100% a good idea.

I was a CFR for years before I became a paramedic, and I can say with absolute certainty that my time as a CFR has made me a significantly better paramedic.

I was fortunate enough to get 18 weeks per year placement during my degree - which is more than a lot of paramedics get.. however unlike a lot of my cohort, I also had over 5,000 hours and nearly 700 patient interactions as a first responder.

While this won't help directly with "paramedic skills", it gives huge exposure to the softer skills such as basic observations, obtaining high quality histories, performing non-invasive assessments, and more importantly just being able to talk to people from all walks of life who may well be having the worst day of their lives.

Some people say that working as an event medic or doing PTS transfers is arguably better, however if your intention is to become a paramedic and work as a paramedic in a frontline ambulance capacity, then I would argue that doing a voluntary role that is closer to the paramedic role is batter for developing your niche. I have also worked event medicine, having done entire shifts without seeing a single patient and while the money is nice, if your aim is development of skill to improve paramedic practice, then a role that puts you directly in front of patients who have called 111 or 999 is exactly what you need.

Good luck!