A NEW state-of-the art response vehicle will now respond to emergency calls through a council-run alarm service in the Vale.

Vale Telecare is the Vale Council’s home alarm service which offers a range of services for vulnerable adults. Residents lease an alarm unit and other sensors that are monitored round-the-clock by staff based in the C1V centre in Barry.

Telecare operators assist residents with a range of emergencies, from loud sounds in the middle of the night to medical emergencies. But one of Telecare’s most important services is the Fall Response Service.

And now St John Ambulance has allocated a new state-of-the-art Toyota RAV4 Hybrid vehicle for use when attending to Vale Telecare users.

The Falls Response Service offers immediate help to residents who trigger their alarm when they fall, collapse, or have an accident.

Penarth Times: Vale Telecare vehicle

Their alarm – which is wearable as either a bracelet or a lanyard – connects a resident to a Telecare operator immediately when pressed.

In accidents and emergencies, St John Ambulance will immediately travel to the resident’s home to provide medical attention.

Now, they have a brand-new, fully kitted out Toyota vehicle to use for fall responses. As a hybrid vehicle, it has both a fuel tank and a chargeable battery which is self-charging when the vehicle is in use.

Cllr Eddie Williams, the council’s cabinet member for social care and health, said: “Telecare is an essential service the council offers which provides some of our vulnerable residents with a greater sense of independence.

“As our Telecare operators monitor the alarm systems 24/7, vulnerable residents who live independently can rest assured that help and assistance during emergencies is just one push of a button away.

“With the allocation of a new Falls Response Vehicle by St John Ambulance, our responders are now better equipped to assist our Telecare users with falls, collapses, and medical emergencies.

“We are also pleased to see that the new Falls Response Vehicle is a hybrid electric vehicle which will contribute to the council’s Project Zero aim to become carbon neutral by 2030.”