Tim Atherton, IE’s Operations Manager, has been named the Ambulance Service Institute’s First Responder of the Year. Tim received his award during a ceremony hosted by MP Jacqui Lait at the House of Commons on Thursday 16 October.

Community First Responders are volunteers trained to provide life-saving treatment to people in the community. They are called out by the West Midlands Ambulance Service if they can reach a life-threatening situation quicker than an Ambulance Crew. The majority of call-outs are to provide potentially life-saving Defibrillation to members of the public immediately following a heart attack outside the hospital environment.

Tim responds to between 10 and 15 incidents a month on average when he is on call during evenings and weekends. He also plays an active role in fundraising and awareness raising activities, and additionally helps to ensure that all members of the Fastaid group of responders have the correct equipment.

All at IE were overjoyed to learn that Tim - who has also been a Leader at 4th Knowle Sea Scout Group for the past 11 years - was to be given official recognition for his dedication and determination to make such a positive difference to the wider community.

To learn more about Fastaid and their Community First Responder Scheme, visit http://www.fastaid.org.uk/