Riseley Parish Council has expressed “serious concern” about the future viability of the village’s Community First Responder (CFR) group.
The council has written to the East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust (EEAST), Bedford Borough Council, mayor Tom Wootton and MP Richard Fuller detailing its fears.
In the letter, dated May 26, the parish council said: “The Parish Council was deeply concerned to learn that the communication arrangements currently relied upon by local CFR volunteers are being changed in a way that may significantly reduce the reliability of emergency response communications in Riseley and the surrounding villages.”
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The parish council said it understood that the ambulance service intended to provide O2 SIM cards for responder communication devices and that residents and volunteers had raised concerns about mobile coverage in the area.
The letter states that “local experience from residents and volunteers strongly suggests that O2 coverage can be inconsistent and unreliable in parts of the village and surrounding rural locations”.
The parish council also stated that volunteers could be required to fund EE-compatible phones themselves if they wished to maintain alternative connectivity arrangements, and described this as “an unreasonable expectation” for volunteers.
Riseley ward councillor Martin Towler (Conservative) said he had been contacted about the issue by members of the CFR group, the parish council, residents and Bedford’s elected mayor.
He added that he had raised the matter with figures within the ambulance service and local NHS organisations.
“We all know some places in the rural area have poor or no network cover, and I, from personal experience, know Riseley has poor O2 cover, but has [cover from] EE.”
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An East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust spokesperson said: “The network we use for operational communications is the same one used by all ambulance services in the country.
We have reviewed and are satisfied with network coverage in Riseley; however, we are aware of concerns raised by some of our volunteer community first responders and are working with them to resolve these.
“We are incredibly proud of the commitment and dedication of all our volunteers across EEAST, and the difference they make to their communities.
“The Riseley Community First Responder group continues to respond to 999 calls in the area, and we always welcome new volunteers.
“We encourage anyone interested in learning more about the volunteer roles available at EEAST to get in touch.”
The parish council’s letter asks that the communication arrangements used by the Riseley CFR team be reviewed, that consideration be given to local network reliability, and that a solution be found that does not financially disadvantage volunteers or reduce operational effectiveness.
The letter also calls for greater consideration of volunteer training arrangements and the long-term sustainability of the Riseley CFR team.
O2 was approached for a comment, but did not respond by the time of publication.
Community First Responders are trained volunteers who can be dispatched to certain 999 incidents in their local area, while an ambulance is also sent.
By John Guinn
Local Democracy Reporter
