How it works
The First Responders:
Our program offers an alternative or supplement to cost-prohibitive ambulance-based EMS, serving as a foundation for future development. We partner with pre-existing transportation infrastructure in communities across resource-limited settings to rapidly scale networks of lay first responders (LFRs) that voluntarily administer emergency medical care and transportation. In addition to record-setting knowledge acquisition and response frequencies from our responders, yearly follow-ups demonstrate that LFRs also experience an increase in social stature and income as transportation providers once they begin participating, providing incentive for long-term involvement and program sustainability. In doing so, the LFR Model is a scalable, community-driven, sustainable model of emergency care for resource-limited areas.
Lay First Responders in Iganga District, Uganda
Lay First Responders in Antigua, Guatemala
Lay First Responders in Mukono, Uganda
The LFR Fellows:
The competitive LFR Fellowship in Prehospital Innovation leverages the passion of emergency medical professionals and highly motivated undergraduate and medical students to design, research, and implement new initiatives for resource-limited EMS. Fellows with professional emergency medical experience then deploy internationally to conduct LFR training programs with local trainers using a training of trainers (TOT) model. Training of trainers increases sustainability and decreases reliance on international instructors with the 5.5-hour LFR curriculum, which has been rigorously assessed and iteratively developed since 2016. Local trainers are then able to rapidly proliferate numbers of local LFRs while implementing partners actively assess local trainer performance and measure the impact of trained LFRs.
Cost-Effectiveness and Funding:
According to WHO guidelines, our first responder programs are one of the most cost-effective uses of funding to address injury. In fact, we’ve shown that for every $54 donated, we can avert one disability adjusted life year (DALY), the standard unit of measurement used by the WHO and World Bank for impact measurement. For comparison, the cost-effectiveness for alternative interventions to avert one DALY from road traffic injury such as legislation and enforcement of helmet use is over $3,400. Our funding is sourced from a variety of sources including academic research funding, institutional partnerships, and private philanthropy.
To learn more about our program, opportunities to apply your skills, or partner, email LFR at info@LFRinternational.org or follow us on social media