Fire service staff have helped hundreds of residents get back up after a fall, it has been revealed.
The figures from the new Falls Response Service – which has been piloted in Lichfield and Newcastle-under-Lyme – were highlighted in a recent Police, Fire and Crime Panel meeting.
The initial scheme proved so successful last year that funding was extended for another six months.
Staffordshire Commissioner Ben Adams told the meeting:
“The falls response service has been out to nearly 1,000 people in about 14 months – it’s tremendously successful.
“I’m very hopeful that the falls response provision will continue, but that’s subject to negotiation.”
Staffordshire Commissioner Ben Adams
The service is designed to support the ambulance service by seeing the specialist fire crews helping people back to their feet who do not require medical treatment.
Cllr Charlotte Atkins said:
“I see that 85% of the fall incidents did not require further back up from the NHS, which is great, but for those 15% where it might not be sensible to move the individual are we ensuring that there is proper training to make sure that someone is not moved, because perhaps they’ve got a broken hip or something like that?
“Also, given that the fire service is working much more with the NHS, what is the situation at the moment in terms of defibrillators on fire service vehicles?”
Cllr Charlotte Atkins
The panel was told that defibrillators were now on all front-line appliances.
The Staffordshire Commissioner added:
“The team involved with the falls response are trained to First Response Emergency Care Level 3 trauma and they’ve all had additional training around equipment, safeguarding and data protection before they take on the job.
“None of these tasks go straight to the fire service for a request for assistance without being triaged by the ambulance service.
“Occasionally, they are going to get the wrong information and perhaps send somebody, but I imagine that happens anyway. I know that happens in police and fire – you get to an incident and find it’s far more serious than it was presented to you on the phone.
“My guess is with the 85% picked up with no injuries, 5% in addition to that are picked up before the falls team even get there. That 90% are probably absolutely chuffed that somebody has got them back into a good position.”
Staffordshire Commissioner Ben Adams
