Brightlingsea First Responders are volunteers from the community who are trained by the East of England Ambulance Service in basic life support including oxygen therapy and the use of a defibrillator.

They provide the ambulance service with an immediate local response in cases where minutes can save lives – people with chest pains, breathing difficulties, choking or unconsciousness. In these instances the Emergency Operations Centre calls on a dedicated mobile phone at the same time as they are despatching paramedics. Once on the scene, the paramedics will take over care of the patient.