The family of a patient from Newark who was assisted by a Community First Responder (CFR) when she suffered a cardiac arrest have donated £300 to the scheme.
Andy Bache-Smith, 49, a Trainee Technician and a member of the Newark CFR group was first on scene when Linda Main, 64, suffered a cardiac arrest at home in Balderton on 29 January.
Sadly, despite Andy’s best efforts and the efforts of our EMAS paramedics, Linda died at the scene.
However, Linda’s family were so impressed with the care Andy provided that night that they decided to donate £300 raised at Linda’s funeral to the Newark CFR scheme.
CFR schemes are run by volunteers who give up their spare time to attend appropriate emergency calls in their own community. They are dispatched by the EMAS Emergency Operations Centre.
David Main, Linda’s husband, said that despite the outcome of the incident, Andy and the paramedics had given 110% that evening.
He said: “I know this is hard, but if something good could come from this it would be great. We want to raise awareness about the marvellous job CFRs do.
“I was so relieved to see Andy that night and grateful that someone had come out to us, and Andy was able to be here in minutes.
“We just wanted to donate a bit of money to say thank you for doing the job they do every day.”
Linda’s daughter, Kathryn, added: “He was so compassionate and stayed with us. I would encourage anyone to become a CFR as it is a valuable resource.
David explained that Linda’s foot was in a plastic cast as she had broken her ankle. At 7.30pm on 29 January, he called 999 when she fell in their bathroom, banged her head and began having breathing difficulties.
Andy arrived within minutes of the emergency call after receiving a text from the control room. He took Linda’s heart rate and blood oxygen levels which did not seem particularly unusual and she was not in any pain.
But then Linda suffered a sudden cardiac arrest due to a blood clot in her lungs. Andy moved her onto the floor and began performing CPR, the paramedic arrived but after 25 minutes, it was clear there was nothing more that could be done for Linda.
Andy explained that although being a CFR can be tough, he still enjoys it and would encourage anyone to do it.
He said: “I treat every patient as I would treat my own family.
“It is a privileged job as you do everything from delivering babies to being there in the last moments when someone sadly passes away. I really enjoy it.”
Are you interested in being a CFR? Find out more by emailing community.