AMBULANCE chiefs are looking for volunteers to help save lives.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service is asking people to come forward in Otley, Guiseley and Horsforth to join their Community First Responder (CFR) schemes.

CFRs are volunteers who provide immediate life-saving care to members of their communities in an emergency medical situation, such as heart attack, breathing difficulties or a collapse, in the vital minutes before the ambulance arrives.

They are trained in cardio pulmonary resuscitation and the use of an automatic external defibrillator which delivers a controlled electric shock to restart the heart. Sharron Martin, community defibrillation trainer for YAS in West Yorkshire, said: “CFRs make a valuable contribution to their communities. We know that in many medical emergencies the first few minutes are critical. If effective treatment can be performed within those first minutes, lives can be saved and disability reduced.

“Being a CFR can be extremely rewarding.”

Full training is given to successful applicants who need to be over 18 years old and physically fit. They should also hold a full driving licence, having never been banned from driving, with no more than three penalty points. Yorkshire Ambulance Service will also run Disclosure and Barring checks on candidates.

Anyone interested can find out more from Sharron Martin, Community Defibrillation Trainer, email: sharron.martin@yas.nhs.uk or phone: 07789 271072.