A CALLANDS man says job satisfaction means more than being paid for his volunteer role as a community first responder.

Wayne Basson was inspired to train for the position as his dad Mark works as a firefighter at Liverpool airport and said he enjoys going home knowing he has made a difference.

The 27-year-old team leader at Liverpool Airport said: “There’s only so much Xbox you can play in your spare time so I wanted to do something a bit more productive.

“I used to come home from work and didn’t really feel like I had made much of a difference but in this job I walk away from calls knowing it was definitely worthwhile me turning up.

“Sometimes it’s nice to remind yourself some things are worth more than getting paid.”

Wayne, who lives with his pregnant partner Jennifer, has a pager which will alert him to any 999 calls, apart from road accidents or incidents involving children under 12, within five miles of his St Asaph Drive home.

Trained to deal with fitting, cardiac arrests and diabetes-related problems, Wayne always has the reassurance a paramedic crew and ambulance are not far behind as he is only called when they are on the way.

Wayne added: “The biggest day I have had was a 999 call I had to make myself.

“My partner’s sister had found an elderly gentleman with dementia walking round Callands lost in his pyjamas and slippers.

“They called me as they knew I had kit in my car and I had to wrap a space blanket around him as he was suffering from hypothermia.

“It was nice to be able to help someone who was clearly in a bad way.”

Wayne has also passed on his knowledge to staff at Liverpool airport and trained 60 people at a time how to use defibrillators in the event of a cardiac arrest.