FOI 26-005 Community First Responders
Freedom of Information Request
- Reference
- FOI 26-005 Community First Responders
- Request Date
- 01 Jan 2026
- Response Date
- 19 Jan 2026
- Information Requested
1. What uniform do your CFRs get issued, if possible please can you provide reference images?
2. Do your CFR get issued radios, if not what do you use as an alternative?
3. What current scope of practice do your CFRs work to, and do you have plans to extend this scope (if so, what is currently in the works)?
3.1. Do you give CFRs an in house qualification or a nationally recognised qualification such as FREC
4. What equipment (medications/obs monitoring/etc.) do you issue CFRs?
5. Do CFRs use their own personal vehicles, or are they provided with trust issued vehicles.
If so,
5.1. Do the trust provide the vehicles or is it from a charity?
5.2. Do your CFRs / is there plans for your CFRs to be trained to drive under emergency conditions
6. What is the criteria for a CFR to be dispatched? (If possible a list of suitable DX/AMPDS codes)- Response
The Scottish Ambulance Service has recently published a Community First Responder Governance document that may provide more information to support the answers provided below - FOI26-031 First Responders Governance Document
Q1 - Community First Responders are provided with a SAS high visibility jacket and identification card.
Recent SAS news pages include photography of CFRs wearing SAS‑branded high‑visibility outerwear—useful as “reference images” to show typical appearance in context: Five new CFR schemes established in Skye
Q2 – Community First Responder schemes are provided with a data only Airwave radio.
Q3 – The current Scope of Practice enables CFRs to provide a first person on scene response to the following types of emergency call: cardiac arrest, heart conditions, breathing problems, chest pains, stroke, choking, anaphylaxis, diabetes.
Q3.1 - CFRs undertake a Scottish Ambulance Service developed mandatory training course over 4 days.
Q4. CFRs are equipped by SAS to undertake the monitoring of blood pressure, temperature and oxygen saturation. In 2026 CFRs will also be trained and equipped to undertake blood sugar monitoring. CFRs are also equipped and trained in the administration of Oxygen.
Q5. The large majority of CFRs use their own personal vehicle. There are a small number of schemes across Scotland that have independently sourced a sponsored vehicle.
Q5.1. No, SAS does not provide CFRs with a vehicle. We encourage CFRs to use their own transport.
Q5.2. There are no plans to train CFRs to drive under emergency conditions.
Q6. A CFR will be dispatched to a call if they are booked on an available to attend, the call is within their prescribed geographical area (polygon) and call is within the agreed code set for CFR attendance.
Please see the link for a previous FOI response to AMPDS codes - FOI 25-220 Framework for Dispatch Codes
