The Military Helping The NHS Respond To Emergencies

Military personnel from RAF Halton, Buckinghamshire, who volunteer as co-responders for South Central Ambulance Service (SCAS), attend potentially life-threatening 999 emergencies. 

They are the first on the scene to provide immediate first aid before the ambulance crew arrives. 

Forces News went along with them one evening.

We joined co-responders Flight Lieutenant Harry Dowden and Flight Sergeant Jez Doak, who are just two of the many volunteers working across the UK to support the ambulance service. 

The RAF crew members volunteer their time in evenings and weekends to supplement SCAS to help them improve clinical outcomes.

After completing a full day's work, Flt Lt Dowden and FS Doak were out and about answering calls until 1.30am. 

FS Doak said: "We're taught a great set of skills annually. Part of our job is being qualified and capable first aiders.

"What the NHS does very well is take those skills and build on them."

Crews respond to various medical emergencies, including life-threatening incidents, but generally not pregnancies or road accidents. 

The first incident the crew attended was Roger Lacey, who became a paraplegic after a road traffic accident 40 years ago and was struggling with his breathing. 

The co-responders gathered as much detail about his condition as possible to help build his history before the paramedics from the ambulance service arrived.

Crews then went to visit 90-year-old Stella, who was suffering from back pain and breathing problems after she fell over a week before.

They did some checks and looked after her until the ambulance service arrived. 

These were only two of the thousands of incidents the crews are called out to. 

Between August 2016 and September 2017, RAF crews completed over 2,000 shifts, attended over 5,500 incidents and were required to administer CPR on four occasions.