Mourne Community First Responders

Mourne Community First Responders is a registered charity working in partnership with the Northern Ireland Ambulance Service to support people experiencing potentially life-threatening medical emergencies. Its trained volunteer Community First Responders are dispatched by NIAS to appropriate calls, where they assess the scene, provide suitable initial treatment, reassure patients and those around them, and share relevant information with arriving ambulance personnel. Responders remain at the scene until they are dismissed.

The team may attend incidents such as cardiac arrest, chest pain, choking, unexplained unconsciousness and possible stroke. Depending on the scheme, responders may also be alerted to seizures or breathing difficulties. They are not knowingly sent to calls involving children under 12, trauma, potential hazards such as violence, or mental health issues.

Mourne Community First Responders also promotes awareness of the chain of survival: early access to emergency help, CPR, defibrillation and advanced medical care. The organisation reports 26 first responders, 373 calls attended since going live, and 2,350 volunteer hours.