ABOUT US


CFR crest the team


We are a small team who volunteer with the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust (WAST) as Community First Responders, (CFR’s) and Community Welfare Responders (CWR's) covering the South Wales seaside town of Porthcawl and it's surrounding area.

To become a CFR, volunteers must first be trained as a Community Welfare Responder (CWR) and have been in that role for 6 months before progressing with additional training to become a CFR.

Community Welfare Responders (CWR's) are trained by the Welsh Ambulance Service to support the delivery of urgent care for patients in their communities across Wales by:-

  • Attending appropriate 999 calls in their local communities
  • Taking initial sets of observations and welfare checks on the patient, including heart rate and oxygen levels.
  • Reporting the results back to clinicians in Ambulance Control Rooms
This up-to-the-minute information helps the clinician to determine the most appropriate treatment pathway for the patient. This could involve dispatching an ambulance, signposting the patient to their GP or to alternative healthcare options.

The role of the CWR is part of the 'Connect Support Cymru' Project, and an integral part of the Welsh Ambulance Service long-term strategic ambition in 'Delivering Excellence'. CWR's play a key role to ensure that patients receive the right advice and care, in the right place, every time.

Following additional training CFR’s are allocated to specific 999 emergency calls by Ambulance Control, including life threatening situations such as suspected stroke cases, choking, significant bleeding, heart attacks, cardiac arrests and breathing difficulties, providing initial emergency care to people until a Paramedic or Ambulance can arrive on the scene. When someone faces a serious medical emergency, such as a cardiac arrest, every second counts and early intervention can make a significant difference to their condition and chances of survival.

As an example, The British Heart Foundation website states that there are over 30,000 ‘out-of-hospital’ cardiac arrests in the UK every year (over 8,000 in Wales) and that every minute delay in CPR and defibrillation can reduce the chances of survival by up to 10%. 

As WAST trained volunteers we are covered by their Insurance whilst attending incidents allocated by Ambulance Control.

If you require any further information on the above further details can be obtained from the Welsh Ambulance Service Trust web site

As well as responding to medical emergencies in support of, and on behalf, WAST we also carry out a number of community based activities, including the procurement, installation, maintenance and go-going support of a network of Public Access Defibrillators within Porthcawl. In support of the PAD network we offer and run free CPR and Defibrillator awareness and practice sessions, plus we attend several local community events and fundraising activities. For information on our current community based activities please follow us on FaceBook (Porthcawl Community First Responders)


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