LIFESAVERS from the Black Country are getting help in their quest for safety after being awarded community funding.

First responder charity FastAid Black Country, which voluntarily attends 999 ambulance calls in Dudley, Stourbridge and Halesowen, has been handed an £8,000 grant from Dudley Council’s community forum fund.

The charity will put the money toward purchasing a response car to attend emergency calls within the borough.

To fund the fully kitted out car, which includes an APR system enabling better communication with West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) when responding to incidents, the charity applied to eight community forums.

The car, which will be based in the centre of Dudley, will be available 24 hours a day and will complement an existing vehicle which covers the north of the Black Country.

Mayor of Dudley, Councillor Margaret Aston, said: “I’m delighted that the community forum funds have been able to help such a worthy charity continue their work in the borough.

“It was an honour to meet volunteers from FastAid. The volunteers give up their own time to literally save local people’s lives and undertake the training they need to keep up to date with the latest medical training.”

Community first responder volunteers are trained to a nationally recognised medical standard to attend emergency calls received by the ambulance service and provide potentially lifesaving treatment until the ambulance arrives.

As they live locally, first responders are often the first on the scene and can take immediate action.

Responders are called out by the ambulance service if they can reach a life threatening situation quicker than an ambulance crew and respond to cardiac arrests, heart attack, stroke, choking, diabetic emergencies and traumatic emergencies.

FastAid Black Country is a self-funded charity which, in 2014, had 38 volunteers attending more than 2,130 calls on behalf of WMAS NHS Foundation Trust.

For more information about the charity visit www.fastaidblackcountry.org.uk