A PILOT scheme is set to be launched in the county to train firefighters as ‘first responders’ in the event of medical emergencies on 999 calls, the Lancashire Telegraph can reveal.

Under the trial initiative, the designated firefighters could give initial care to casualties at the scene of emergencies, before handing over to paramedics.

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Initial details of the scheme were disclosed amid ongoing concerns regarding ambulance response times in East Lancashire.

County councillor Frank de Molfetta, fire authority chairman, told a Lancashire County Council meeting: “We hope to run a pilot in a couple of stations and then roll out the scheme to all 39, in order to assist the people that are in the most need.”

Later deputy chief fire officer Justin Johnson said: “There are community first responder schemes across the county and we will be supporting that.

“The difference is that we will turn up with decent protective equipment, scene awareness and risk awareness.”

Minimal extra training would be required for firefighters, a high proportion of whom are already first-aiders, and defibrillators are stored on every fire engine.

Mr Johnson added: “If I am out shopping and I drop down with a heart attack, I don’t care whether the uniform first to the scene is green, blue or red. It’s all about survivability rates.”

The Telegraph reported last month how ambulance response times were not being met, and were especially poor in the West Craven area of Pendle. The rate had dropped to just over 10 per cent for the most serious emergencies, before Christmas.

Coun David O’Toole, another fire authority member, said that the first responder initiative had already been undertaken in Cheshire.

“They actually proved that they save lives, in co-operation with the ambulance service in Cheshire. It did work extremely well and I am delighted that it is happening here,” he added.

County councillors have also asked NWAS chief executive Bob Williams and chairman Wyn Dignan to attend a meeting of their health scrutiny committee to discuss what measures are being taken to improve ambulance response times.

A North West Ambulance Service NHS Trust spokesman said: “We are very pleased to be part of this pilot project which will see us work even closer with the Lancashire Fire and Rescue Service to the benefit of our patients.

“The Emergency First Responder scheme works in a similar way to our Community First Responder (CFR) scheme. LFRS will be sent to incidents if the NWAS mobilising system believes they can get there more quickly than NWAS resources and an ambulance resource will be dispatched at the same time.

“It is a six-month pilot that will allow us to assess how the project is being delivered and it will allow us to determine whether we consider trialling it in other areas. It is a project that sees us continue the work with our emergency service partners as we routinely attend to incidents with LFRS.

“This scheme allows us to explore new initiatives and reinforces our strong working relations with our external partners which will ultimately benefit patients and ensure those with life-threatening conditions receive treatment as quickly as possible.”