Hi there, I know this thread is quite old and I don’t know if you’ll still be reviewing comments on it but I also wanted to say something with regards to CFRs. I’ve been a CFR for three months now in the South East in an area sandwiched between three ambulance stations (i.e. not rural at all). In that time I’ve attended a number of calls and have spent as much time as I can third manning – as such I now know most of the crew I meet on jobs and have a great relationship with all of them. I have a huge amount of respect for full time crews, the skills you have, the hours you put in and the working conditions you deal with daily. After a local crew saved my father’s life I decided to commit some time to helping out where I could and the CFR scheme seemed a mutually beneficial arrangement. As well as providing BLS in instances where crews are otherwise engaged I have also found that just being an extra pair of hands is extremely well received. A crew coming to the end of a tiring 12 hour shift are just as appreciative of some physical assistance with heavy equipment as they are if they arrive to a calm scene where I have collected the bulk of the PAF information in preparation of their arrival. At the weekend I spent almost two hours waiting for a crew to arrive to an elderly woman who had fallen. The delay was caused by the huge workload and it was satisfying for me to know that as I was on scene resources could be distributed to higher level emergencies. When the solo finally arrived he was able to just copy down my obs and complete a non conveyance form and get on his way again in the space of a few minutes. This surely must help spread the thin resources more efficiently. I appreciate that CFR schemes have to be well managed and that there will be instances where things don’t go as smoothly as they could but overall I think it can only be a good thing and in the long run will benefit patients across the board. The scheme I’m attached to provide 24 hour cover, have attended over 400 calls in the last year and have raised close to £10,000 to ensure we are fully self funded. I hope that your views on the scheme may change after you’ve met some CFR’s and realise that we’re basically just good honest people who genuinely want to help you in any way we can.