In Sept 2001 personnel at RAF Honington were approached as
the area had been highlighted as a suitable location for a
new scheme in operation in Norfolk that provided unpaid
volunteers from HM Forces to train a team
in Trauma Care, Intermediate Life Support (ILS) and to drive on
blue lights and sirens in support of the then East Anglian
Ambulance Service. A team
of 20+ individuals from various trades, sections &
squadrons was established and now operate alongside tour
colleagues of the
Ambulance Service here in the East of England.
Predominantly the Honington team provide cover for the West
Suffolk community, however, it is not unknown for us to move
into the large town of Ipswich or into Cambridgeshire.
The team strength is around 24 personnel with 10 of those
personnel trained to carry out emergency driving with blue
lights and sirens in order to make the best progression
through traffic necessary.
How are we funded:
Well 'First Response' is a registered charity and as such
receives no official funding from the MoD/RAF or the
NHS. Relying totally on support and fund
raising from sections within Honington and from the local
communities that it serves. Monies raised are used to
purchase essential kit including uniform, medical bags and
contents, and more recently a a replacement Automated
External Defibrillator.
The East of England scheme now has a requirement to raise
£5000 per year in order to purchase one replacement Rapid
Response Vehicle every five years providing the scheme with
ultimate sustainability as long as there is and RAF Station
nearby and personnel willing to volunteer their own time to
conduct shifts on a daily basis.
24 Hour Cover:
One of the questions that we are always getting asked is "Do
we provide a 24hr service", well quite frankly no we don't.
First Response was set up to operate outside of our normal
working day, and it was important not to interfere with our
primary roles within the Royal Air Force, shift patterns and
station duties.
Therefore we operate the following shifts:
Monday to Thursday 18:00 - 0:00
Friday 18:00 - 02:00
Saturday 1400 - 02:00
Sunday 1200 - 00:00