Sheffield railway station: Yorkshire Ambulance Service scheme could save lives at train station

Ambulance workers have set up a scheme with railway staff to make Sheffield Station a safer place.

East Midlands Railway (EMR) has joined forces with Yorkshire Ambulance Service NHS Trust to train some of the workers at Sheffield Railway Station as Community First Responders (CFRs)

It means that they are now equipped with skills to provide vital care, comfort and reassurance to anyone suffering a medical emergency before an ambulance arrives on scene, potentially saving lives.

Supervisors, platform services and customer information teams took part in a three-day CFR course which included training on cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR), operating a defibrillator and administering oxygen.

Yorkshire Ambulance Service has provided the EMR team with a CFR kit bag which includes a defibrillator, which adds to the four already available on platforms.

The training has been completed by four station staff, and railway bosses aim to have at least one trained CFR on site at all times.

Five more station workers will be trained as first responders in January.

Dave Meredith, customer services director at East Midlands Railway, said: “Sheffield is a very busy railway station with eight to 10 million passengers passing through every year. The safety of passengers is our utmost priority and this scheme means that we are better trained to provide initial care during any medical emergencies.

“We’re looking forward to rolling the CFR course out to more station staff, so that when someone falls ill or becomes injured, we’ll be on hand to provide the best possible first- response care.”

Warren Bostock, community defibrillation officer with Yorkshire Ambulance Service, said: “We’re really pleased to be partnering with EMR to deliver our training to their colleagues in Sheffield, and particularly in such a busy station setting.

“CFRs make an extremely valuable contribution to their communities, and anyone using Sheffield Railway Station has the added benefit of CFRs working on site.

He added: "We know that in many medical emergencies, such as a heart attack, breathing difficulties or a collapse, the first few minutes are critical. If effective treatment can be given within those first minutes, lives can be saved.”