Top honour for 'exceptional' Corby Community First Responder volunteer Stacey

A Corby mum who was to be honoured for her volunteering at a coronavirus-hit awards event will spend the night responding to 999 calls instead.

Stacey Price has been volunteering with the East Midlands Ambulance Service as a Community First Responder (CFR) for two years and was to pick up her outstanding service award next week from ambulance bosses.

She has been recognised for her work responding to 999 calls across the Corby and Kettering areas, providing life-saving training for hundreds of people and helping with fundraising campaigns for a vital defibrillators.

The mum-of-two, who is also a part-time student said: "It's amazing and overwhelming. My children and my husband are really proud.

"I was looking forward to it but it's better in a way because we need all our staff to be well and it frees me up to do more volunteering."

Stacey was inspired to volunteer for the ambulance service after both her and her husband were involved in separate, serious accidents.

In 2011, Stacey was was flown by air ambulance after fracturing her pelvis in a horror car crash on the A427 Corby to Market Harborough road.

Ambulance staff came to her husband Conor's rescue in 2017 when he was caught in the blast of an exploding oil drum at work.

An air ambulance took him to hospital but it was after speaking to the ground ambulance crew that Stacey vowed to help the emergency service.

Stacey said: "A First Responder was first on the scene and I spoke to them. I decided that's what I want to do."

In his citation Learoy Fox, community response team county coordinator and training officer for Northamptonshire and Lincolnshire, said: "Giving up hundreds of hours a month, Stacey does more than just responding to 999 calls on behalf of EMAS.

"As co-ordinator of her scheme, Stacey uses her knowledge to hold free CPR and first aid sessions, visit local schools and support cadets in learning vital lifesaving skills.

"Stacey checks local community defibrillators and supports local businesses who own their own CPAD’s.

"Alongside being a CFR and looking after her family, Stacey gives up time to fundraise for her scheme to buy more equipment for new responders and supports neighbouring schemes in fundraising efforts.

"Stacey is a true example of a valued and dedicated volunteer who goes above and beyond within her role as a Community First Responder for EMAS, and who is exceptionally proud of the service she responds for."

To follow her paramedic dream Stacey has been attending Tresham College in Kettering to gain her science qualifications to enable her to complete her training as an ambulance technician.

She wants to go on to train further as a paramedic but in the meantime has been juggling her home life with regular Community First Responder shifts, training sessions and fundraising.

Her latest fundraising effort with Danesholme Infant and Junior Academies in Corby has provided a defibrillator to be installed outside the Viking Club on the Danesholme estate later this month.

Community First Responders have to commit to 200 hours service a year - four hours a week - and fundraise for the self-funded roles.

Stacey's husband Conor helps to raise money to fund the uniform and kit bag whilst her daughter Gracie, seven and four-year-old son Conor are keen to follow in their mum's career footsteps.

Corby Community Responders cover Corby and Kettering Desborough, Rothwell, Burton Latimer and Barton Seagrave. Other areas cover patches across the county including East Northants, Oundle, Wellingborough and Northampton

This is not the first award for Stacey this year. She was given a distinguished services award in February by the Northamptonshire Association Of Youth Clubs for her volunteering work with Girl Guiding in Corby with the 1st Oakley Vale Guide group.

Currently, the service is looking to recruit Community First Responders based in Burton Latimer and Barton Segrave.

Contact Stacey on [email protected] to volunteer.