THE Nana Glen Community Emergency Response Team (CERT) needs volunteers to put up their hands as the service is down to one member.

An urgent call-out on social media for volunteers has brought in a number of people enquiring to be trained, attend call-outs and give of their time, and while that is a great response, CERT member Leeharne Hawley told News Of The Area the goal is to have a team of at least ten people so they can share the load.

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“After all the hard work raising money and obtaining grants and working with NSW Ambulance to come on board with assisting us to obtain a fully kitted car to service the Karangi/Coramba/Nana Glen and Bucca areas, we now find that if we do not get more volunteers we will have to close.

“So I am asking if you are enthusiastic in helping people in our community and can spare some time for call outs, you need no particular skills because you will be fully trained and receive a CERT II in Medical Service Emergency Response,” she said.

“You need to live in either Karangi/Coramba/Nana Glen or Bucca to apply.

“With time critical Priority 1 jobs, we need to be able to attend the incident before the Ambulance can get there,” said Leeharne.

The more people in the team, the easier it is to spread across the demand.

“We have safety in mind as we attend our jobs and therefore two people are the bare minimum to safely provide medical attention to the patients.

“With the tracking in the vehicle, Ambulance HQ knows exactly where we are, and we have all our medical equipment on board.

“Everything is at our fingertips with the vehicle,” she said.

All training is done through Ambulance NSW, with the official training in various locations starting in May 2023.

However, new volunteers can join in the monthly training meetings with Paramedics at Nana Glen Public School on the second Tuesday of every month until then, starting on Tuesday 14 March.

Leeharne explained what service the Ambulance volunteers provide.

“We attend all medical emergencies that are time critical, ie: cardiac arrest, car accidents, breathing difficulties and births to name a few,” she said, summarising the main types of callouts.

“So please support this vital service to your community and contact me on 0488 736 347 to sign up as a volunteer; it is a rewarding role!,” she said.

By Andrea FERRARI