Many European regions, in line with the European Resuscitation Council Guidelines, alert volunteer first responders (VFRs) near out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCAs) situations, which plays a crucial role in the ‘chain of survival.’
While the benefits of VFR systems are well-established in urban and suburban areas, less is known about volunteer experiences in rural settings. Gaining insights into these experiences and response times in rural areas could help improve training, support, and safety for VFRs.
In this EENA webinar, Anders Svensson and Bengt Nilsson from Linnaeus University, Sweden, will present their research:
- A study comparing response times for ambulances, fire services, and VFRs during OHCAs based on population density. In 285 cases, VFRs had the quickest median response times, saving over three minutes. However, differences between rural and urban areas highlight the need for more rural VFR recruitment and increased fire service dispatch.
- A study exploring rural VFRs’ experiences through interviews. VFRs showed a strong commitment to saving lives, ready to respond immediately to support victims and their families.
Speakers:
Anders Svensson
Associate professor, Linnaeus University
Anders Svensson's research revolves around first responders in rural areas of Sweden who are alerted to provide initial aid before ambulances arrive, due to increasing ambulance response times. Traditionally, fire fighters are the primary responders, but recently civilians have also been included. There is limited research on the experiences of these first responders, particularly in rural settings where they often know the help-seekers personally. Additionally, little is known about the types of emergencies they handle, the severity of the conditions they encounter, and the outcomes of their interventions.
Bengt Nilsson
Senior lecturer, Linnaeus University
Bengt Nilsson's background is rooted in the forest, stemming from a family-owned farm involved in forestry. As a Doctor of Technology, he conducts research on topics such as collaboration between forest owners and fire and rescue services to improve forest fire response. This research is complemented by his practical experience as Commander in Chief of a volunteer fire brigade in the Swedish countryside. With a strong connection to a vibrant rural community and practical experience as a first responder, he has also contributed to advancing his research field. In collaboration with healthcare science researchers, Bengt has studied the importance of volunteers' commitment to their home regions and the impact of response times over long distances in cases of cardiac arrest in rural areas.
David Fredman
Heartrunner Sweden
David Fredman is Operations Manager and co-founder of Heartrunner Sweden AB. With a background in clinical medicine and a PhD from Karolinska Institutet David has over the years grown an interest in exploring methods to save more lives in out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. David has the last years focused on optimizing AED locations, delivering AEDs using drones/UAVS and alerting volunteers in cardiac arrest. Since 2016 he´s operations manager for Heartrunner and among other things in that position he supports independent research on volunteers actions and other areas where volunteer actions could change the course or severity of time critical incidents.
To access the Agenda, click here.
To register for the webinar, click here.