VOLUNTEERS are being urged to come forward and help run a life-saving initiative for people who need emergency medical care.

A student nurse from Ripon has come up with the idea of setting up a First Responder scheme in the city.

Gemma Martin heard about the benefits of the project and decided to gauge the level of interest in her home city.

If the feedback is positive, she intends to organise a public meeting to take the scheme forward.

First Responders are teams of community-based volunteers who receive advanced first aid training and are equipped with a defibrillator to provide life-saving treatment prior to the arrival of an ambulance.

The 24-hour call-out system is run in partnership with Tees, East and North Yorkshire Ambulance Service (Tenyas).

Miss Martin said: "It's a great idea to have people in the community who are trained in basic life-support, to be on hand in case of an emergency, even if it's just to offer reassurance until the ambulance arrives."

Tenyas has more than 530 First Responders who belong to more than 35 groups across its catchment area.

Volunteers work under a team leader with the supervision of an ambulance paramedic. They each receive 12 hours of initial training, regularly updated with refresher courses.

While on duty, they are equipped with a defibrillator - which administers an electric shock to help re-start a heart back into a regular rhythm - oxygen and an ambulance first aid pack.

They will also have a telephone and pager linked to the ambulance control room in York. The equipment is provided by Tenyas.

Steve Harrison, a First Responder scheme leader for Tenyas, said: "By having a group of community-based volunteers, they are on hand to provide vital life-saving treatment in the first few moments of a heart attack and other emergencies.

"Immediate defibrillation can dramatically increase a patient's chance of survival. The scheme will not replace the ambulance service - it will provide support."

Anyone interested in becoming a First Responder can contact Mr Harrison on 07966 635013 or Miss Martin on 07811 210709.