Want to be a first responder? Here is some information how.
Community First Responders are recruited, trained, managed and dispatched by the South East Coast Ambulance Service.
Each responder is given a team to work with, local to their home or work. For Billingshurst, it is the BEAT team. BEAT is our Charity.
When considering becoming a First Responder, please keep a close eye on the SECamb recruitment page linked below. We also try to keep an eye out, and will update our website and Facebook page where possible.
You can also set up alerts to notify you when a position becomes available, or you can express an interest in the position.
The recuitment team can walk you through all the steps involved in the recruitment and interview process.
The Training
Subject to change, there is a 5-day course, which is set over 2 weekends. Friday-Sunday, then Saturday-Sunday. These occur at a SECAmb base in your general area, most are within 45-minutes of Billingshurst.
You will work towards a First Responder On Scene Level 3 qualification, set out by FutureQuals. You can see that here:
Once you have qualified, you will become a Newly Qualified Community First Responder. You will be allocated a team and have contact with your team leader. You will need to complete some incident supervision, working as a crew with another local CFR, getting signed off on different incident types so you can build confidence and skills as you go.
After this is complete, you will recieve your certificate, and be on your merry way to respond solo as you wish! Though we can still stick in pairs where possible.