LEARN to save someone’s life in those precious minutes waiting for a paramedic or ambulance to arrive.

That’s the plea from the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) who want to recruit more volunteers to become Community First Responders (CFRs).

Volunteers get specialist training – including using defibrillators to help someone suffering a heart attack – and are on call to go to someone’s aid nearby while specialist ambulance personnel make their way to the scene.

It’s your close proximity and local knowledge that WMAS want – because in life threatening incidents every second counts.

It could be a defibrillator to restart someone’s heart, but it could be staunching a wound to stop someone bleeding to death.

Community Response Manager for West Mercia Cliff Medlicott, said: “Volunteers come from all walks of life. When they make themselves available to respond they can continue to go about their daily lives, but if an emergency call is received by the ambulance service within a five or six mile radius, they are sent and always backed-up by an emergency ambulance service vehicle.

“To volunteer, you must be aged 18 or over, have a full driving licence and lots of enthusiasm.

“Help will be provided in obtaining the necessary equipment and no previous experience is necessary as West Midlands Ambulance Service will provide the training.

“Successful applicants will attend a nationally recognised training course covering Basic Life Support and Defibrillation, Medical Emergencies, Traumatic Emergencies and Preparing for Active Duty. They will then train alongside ambulance crews before going ‘live’”.

To apply, please visit www.jobs.nhs.uk and search for job reference 217-CFR07-20-21 (Worcestershire) or 217-CFR06-20-21 (Herefordshire). Applications close at midnight on March 25.