21/11/2025
If you call 999 or 111, a volunteer Community First Responder (CFR) may be dispatched by North West Ambulance Service to attend on their behalf. They will most likely attend in their own unmarked car or in some areas a marked vehicle. Whatever the vehicle, they won’t be using blue lights but will get there as soon as they can, within all the speed limits. It doesn’t mean you won’t get an Ambulance but, until one arrives, they will assess you and treat you within their skill levels (which includes oxygen administration and in worse case scenarios, the use of a defibrillator.
So, if you do see a marked or unmarked car with a sign somewhere that says “First Responder” or “Community First Responder”, just think it may be responding to a 999 call, just like an ambulance but without blue flashing lights.
