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Recent Headlines Its about saving lives, not targets Training has started for retained firefighters who will be giving emergency treatment and helping to save more lives. The scheme called Fire Service Co-responders will see part-time crew members in Lydney and Coleford getting to people in their communities quickly to give treatment when the ambulance is on its way. Fourteen were trained last weekend with another 14 this weekend and the final 12 next weekend with the co-responder scheme starting in the week before Christmas. Ambulance watchdog Abert Weager was invited along to see the training and was impressed. He said: "The course was superbly led and managed. I was greatly impressed by the enthusiasm and commitment of the fire service personnel in their quest to enhance their already formidable range of skills. it has special relevance in reducing the degree of rural inequity experienced in the Great Western Ambulance area." The co-responders will work hand-in-hand with the community responders who are members of the public performing a similar role. Working in pairs using a light vehicle from their station, it is expected the fire service will recieve two extra calls a week to deal with casualties. On occasions, where the community responders and co-responders are available, the nearest to the casualty will be sent. Kevin Dickens, community operations manager for the ambulance service, said the extra minutes of emergency care had the potential to save lives. He said: "In the Forest of Dean we have active community responders already and members of the public are attending the same sort of incidents are firefighters will be." "working in partnership will mean delivering promt and effective patient care in there communities." Coleford and Lydney crews were chosen because they have specialist teams for incidents like a cliff rescue and can get access to patients who might be unsafe for paramedics to reach. In situations where an ambulance has been called to cover another area having co-responders will mean emergency care is still available. Mr Dickens denied Fire Brigades' Union critics who said the co-responder scheme was being started to help a failing service meet its targets. The Government says 75% of life-threatening emergency calls must be reached by ambulance crews in 8 minutes. The most recent figures show that in Gloucestershire the service had a 67.72% response rate in September. Mr Dickens said: " It will enhance patient care in the Forest and has the potential to improve the targets." "The Forest can be challenging its a rural area and the firefighters have good knowledge of their local areas." What can co-responders do??? Cardiac arrest; Chest pain; Respiratory arrest; Unconscious patents; Patients with breathing difficulties; Diabetic emergencies; Anaphylaxis; Seizures. To read more click here LYDNEY SAVED Last week it was announced that Lydney hopital has been saved, members of SOS, friends of Lydney and members of the public were happy to find out that Lydney's future is secured. 1000 responses were recieved by SOS regarding, Coleford House, Stonebury in Lydney and Colliers Court's closure and were delivered personally to The Gloucestershire Partenership Trust by Sophie Bennett. £200 was raised by SOS and Barbara Jenkins at The Royal Oak in Whitecroft, where there were several tribute bands, a raffle sale, T-shirts and car Stickers for sale. The new Consultation Document for the Dilke has now been posted to all of our contacts and is being distributed around the Forest. It will also be on the website within the next few days. To read more click here NHS Finances 2006 The Department of Health has released unaudited end-of-year figures showing if NHS Trusts across England are in surplus or deficit. The BBC News website has the data for every major hospital, mental health and ambulance trust, and each primary care trust - a group of doctors' surgeries and other services covering a town or district. To read more click here SPEECH HOUSE RALLY The rally was a complete sucess with 5000 people at the event. Up on the stage was Melville Watts, Mark Harper (MP), Brian Bennett, Maurice Bent. Local Nurses from the hospitals also attended the rally wearing white banners instead of uniforms to show they were Nurses. Many thanks to everyone who came last night for your support. To read more click here COUNCIL SUPPORT SOS The Forest of Dean District Council has set political differences aside to set up a Health Action Group to fight plans to close local community hospitals. The District Council's new chairman Coun Frank Beard (Lab, Cinderford East) said "The Council needs to be as one as it fights the proposed closure to the community hospitals. To read more click here £1 MILLION TARGET SET FOR LYDNEY HOSPITAL FRIENDS Lydney Hospital Friends has benn set a fundraising target of £1 million by Chairman Melville Watts to help save the unit for the Forest People. Picture by Martin Perry. To read more click here LOCAL MUM TRAVELS 60 MILES TO GIVE BIRTH Local Mum Lorraine Stanton had to travel to Warwick to give birth to her twins when her waters broke early. To read more click here SAVE OUR SERVICES Campaigners fighting to save the Forest's hospitals from the axe are staging spectacular show of strength to say 'no' to NHS cuts. Spearheading a campaign, backed by The Forester and our sister paper The Citizen, are former miner Maurice Bent and leading industrialist Melville Watts. They believe their Save Our Services call to arms will see the biggest show of people power in the Dean since the great miners rallies of the early 20th Century. They want thousands to turn out to their protest rally on the Speech House field at 7pm on Wednesday May 31st. To read more click here

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