How we work

When a "999" call is made within our local area, the Ambulance Service will dispatch an available Emergency Ambulance to the scene and will immediately contact the CHART First Responders who are on-duty at that time.

Because of our rural location, the CHART Responders are frequently first at the scene of an emergency, ahead of the ambulance and will begin to treat the patient.

In cases where the patient has suffered a cardiac arrest, the most vital piece of equipment we carry, is the defibrillator. This would be used to deliver a controlled shock to attempt to put the patient's heart back into a normal rhythm.

In these circumstances the patient's heart needs to receive a shock as quickly as possible, ideally within the first 5 to 10 minutes after the patient has collapsed. The quicker this can happen, the better the chances of survival.

A heart defibrillator and the essential support equipment costs approximately £2,000 but, depending on the circumstances at the time, this equipment can mean the difference between life and death for some people.