Video: British Volunteer Awards: Community First Responders 'help until the ambulance arrives' With the nearest ambulance station 20 minutes away, people like John can be - literally - lifesavers. John has responded to almost 1500 emergencies within a ten mile radius of St Martins, volunteering for at least six hours a day. He was nominated by Mrs E Cadwallader, who said: "Anyone who has called 999 is in an emergency situation. Frightened, panicking perhaps. The swift arrival of someone who knows what they are doing - providing gentle reassurance as well as the start of treatment - gives comfort to the patient and their relatives until the ambulance arrives.