St John Ambulance Gloucestershire

NEWS RELEASE
2 May, 2012 Community First Responder heads towards 30,000 hours of dedicated duty
A St John Ambulance volunteer who works tirelessly to help save lives in Gloucestershire is heading towards a landmark 30,000 hours on call. Marshall Jones, 77, has responded to 1,200 emergency call outs during his 29,374 hours on duty as a Community First Responder in the Tewkesbury area. In that time, he has helped to save more than a dozen lives. Community First Responders are called to give early patient care to people suffering a life threatening medical emergency prior to an ambulance arriving. It is an initiative run in partnership by St John Ambulance with the Great Western Ambulance Service NHS Trust. Marshall, a retired textiles consultant, joined the Community First Responder scheme in January 2004. Fully trained to respond to all manner of medical emergencies, he has been involved in 14 incidents involving Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) to bring a patient back to life. Marshall says he relishes the role and the contribution he can make to the community. I get a huge amount of being able to help people. No-one should die from a lack of a first aid and I am proud that I have been able to make a difference to so many peoples lives. Gloucestershire St John Ambulance County Executive Jason Lugg said: It is an exceptional achievement by Marshall. Without the dedication of people like him, people could die. We would love to see more volunteers like Marshall become Community First Responders. Kevin Dickens, Community First Responder Manager for the Great Western Ambulance Service, said: Marshall has responded to a significant number of incidents in his local community and many patients have benefitted from his high standard of patient care. He is a very dedicated member of the scheme and not only puts in many hours on duty but he is vital in co-ordinating CFR members. GWAS is very grateful for his continued service and dedication to community responding. Anyone wanting to find out more about volunteering for St John Ambulance or becoming a Community First Responder should 01452 858220. ENDS

St John Ambulance Gloucestershire

NEWS RELEASE
To find out more about this story or to interview a spokesperson please contact Chloe Moorhead, County Fundraising and Media Manager on 07854 891151 or

chloe.moorhead@glos.sja.org.uk
Notes to editors

As the nations leading first aid charity, St John Ambulance believes that nobody should die because they needed first aid and didnt get it. Yet every year, up to 150,000* people die in situations where first aid could have given them a chance to live. St John Ambulance teaches people first aid so that they can be the difference. *Using death registration data from the Office of National Statistics, 2008 (for England and Wales), April 2010. In 2011 in Gloucestershire 732 SJA volunteers carried out 132,367 hours of first aid, training and other work in the county They treated 1,795 patients at 732 public events St John Ambulance in Gloucestershire has training venues at Staverton, Coleford, Stroud, Tewkesbury, and Bourton-on-the-Water. It also runs on-site courses for 10 people or more. For information about St John Ambulance please call 01452 858220 or visit www.sja.org.uk/gloucestershire

Ashville Business Park Cheltenham Road East Staverton Gloucestershire GL2 9QJ

T 01452 858220 F 01452 855679 www.sja.org.uk

Training services

A company limited by guarantee. Registered in England no. 3866129 Registered office: St Johns Gate, Clerkenwell, London EC1M 4DA. Registered charity no. 1077265/1 A subsidiary of the Priory of England and the the Islands of the Order of St John. Islands of the Order of St John. VAT no. GB 564 5539 16