The Mearns coastal communities of Johnshaven and Benholm have become the latest to have a volunteer first responder team backed by the Scottish Ambulance Service to provide basic life-saving skills in an emergency.
Every second counts and in remote and rural communities a first responder scheme can mean the difference between life and death.
The formation of the group led by Jo Molland-Ward and Chris Greene of Johnshaven adds to a network of more than 120 now operating throughout the country, manned by more than 1,000 trained volunteers.
It was a delay of 25 minutes for an ambulance to reach a friend in an emergency that led Jo to the conclusion that the village would benefit from its own first response team.
She said: “I had no real knowledge of what it all involved but it seemed to me this was an area where we could certainly do something to help ourselves.
“I emailed a few friends, Chris Greene put a notice up in the village shop asking for support and it snowballed from there.
“We now have a very enthusiastic team of around a dozen people, some already with experience, all willing to be signed up.”
First responders are trained to respond to most emergency calls through the 999 system in conjunction with the ambulance service.
Because they are based locally, they can then begin vital life-saving aid before the ambulance arrives. The main item of equipment they require is a defibrillator, costing around £1,500.
A sponsored “jailbreak” by Jo’s husband Barry has given the fundraising effort a kick-start. Barry, who has been working in the Netherlands, took on the challenge of making the 745-mile homeward trip on foot and at no cost.
The next fundraiser will be a stovies and oatcakes lunch in the village hall on June 1, with demonstrations of some of the skills first responders require.