West Midlands Ambulance Service hails volunteers for their work

The service said that hundreds of people supported its work on a daily basis and it was right for it to pay tribute to them during national Volunteers Week.

The trust's chief executive Anthony Marsh said: “Whether you are a community first responder (CFRs), a BASICS emergency doctor, someone who trains people in CPR, a volunteer car driver or someone who raises vital funding for one of our air ambulance charities, your work is immense and helps to save lives.

“I would like to single out our CFRs who show incredible dedication; they are teams of volunteers who are trained by WMAS to a nationally recognised level and provide lifesaving treatment to people in their local community. They are willing to drop everything to provide immediate medical care prior to the arrival of ambulance resources.

"Last year they responded almost 12,000 times and were available many hundreds of thousands of hours.

Important

“I would also single out the many hundreds of individuals, communities and businesses that have raised money or invested in life saving defibrillators. In the UK, 135,000 people die each as a result of suffering an out of hospital cardiac arrest. By increasing the number of defibrillators many more lives can be saved.

“I also recognise the hugely important role our SALS (Staff Advice and Liaison Service) advisors play in supporting staff in a whole range of situations. I truly value the help and support you provide.

“The final group that I would like to single out are the trust's governors who help the organisation on an ongoing basis. The governors represent the local community, staff and key stakeholder’s interests who together help shape the service.

“Whichever form of volunteering you participate in, I am extremely grateful for all that you do to support us.”

The trust serves Shropshire, Staffordshire, the Black Country boroughs, Herefordshire, Worcestershire, Warwickshire, Coventry and Birmingham.