PLETTENBERG BAY NEWS - Heeding the call to respond to life-threatening incidents, come rain or shine, day or night, the Plettenberg Bay Crime Prevention Association's (PBCPA) First Responders provide immediate assistance at emergency scenes while professional medical teams are on their way.
This community-based group of medically trained volunteers recently identified a need for additional trauma bags and medical essentials, and Mediclinic sponsored fully equipped trauma bags and other essential equipment to strengthen the team's emergency response capabilities.
Established in 2019, the PBCPA First Responders have grown in stature and reputation, and work closely with professional emergency services to assist patients during critical moments. The volunteers are largely self-funded and rely on the goodwill and sponsorship of local businesses for essential equipment, fuel and other resources.
The volunteers are driven by different motivations, but a common thread is the willingness to give their time and skills to assist others in need - often complete strangers - without expecting anything in return. For some, it is the urgency of responding to an emergency, while others are motivated by knowing that someone needs their help at a critical moment.
Plettenberg Bay is fortunate to have a network of people and emergency teams ready to assist those who need help most, often on one of the worst days of their lives.
The PBCPA First Responders team comprises 82 volunteers operating between The Crags and Harkerville, supporting rapid responses across the greater Bitou area.
The emergency response group includes doctors, medics, first aiders and paramedics, working alongside professional emergency and support services such as Metro services, ER24, Medlife, Mediclinic and Knysna Hospital, as well as EMS, security services, Bitou Fire and Rescue and Bitou Traffic Services.
Between July and September, the team responded to 57 incidents over 62 days on call, with a median response time of five minutes. Medical illness and collapse accounted for 14 incidents, followed by road traffic incidents (12), falls and other trauma (nine), neurological incidents (seven), cardiac emergencies (five), assault or self-harm (four), and paediatric/obstetric and respiratory/allergic incidents (three each).
With trauma-related calls accounting for 44% of incidents, the additional equipment sponsored by Mediclinic will assist volunteers in providing critical support when every second counts.
‘We bring you the latest Garden Route, Hessequa, Karoo news’
