Grantham LIVES First Responders

Grantham LIVES First Responders are all volunteers who give up their time to respond to emergencies in their community.
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Lincolnshire Integrated Voluntary Emergency Service (LIVES) is a registered charity staffed by volunteers providing prehospital care services across Lincolnshire, UK. Here in Grantham, we have a team of volunteer First Responders.

When a “999″ call is made within the Grantham area, the Ambulance Service despatch an Emergency Ambulance as normal to the scene. At the same time they will contact the LIVES First Responder who is on-duty. Due to their location they can often arrive first on the scene and begin to treat the patient by:

*Giving oxygen therapy
*Clearing and controlling the airway of an unconscious patient
*Providing resuscitation and defibrillation
*Controlling any bleeding
*Making them feel more comfortable and at ease
*Taking basic observations
*Reassuring worried relatives and taking charge of the situation
*Using local knowledge to ensure that the Ambulance can find the location quickly

In cases where the patient has suffered a cardiac arrest, the most vital piece of equipment carried, the defibrillator, would be used to deliver a controlled shock in an attempt to correct the patients heart rhythm.

In these circumstances the patient’s heart needs to receive a shock as quickly as possible, ideally within the first 5 to 10 minutes collapse. The earlier this can happen, the better the patient’s chance of survival. Given that more than 70% of sudden cardiac arrests occur out of hospital, the ability of a local First Responders to get to a patient quickly and administer basic life support until the Ambulance Service arrives is vital and can mean the difference between life and death for some people.

If you would like more information, are interested in becoming a First Responder or would like to support the charity by fundraising, making a donation or any other means, please visit the LIVES website www.lives.org.uk