Joint volunteer initiative between North East Ambulance Service and RAF Boulmer comes to an end

For the last 20 years, North East Ambulance Service (NEAS) have worked in close working with the RAF Boulmer volunteers to respond to emergency 999 calls when an ambulance is on route.

In total, they have gifted over 11,500 hours of volunteering in their community and attended over 2,800 patients when their resources are the closest.

Over 15 RAF volunteers have subsequently gone on to careers at NEAS from ambulance care assistants to paramedics and instructors which includes Paul Brolly who is part of the volunteer development team.

From the first shift in February 2004 to May 2024, in total, the team have attended 2888 x999 calls and logged a total of 11,568 hours which equates to roughly 480 days. This scheme has allowed NEAS to free up resources to be able to respond to more calls and attend more patients across the region.

The scheme came to an end in May due to RAF operational changes on site, but we would like to thank them for their support and dedication over the last two decades.

Responders across the air force have volunteered their own free time to act on behalf of NEAS to respond to life threatening emergency calls, all of whom are either current or ex-serving Armed Forces personnel, from a mixture of trades and ranks.

Chief operating officer, Stephen Segasby said: “We are sad to see the RAF Boulmerscheme come to an end, but we are extremely grateful for the support they have provided to NEAS for the last 20 years.

“I would like to thank all the responders for volunteering their time and provided incredible support for the service. We were honoured to have Aerospace Manager and Warrant Officer, Philip Billington and Charlotte M Best, Station Commander and Wing Commander, attend our annual volunteer ceremony in June and were able to present them with an award for their long service

They have had a really strong presence over the 20 years and being able to gift their time to give back to their local community has had a significant impact but also is an outstanding commitment and we’re all extremely grateful.”

North East Ambulance Service has 112 community first responders who are based across the region and are trained to deal with emergencies prior to the arrival of an ambulance. Over the last year they have attended over 1,850 incidents and have collectively volunteered over 41,000 hours for the service in 2023/24 equates to 1,715 days and respond to serious emergencies such as cardiac arrests.

Community development officer, Paul Brolly said: “It has been a pleasure to be a founder member of the RAF Boulmer scheme. To volunteer and help the communityis a privilege that all the RAF members and our Community First Responders do daily on behalf of NEAS.

“Early intervention can more than double a person’s chances of survival and can be the difference between life and death.

“Volunteers are deployed to incidents at the same time as an ambulance is dispatched, to provide vital life-saving care and support, or simply a reassuring face, in the crucial minutes between a 999 call being made and the arrival of the crew. 

Philip Billington said: “It’s been a great pleasure to meet some interesting people in sometimes very difficult circumstances. It has been a great honour to work with NEAS, a privilege to receive the training and support to enable us to serve the community.”

Find out how you can volunteer with NEAS here:  https://www.neas.nhs.uk/first-aid-community/volunteers