Elena Lewis – Tuesday 20th January 2026 – 2.30pm
West Midlands Ambulance Service’s (WMAS) Community First Responders (CFR), North East Worcestershire First Responders (NEWFR), have doubled their operations thanks to a second vehicle.
NEWFR attend life-threatening emergencies alongside crews from WMAS in the North East Worcestershire area, across Redditch, Bromsgrove, Droitwich, Alvechurch, Wythall and surrounding villages. The 14 members strong scheme, commit a staggering 3360 hours minimum across the year voluntarily and rely entirely on public funding to run.
Increasing their ability to respond in the community, the second car, funded by Worcestershire County Council’s Public Health Community Grant programme and the National Lottery funding, also allows the CFRs to engage in public health initiatives including teaching CPR and first aid training as well as increasing community defibrillators.
North East Worcestershire First Responders CFR, Ross Harris, said: “This funding has made a huge difference to what we can deliver. A second vehicle means we can respond to more emergencies across a much wider area, and it gives our volunteers the tools they need to save lives. The support for training equipment and community education also means we can teach more people CPR, first aid and bleed control skills. We’re incredibly grateful for the Council’s support and proud to continue serving our communities.”
While WMAS Community Response Manager, Tim Cronin, said: “Community First Responders play a vital role alongside West Midlands Ambulance Service, volunteering their time to attend life-threatening emergencies in their local areas. This new response vehicle will make a real, life-saving difference for patients, helping responders reach people more quickly when every second counts. We are extremely grateful to Worcestershire County Council and the National Lottery for their support, which ensures our community responders are better equipped to support patients across North East Worcestershire.”
Worcestershire County Council Cabinet member for Health and Wellbeing, Councillor Satinder Bell, said: “By supporting North East Worcestershire First Responders, we are strengthening emergency response times, but we are also building vital community skills through CPR and first aid training. Prevention, early intervention and community confidence are at the heart of good public health, and this funding helps ensure more residents know what to do in a crisis. The volunteers’ commitment is extraordinary, and this new vehicle will help them reach more people, more quickly, across our communities.”