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The volunteers from Aldeburgh, Leiston and Darsham are celebrating their fifth birthday. They pay their own expenses and rely on donations to keep going.

A defibrillator machine can cost about Β£1,200 and volunteers have to keep up-to-date with their training. They're often the first to arrive at an emergency.

Sheena Robertson, who's the coordinator for the Darsham group, says they've done very well in just five years: "We love working with the ambulance teams who treat us very well indeed. We feel we're the junior arm of the East of England Ambulance Service."

Party time

The East Coast community responders held a party at Stratford St Andrew village hall to thank volunteers and fundraisers.

The local group started in 2002 at Dunwich and was followed by groups being set up inΜύ other nearby villages and towns.

TheΜύ man who was instrumental in helping to build up confidence among volunteers and train them was former paramedic Derek Turner: "They are so necessary because one day they can make a difference, a very big difference to the outcome of someone's life. I'm very proud of everybody involved in the scheme."

Stuart Supple is a paramedic who now trains community responders. "We want every parish to be covered by these volunteers and we're particularly looking for more people to come forward in the mid-Suffolk area.''

Paul King is the co-ordinator of the Leiston first responder group: "We're a very busy team. We've attended more than 2,000 calls which means an average of about 35 calls per month. It can be anything from cardiac arrests to falls and serious cuts.

The first responder scheme is run under the auspices of the East Of EnglandΜύ Ambulance Service NHS Trust.Μύ You can ring them on 01603 481220 if you'd like to get involved in any of the Suffolk teams.

You can find out more by visiting the 'Work For Us' section of the East Of England Ambulance website.