***FREE*** Basic Life Support (BLS) Session
15th February 2025 click here
We’re a group of volunteer members of the NHS, who are trained to respond to 999 emergency calls and cover the whole of Canvey Island.
We provide early life saving treatment to patients in the local community, and as we work or live on the Island, we are able to attend the scene of an emergency within a few minutes… often before the emergency services arrive.
Being a completely voluntary group, we rely on donations, sponsorship and fund raising events. We also hold Basic Life Support (BLS) training to the general public and groups.
Thanks for taking the time to check out our website, we hope you find it interesting.
Diane Gonzalez
Team Leader
When these wonderful people have a break from their day-to-day jobs, they give up their spare time to help the community. None of these volunteers get paid to carry out their role as Community First Responders, carry out BLS (Basic Life Support) courses or attend fund raising events.
A quote from the Resuscitation Council UK shows that
“Despite over 70% of cases receiving CPR from members of the public, the use of public-access defibrillators remained low – in fewer than one in 10 cases”
See if an AED is near you… click a beating heart
… and thanks to our amazing community, local businesses and CFR supporters, we have 28 public access AED’s, the majority of which have been installed (free of charge) by Scott Somerville.
This means that should a cardiac arrest happen somewhere on the Island, an AED should be near by. Having dialled 999, the Emergency Operator will give you the nearest location.
In 2024, we also installed two ‘Bleed kits’, one in the Town Centre and one on the Charfleets Industrial Estate.
These are all regularly checked and maintained by the Canvey Island Community First Responders team.
All our kit is purchased by ourselves, from money raised by events or donations. When its life expired we have to fund replacements. We are very proud of the equipment we have and ensure its looked after to the highest standard.
After our initial training, we continue to develop our skills with monthly training sessions, carried out by our awesome Link Paramedics and EMT. These guys are incredibly enthusiastic about CFRs and the care we give to our patients.
Not only do they provide the highest level of training, but they make every training session interesting and fun, always exploring new avenues to help us gain the knowledge we require.
We thank them for their time, effort and of course… patience.
You may have heard of the saying that ‘every little helps’… well in our case, this could not be more true! All of our volunteers give up their time for free, which is amazing, but it “doesn’t pay the bills”! Replacement kit, new/replacement uniform, providing free Basic Life Support (BLS) sessions for the public, equipment storage and ongoing maintenance of our car all require funding. This can only be achieved with your help.
Please click the Give a Little logo and head over to our donation page to give what you can… we really would appreciate it.
This mobile number must NOT be used for emergencies, it is only used for recruitment or donations
Saturday 15th February 2025. We are holding another public awareness training session. Book your places on our links. Learn to make a difference, save a life and keep Canvey Number One 💙
Session covers:
CPR
Choking
Anaphylaxis
Recovery Position
Defibrillator
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A busy start to the year for our team. Doing what we do best. Keeping Canvey Number One 💙
Places are still available for our incredible Basic Life Support Awareness Session. Book on the links to secure your place.
SATURDAY 15TH FEBRUARY 10am start.
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Our new venture starts soon. We are delighted to announce that we are now in partnership with Cornelius Vermuyden School and will be giving every pupil at the School our BLS Awareness course. We would also like to thank the School for their incredible donation of CPR dummies. Keeping Canvey Number One 💙 ...
We are pleased to release a date for our latest public life support awareness session.
On Saturday 15th February 2025, at St Nicholas Church, Canvey Island, our amazing volunteers will be holding a Basic Life Support session for anyone interested in joining. The session will run from 9.30 until 12.30 and is open to anyone over the age of 11 years. The session is FREE. However, we will have a collection box for cash donations available to help continue our incredible community work. You also have the opportunity to add a donation on the booking page when you book your free tickets!
Please book a place (or as many as you wish!) on the below link..
https://www.eventbrite.com/e/public-basic-life-support-tickets-1141450682719?aff=oddtdtcreator
Save a life. Make a difference. Keeping Canvey Number One 💙
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Thank you again to all of our sponsors and supporters. To be a part of our incredible team, please get in touch. We need your help. Keeping Canvey Number One 💙 ...
Canvey CFRs would like to express our heart felt thanks to everyone who has liked, followed and supported our volunteers over the last year. Our team managed over 2,275 voluntary hours on call in 2024. This doesn`t include all of our BLS awareness sessions where we have trained over 1,000 people. Our Public Access Defibrillators were also deployed a staggering 82 times last year. Thank you for keeping Canvey Number One 💙
https://linktr.ee/canveycfr
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On behalf of the group, we would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to the Canvey Community for your incredible support over the last year. Your generosity and encouragement have made a meaningful impact and we are truly grateful for your commitment to helping us. Together, we are stronger and your continued kindness goes a long way. Thank you and Happy Christmas 🎅 ...
Please come and visit Cristinas` incredible display at Kingsdown Walk, Canvey. This lovely lady has set all of this up and collecting for our volunteers. All the money she can raise as always will be put back into our community projects.
Thank you again, Cristina. You are a star 🌟 Keeping Canvey Number One 💙
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November call outs were even better as we got to use some new equipment, allowing us to recognise diabetic emergencies. Thank you all for your continued help and support. Keeping Canvey Number One 💙 ...
Another great Public Awareness Session today at The Island Yacht Club on Canvey. Thank you to everyone who attended. We hope you enjoyed it. Keeping Canvey Number One 💙 ...
A massive thank you to Cristina Balina, who raised over £115 for our team over Halloween. What a great way to have a collection. Great fun and it looked amazing. Thank you to everyone who has supported this and Cristina for arranging it. You are a star. Keeping Canvey Number One 💙 ...
An honour to represent EEAST today at the Canvey Island Remembrance Day Parade. Thank you to everyone who attended. Lest we Forget ❤️ ...
We would like to thank one of our previous CFRs, Lucy and her family for the incredible donation recently. In September, Lucy`s mum Janet sadly passed away. At her funeral, the family decided to collect money for our group. They have raised over £850 which has now been donated to us. Janet was much loved by all of her family and friends. Thank you all for your amazing gesture and for thinking of us in your time of sadness. ❤️ ...
Our October 2024 jobs. Another variety of call outs for our incredible volunteers. Not only were the team covering all these calls, they also trained over 500 people in Basic Life Support. Keeping Canvey Number One 💙 ...
September 2024 was a busy month for our volunteers, but we`ve still managed to be there for our community. The team have attended a variety of jobs during the last month. Keeping Canvey Number One 💙
https://linktr.ee/canveycfr
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Thanks to Canvey Island Rugby Club for allowing us to carry out another great public awareness session. 20 more members of the community trained in Basic Life Support. Keeping Canvey Number One 💙 ...
WOW. We did it! Thank you all for your support. Canvey Island Community First Responders won the Star of EEAST Award 2024.
Our team leader Diane said, "I am extremely proud of my team and honoured to accept this award on behalf of our Canvey Community," Keeping Canvey Number One 💙
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Some of our team presented with their Kings Coronation Medals and coins. We are honoured to receive them from the Trust. Keeping Canvey Number One 💙 ...
A variety of jobs last month, which kept our incredible volunteers busy. Thank you all for your continued support. Keeping Canvey Number One 💙 ...
We would sincerely like to express our thanks to our brand new sponsor, who is donating monthly to the team to help continue our legacy. The Wellbeing rooms, located on the island, are there for all your wellness and personal training needs.
If you or your company would like to help us by donating or becoming a sponsor, please give us a message on one of our social media sites.
Keeping Canvey Number One 💙
https://linktr.ee/canveycfr
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If you have a caring nature, some spare time and want to give something back to your community, becoming a volunteer Community First Responder (CFR) can be both incredibly rewarding, and at times, challenging.
We are Volunteers who live or work on Canvey Island and attend certain types of emergency calls. The aim is for us to reach a potentially life threatening emergency in the first vital minutes before the ambulance arrives.
You must be over 18 years of age and have a current full driving license with less than three penalty points, and be willing to have an interview with our Recruitment Officer.
If successful, you will need to complete a training course, obtain an enhanced DBS check and attend an Occupational Health Review.
No, we do NOT get paid and are completely voluntary, whether on-call, attending training or raising funds for the group.
Yes – we attend a 5 day intensive training course with the East of England Ambulance Service Trust (EEAST).
We then carry out regular training, Continuous Personal Development (CPD) and assessments. These are all carried out by our amazing link Paramedics & Trainers.
NO – We have to abide by the same traffic regulations as the general public.
All we ask for is a minimum of 16 hours on call per month. If you are able to commit to more, that’s fantastic.
Yes, as part of our group, we want you to wear a uniform. It’s not only smart looking, but comfortable and practical too.
No, we are extremely fortunate to have our own CFR car, which was funded via an incredible donation.
No, the hours are whatever suits you. We have a shared calendar which everyone signs up to, which shows the times you want to commit to.
Give us a call (leave a message if no one answers) or drop us an email. Use the contact details below, and we will get back to you as soon as we can.
This mobile number must NOT be used for emergencies, it is only used for recruitment or donations
Here is a collection of videos you may find interesting. Each one of these has the potential in helping you save a life, with simple steps that anyone can follow. They are well worth a watch.
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