Andrew and Jade Park are not your typical father-daughter duo; in their spare time, they volunteer for the North East Ambulance Service as life-saving community first responders (CFRs) in the remote coastal town of Seahouses.

Community first responders play an incredibly important role within the North East Ambulance Service. Working in their local communities, responders provide vital initial care to patients as ambulance crews make their way to the scene; something that can take longer than usual due to their remote locations.

In 2024/25, the service’s CFRs responded to over 1,850 patients across it’s 3,200 square mile patch; spanning from the region’s borders with Scotland and Yorkshire. Serving a population of over 2.7million people, the service relies on CFRs to cover more rural or coastal locations where stations and hospitals are fewer or further away than that of the regions cities.

Andrew first became aware of the need for another CFR in the Seahouses and Bamburgh area when he saw a post on Facebook that had been shared by the widow of a well-respected CFR who had attended a member of his family.

He said: “Having experienced the care of community first responders first-hand, I was aware of the vital role they can play with early intervention, especially in a more rural community. Having witnessed a serious car accident a few months earlier, I wanted to be more helpful than I had felt in that situation. Also, if I could help to get the Seahouses kit operational again, it would be great for the community.”

The North East Ambulance Service currently oversees the training and deployment of 112 community first responders who have collectively volunteered over 41,000 hours to the service in the past year. Alongside their roles within the ambulance service, responders are also often employed in full-time or part-time employment, or are using their retirements to give back to their communities.

Andrew continues: “I have learned so much from volunteering as a CFR. From the initial 5-day training to every call I’ve been to, there’s always a nugget of knowledge to be gained. Going on an observation shift with a NEAS crew was invaluable. It allowed me to watch them work and enabled me to better prepare as a CFR for a crew’s arrival on scene.”

Becoming a community first responder has had more than a positive impact on Andrew’s life; it inspired a career change! Next month he will begin his training as an apprentice ambulance support practitioner with the service, and dreams of joining his daughter Jade in a crew in the future.

On having the opportunity to work alongside his daughter in their community, he said: “I’ve had the opportunity to attend multiple calls with my daughter who is the other community first responder in Seahouses. It fills me with pride to watch her interact with the patients and crews that we meet.”

Jade’s following in Andrew’s footsteps aligned perfectly with her finishing sixth form. She said: “Having just finished sixth form and going on to apply to university after a gap year, becoming a CFR fit in perfectly with my desire for more experience towards my course. On top of this, past experiences where a first responder had come into my home to help a family member has greatly influenced my choice. Seeing the importance of a CFR up close made me realise how I could positively impact someone’s health and wellbeing.

“The experience I’ve gained from being a CFR is unparalleled. From patient care to forming bonds within the community and with crews, the list goes on! With the career path I want to take, it came as a pleasant bonus to know I could also take part in quarterly observation shifts within NEAS which I have learned so much from.

“I already held a lot of passion for what I wanted to do in my future, however, being a CFR has not only confirmed but also reinforced my ideas of becoming a paramedic. Being a volunteer within NEAS is something that I carry with great pride. Being able to give back to the community that you were brought up in is the most amazing feeling.”

Paul ‘Paddy’ Brolly is the ambulance service’s community resuscitation officer and oversees it’s community first responder teams. He said: “Historically served by local volunteer responders, coastal areas have recently experienced a gap in CFR coverage. We recognised the need for volunteers in these areas particularly given the county’s rural nature and tourism levels, which are high especially in the summer.

“CFRs are trained volunteers who are dispatched to nearby 999 incidents, providing immediate care such as CPR, defibrillation, and reassurance to patients and families before paramedics arrive. Their presence is particularly vital in hard-to-reach rural communities, where ambulance response times may be longer due to distance.

“Our service has worked proactively to reintroduce CFR volunteers, and the return of responders to Bamburgh and Seahouses in the shape of Andrew and Jade marks an important step in strengthening emergency response capabilities across Northumberland.”

Learn more about how the North East Ambulance Service is celebrating National Volunteers Week: https://www.neas.nhs.uk/news-and-events/latest-news/we-are-celebrating-our-volunteers-national-volunteer-week

Find out more about how to become a community first responder: https://www.neas.nhs.uk/join-team-neas/volunteers/community-first-responders