South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) is seeking Kent residents who are passionate about serving their local community and interested in becoming volunteer community first responders (CFRs).

CFRs provide invaluable support to our frontline clinicians delivering life-saving treatment to our patients before our frontline crews arrive.

With large rural areas in parts of Kent, quickly reaching some of our patients in these communities can be challenging.

With more than 400 CFRs working across Kent, Surrey, and Sussex, those interested in joining our team of volunteers are provided with specialist training to provide critical care to patients in the crucial moments before ambulance crews arrive.

If you live or work in Kent, are over the age of 18, and interested in making a difference to the people in your local community, we would love to hear from you.

This also provides a great opportunity to anyone who may be interested in joining our service as a paid employee with our newly introduced ‘volunteer to career pathway’. This offers an opportunity for CFRs who have volunteered for at least 18 months, with a minimum commitment of four hours per week, to be guaranteed an interview for eligible paid frontline roles with the Trust.

Upon successful completion of training, individuals will receive a Level 3 First Responder on Scene (FROS) qualification, accredited by FutureQuals. This qualification meets and exceeds the requirements of the Level 3 in First Aid at Work and can be used as a substitute. Applicants should ideally be able to volunteer a minimum of 20 hours per calendar month and commit to a minimum of two years of service.

Applications close on Sunday, 25 August with interviews taking place at Medway Make Ready Centre on Saturday, 14 September 2024. Training dates for successful applicants are scheduled for 9, 10, 23, and 24 November 2024. Interview and training dates are fixed.

For further information on community first responders, please click here.

For further information and to apply for the role, please click here.

To view all SECAmb vacancies, please click here.

SECAmb’s Head of Community Engagement, David Wells, said: “We are extremely proud to have more than 400 CFRs serving our communities and delivering urgent and emergency care in the moments when they need it the most.

“Expanding this into the more rural parts of Kent is key, and we are eager to hear from members of the public with the right attributes to take on this role, supporting our frontline services. This is an extremely rewarding role which can be challenging at times, and I would encourage anyone who is interested to apply.”