A FUNDRAISING page has been set up to support Community First Responders in Burnham.

The page has been set up by Kaylee Seymour, who moved to Burnham from Romford last year. Husband Neil is a volunteer first responder in the town.

She said: “They are vital. Without people volunteering to do this, emergency care could arrive too late.

“It really can be a matter of life and death in some situations. Their aim is to reach potential life threatening emergencies in the first vital minutes before the ambulance crew arrives.

“Their role is to help stabilise the patient and provide appropriate care until the more highly skilled ambulance crew arrives to give treatment.”

The First Responders are self-funded, relying on donations and pages such as Kaylee’s to provide equipment.

The page has also been heavily promoted by the Burnham-on-Crouch Gossip Facebook group, who have donated many times from contributions from people advertising in the group.

Kaylee added: “The response from everyone has been fantastic. Within just three days of going live we have reached £330 of my £500 target, people have been so generous.”

A spokesman for the East of England Ambulance Service said: “Our community first responders are all volunteers and rely on donations and fundraising to fund their life-saving medical equipment.

“We are very grateful to Kaylee for setting up the online fundraising page and we hope the money can be used to set up community public access defibrillators in the area.

“There are 12 CFRs in the Burnham area who have been trained by the ambulance service to respond to medical emergencies such as cardiac arrests, allergic reactions, diabetes emergencies and patients with breathing difficulties and chest pain.”

To donate visit justgiving.com/crowdfunding/kaylee-seymour-1