Yorkshire Ambulance service recruiting community volunteers

Volunteers are excpected to be on call for an average of five hours a week

An ambulance service is recruiting extra volunteers to attend medical emergencies in their communities,

The Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) has announced plans to launch 17 Community First Responder (CFR) schemes in South Yorkshire.

The volunteers will provide care before an ambulance arrives.

Anyone over 18 with a driving licence can apply and no previous medical experience is needed. Volunteers are on call for five hours a week.

They are trained to carry out baseline observations, cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and moving and handling techniques.

CFRs also carry an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) and oxygen, basic first aid equipment and in some cases a lifting kit for patients who have fallen.

Warren Bostock, Community Defibrillation Officer for YAS, said the volunteers make an "extremely valuable contribution and come from a variety of backgrounds.

"We know that in many medical emergencies, such as a heart attack, breathing difficulties or a collapse, the first few minutes are critical.

"If effective treatment can be given within those first minutes, lives can be saved."

Volunteers must be physically fit, never been banned from driving and YAS also runs Disclosure and Barring checks on candidates.