January 18, 2017 9.41 am This story is over 85 months old

LIVES first responders attended record number of patients last year

Lincolnshire-based first responders charity LIVES has revealed its volunteers helped with a record 20,516 emergency callouts in 2016. LIVES members, who are trained to deliver life-saving interventions, had their busiest year on record, responding to 2,000 more incidents than the previous year. The charity has said the trend of increasing calls is continuing into 2017…

Lincolnshire-based first responders charity LIVES has revealed its volunteers helped with a record 20,516 emergency callouts in 2016.

LIVES members, who are trained to deliver life-saving interventions, had their busiest year on record, responding to 2,000 more incidents than the previous year.

The charity has said the trend of increasing calls is continuing into 2017 with LIVES responders facing an exceptionally busy holiday period.

Between December 31, 2016 and January 2, 2017, LIVES volunteers attended over 300 emergency incidents which is nearly double the normal number of jobs.

On average, LIVES responders attend nearly 60 calls per day and aim to get to the patient in eight to nine minutes to deliver immediate life-saving care, often before the arrival of an ambulance.

Nikki Silver, CEO of LIVES said: “Our responders make a huge contribution to their communities throughout the year, responding to emergency calls day or night and whatever the weather.

“We’re often the first people at the scene of an emergency and our actions save lives. Now, as the number of calls we attend grows, more than ever it is important for us to raise funds to allow our volunteers to continue their exceptional lifesaving work.

“We are very grateful for the public support that allows us to continue to offer immediate medical care throughout Lincolnshire, and we would not have been able to help over 20,000 people without our generous supporters.”

Every year LIVES need to raise more than £1 million from public donations to keep their army of volunteers trained and equipped to be able to respond to any medical emergency across Lincolnshire.

To support the charity or find out more about their work, visit the website here.