the horrendous weather conditions the responders decided to utilise another resource that was available to them; Farmer and CFR Darren Barlow’s tractor!
Darren said: “Moorland villagers found themselves in a late grip of winter with the onslaught of snow and strong winds over the weekend making virtually all roads impassable even with some of the best 4X4 vehicles. Having a tractor at our disposal enabled us to reach a number of medical emergencies as quickly and safely as possible.”
Matt Heward, Community Response Manager for West Midlands Ambulance Service said: “The wintry weather meant that emergency service vehicles faced some treacherous road conditions. In some remote rural areas that had been hit heavily with snow, ambulances were unable to reach patients as quickly as usually possible.
“Thanks to Flash and Longnor’s quick thinking they were able to reach a number of people suffering from medical emergencies as quickly as possible, whilst ambulance resources battled their way through to back them up.
“In many illnesses or injuries simple interventions can be performed in order to save lives or prevent disability so getting someone there as quickly as possible is critical.
“I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the CFRs and voluntary organisations across the region who helped to support the ambulance service during this recent heavy snow fall.”
Ends
*CFRs are groups of volunteers that respond to emergencies on behalf of West Midlands Ambulance Service, prior to the arrival of an ambulance. CFRs help reach those people, suffering from medical emergencies, in the remote rural communities fast.
CFR are trained by the Ambulance Service to a nationally recognised level and maybe requested to attend to medical emergencies such as cardiac arrest, chest pain, bleeds, diabetic emergencies, strokes and breathing problems.
Pictured: Adam Rowbottom and Darren Barlow Flash and Longnor Community First Responders.