By Declan Lloyd
The bereaved family of an East Midlands Ambulance Service patient has donated £300 to the Community First Responder scheme.
Maine family handing over £300 to First ResponderAndy Bache-Smith, 49, was first to reach Linda Maine who had suffered a cardiac arrest at her home in Balderton on January 29.
Unfortunately, Linda, 64, died at her home, despite Andy’s best efforts.
Linda’s Husband, David Main, said: “I know this is hard, but if something good could come from this it would be great.
“We want to raise awareness about the marvellous job CFRs do.
“I was so relieved to see Andy that night and grateful that someone had come out to us, and Andy was able to be here in minutes.
“We just wanted to donate a bit of money to say thank you for doing the job they do every day.”
Linda’s daughter, Kathryn, added: “He was so compassionate and stayed with us. I would encourage anyone to become a CFR as it is a valuable resource.
Andy said: “I treat every patient as I would treat my own family.
“It is a privileged job as you do everything from delivering babies to being there in the last moments when someone sadly passes away.”
“I really enjoy it.”
Community First Responder fact file
- Community First Responders are volunteers from the community who are trained to deal with medical emergency calls.
- They are dispatched by the NHS ambulance service that they work for.
- They commit a minimum of 5 hours per week to their role.
