SAS and St John Scotland partnership to benefit Pitlochry

Life-saving kit which includes vital first aid equipment, oxygen, and a portable AED has been presented to the newly established Pitlochry Community First Responders (CFR) group by St John Scotland.

The kit will enable group members to respond to potentially life-threatening emergencies in Pitlochry, such as a cardiac arrest or seizure in the vital first few minutes before an ambulance crew arrives.

The Pitlochry CFR group is set to cover Pitlochry and the surrounding areas from Killiecrankie in the north to Balmacneil in the south.

The group currently has three trained CFR volunteers who come from a mix of medical, care, and pre-hospital backgrounds. Additional group members are being trained to join later in the year and more local volunteers are also welcome to join.

The Scottish Ambulance Service (SAS) currently has over 900 CFRs across the country. St John Scotland will continue to work with SAS to offer financial assistance to various existing, and new, CFR schemes around the country, supporting six groups with life-saving kits every year. In return, the Pitlochry CFR Group will support St John Scotland with their CPR and defibrillator training and awareness sessions in Perth and Kinross.

Michael Dickson, Chief Executive of the Scottish Ambulance Service, said: “Our partnership with St John Scotland will provide fantastic support to SAS Community First Responder groups across the country. Our CFRs are a vital link in the chain of survival for local communities and it is great to see St John Scotland supporting them.”

Stephen Blakely, Chair, St John Scotland, said: “The Perth and Kinross St John Scotland are thrilled with the relationship that has developed between our committee and the new CFR team in Pitlochry. 

“SAS have been incredibly supportive in all of this.  We look forward to the mutual support with us providing financial and practical support to SAS and Pitlochry and other CFR Teams, and with them supporting our CPR training delivery across the local area.  This is very much a win-win situation.’’

If you are interested in joining the Pitlochry group, please click here for more information.