Lifesaving Nantwich firefighters win national award

Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service's Nantwich Co-Responder team has won a national award for its lifesaving work.

Watch Manager Chris Mannix, Crew Manager Ashley Brown and Crew Manager Darren Shepley are all members of the team, which has won the Public Sector Team of the Year at the UK Heart Safe Awards. This award recognises emergency services teams that go above and beyond to save lives.

Watch Manager, Chris Mannix, said: “We are absolutely delighted to have won this award. We are immensely proud of the work we do and the difference it makes to our community.”

The Co-Responder initiative, which has been operating out of Nantwich Fire Station since 2009, is a joint project between Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service and the North West Ambulance Service.

The aim is to cut the time taken for a patient to receive initial or ‘first strike’ treatment, especially in more rural areas when firefighters may be closer to an incident than the responding emergency ambulance.

Chris added: "The team is on hand to respond to a wide range of medical emergencies, with the aim of getting to patients quickly to deliver vital intervention care before paramedics arrive to take over.

The type of calls they respond to involve people suffering from cardiac arrests, asthma attacks, falls, chest pains, breathing difficulties, or any other situation where the speed of the response time can impact on someone’s survival or recovery.

They can also be called upon to attend road traffic collisions where they work alongside fellow firefighters using their additional skills, knowledge and training to positive effect.

Image shows (l to r) Crew Manager Darren Shepley, Watch Manager Chris Mannix, Crew Manager Ashley Brown

Date published: Tue, 07 Oct 2014 14:13:59 GMT

Last updated: Tuesday 07 October 2014