Oswestry First Responders team set to receive funding for second car

The First Responders are a vital part of the community, aiding the 999 services in order to help with patients until the Ambulance Service can arrive to the scene.

They usually arrive within five minutes after they are being dispatched and they are trained to assist with basic life support and other manoeuvres, while also providing comfort for the patient and their family.

After the ambulance arrives they can be asked to help further with the case.

Now they are in line for additional funding after a motion was put forward by Oswestry's mayor, Councillor Jay Moore, who had put out the call after bumping into the group's leader Michelle Simmonds.

Michelle Simmonds

When the crew was taking pictures to post on their social media, because their team grew recently making it to seven people, the councillor was walking past and spoke to them about their situation.

At the moment the squad only uses one of the two cars that they have, as they can not afford to insure the second one, they also have to provide their own boots for the voluntary work that they are doing.

Cllr Moore decided that they could use the support and filed a motion to help them.

Cllr Les Maguire seconded town mayor Cllr Moore's motion, calling it 'cracking', and he also asked for it to include paying for one new pair of steel-to capped boots per responder per year.

Michelle added: "We need the funding, it's very vital for our job that we have the equipment to get to and from places.

"We can respond to seven or eight calls in our four hour shifts, we need to be quick and that is hard with one car."

This comes after the team has expanded, and is expecting to have at least three more volunteers in the next couple of months.

Cllr Olly Rose also called on the council to write to West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) to ask them to improve the equipment that first responders receive.