SIX new first responder ambulance vehicles are on the streets of the south west thanks to a £128,000 grant.

The money, from NHS Charities Together, volunteers with the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust (SWASFT) Community First Responders team will using six new Dacia Dusters response vehicles.

The vehicles were officially presented to the ambulance service at an event at Buckfast Abbey in Devon on Friday (June 9).

The volunteers operate across the south west, attending emergencies in their local communities ahead of an emergency ambulance.

In the last 12 months, Community First Responders were mobilised around 24,000 times to emergencies such as cardiac arrests, chest pains, breathing difficulties and patients who had fallen.

Each of the new cars has been converted and equipped with a full Community First Responder kit including a defibrillator and observation equipment.

Each car also carries a Raizer lifting chair to assist patients who have had a fall.

Will Warrender, chief executive of SWASFT, said: “The funding received by the South Western Ambulance Charity is enabling us to better support our volunteers, who, in turn provide incredible support to the communities they serve.

“The six cars that are being provided through the charity will enable Community First Responders to respond to emergencies across a wider geographic area and support the training of new volunteers through observer shifts.”

Zoe Larter, head of South Western Ambulance Charity, said: “We would like to thank NHS Charities Together for awarding us this grant. It’s really going to make a huge difference and help improve the patient care delivered by our dedicated volunteers.”

And Ellie Orton OBE, chief executive of NHS Charities Together, said: “NHS Charities Together is the national charity caring for the NHS, and we’re delighted to support South Western Ambulance Charity with this project.

“Our ambulance services are facing pressures on a colossal scale, and CFRs provide vital support when every second counts. We hope these new response vehicles will help them reach vulnerable patients even faster in emergency incidents – and ultimately help save lives.”

SWASFT has more than 500 active volunteers who support the service in patient-facing and non-patient facing roles.

To find out more, visit www.swast.nhs.uk/welcome/community-first-responders/volunteer-recruitment.