FOI 26-446 First Responders
Freedom of Information Request
- Reference
- FOI 26-446 First Responders
- Request Date
- 22 Sep 2026
- Response Date
- 13 Oct 2026
- Information Requested
1 How many community first responders are currently being used as a
resource by the Scottish Ambulance service;
2 How many training places are currently available in the Scottish
Ambulance Service system for community first responders;
3 How many community first responders have been taken on in the last 3 years;
4 What the criteria is for the Scottish Ambulance Service is to call upon community first responders to be utilised.- Response
1 How many community first responders are currently being used as a resource by the Scottish Ambulance service;
There are currently 815 Community First Responders available for operational deployment.
2 How many training places are currently available in the Scottish Ambulance Service system for community first responders;There are approximately 200 training places available per annum.
3 How many community first responders have been taken on in the last 3 years;There have been 395 new First Responders in the last three years.
4 What the criteria is for the Scottish Ambulance Service is to call upon community first responders to be utilised.
The Scottish Ambulance Service may utilise a Community First Responder (CFR) where the responder is booked on duty and available, the incident is within the CFR scheme's agreed geographical response area, and the patient's presenting condition falls within the clinically assured CFR Scope of Practice. Deployment also takes account of the information available about the incident, responder safety considerations, and the availability of other SAS resources. Community First Responders are not knowingly dispatched to incidents assessed as unsuitable or unsafe, including violent situations, road traffic collisions, incidents involving hazardous materials, unsafe drink or drug-related circumstances, maternity-related incidents, or other situations outside the approved dispatch criteria. CFRs provide a complementary response alongside SAS ambulance resources and do not replace an emergency ambulance response. CFRs may decline any incident they are unable or unwilling to attend.
