A LIFEGUARD will be transferring her life-saving skills onto dry land after becoming a Community First Responder.

Gaby Moretti-Chambers, who has recently joined the Woodley First Responders, will be acting as one of the first points of call for anyone suffering a medical emergency in the area.

Woodley First Responders are one of around 150 schemes across the South Central Ambulance Service region, made up of volunteers from the local community to help reach patients who need assistance most quickly. They deal with a variety of emergency calls, from people suffering chest pains, breathing problems, seizures and diabetic problems among others. The most serious calls they attend are to people suffering cardiac arrests, where every second counts towards the patient’s chance of survival.

First Responders undergo rigorous training and are supplied with kit and equipment to help them initiate treatment for the patient until an ambulance crew takes over.

Gaby said: “I have been a lifeguard and first aider for over 20 years and working in the leisure industry you see a lot of injuries and medical conditions. 

“I qualified as a lifeguard trainer in 2016 which led me to becoming a first aid trainer in 2017. It’s all well and good teaching from a book and telling someone signs and symptoms, but I wanted to gain some field experience to make me a better trainer. I didn’t want to leave leisure as this is my career, so the first responders seemed like a great option and I get to help my local community.”

In 2016-17, Woodley First Responders attended 306 patients in the local community. To find out more about Woodley First Responders, visit www.woodleyresponders.co.uk or www.sca-charity.org.uk.