COULD you help save a life?
From cardiac arrests to falls, a group of dedicated volunteers are always on hand to help – and you could join up too.
Figures reveal that the Lincolnshire Integrated Voluntary Emergency Service (Lives) received 1,748 requests to attend 999 calls in December, 398 more than the previous year's figure of 1,350.
The 29.48 per cent increase was a lot more than was expected, although more calls are usually received over Christmas and the new year.
Lives volunteers, known as first responders, are called on by dispatchers from East Midlands Ambulance Service as support. They aim to reach a patient within six minutes of the 999 call, and every year attend 17,000 shouts on average throughout the entire county.
Group co-ordinator Dick Weavill, 55, of Legsby Avenue, Grimsby, has been a first responder for about three years.
"It was very busy in December – much more than anyone predicted," he said.
"Recently I have been on calls to falls, cardiac arrests and problems with diabetes.
"There are six responders in my part of the overall team, and we have two medical kits we take out with us.
"I also work full time as head of safety training and first aid for Humberside Police and it is tough balancing the two things, but it is well worth it.
"In the last three years, I have attended more than 200 calls. We are there when people need us – and are always looking for volunteers."
Stephen Hyde, fundraising, recruitment and marketing officer for Lives, added: "It was a surprise to us all just how many more calls we had gone to.
"We had expected our call numbers to be about 1,500, so over 1,700 was a real shock.
"We have recruited more first responders and medics and we know we can offer more coverage throughout Lincolnshire.
"The numbers show that we are working as hard as we can and that we are making a real difference.
"We are reliant on volunteers and want to recruit as many as possible.
"We are really proud of our coverage and if we had more responders we could do a lot more."
For more information about the work of first responders and how you can get involved, visit www.lives.org.uk or call 01507 525999.
