Community First Responders (CFRs) are an integral part of patient care. They are volunteers, trained by NWAS Paramedics and EMT’s and dispatched to medical emergencies prior to the arrival of an ambulance, able to provide early interventions in those crucial first minutes of an emergency, in many cases saving lives and making a difference to the patients that they attend.

The CFRs operate across the whole of the North West of England in both rural and urban areas, and are a crucial part of the Chain of Survival. Even during the COVID-19 pandemic they responded to medical 999 emergencies. CFRs have been undertaking and helping with a host of new duties in addition to responding to emergencies.