AMBULANCE dispatcher Martin Webster has done the ground work to become an air controller.

The Greater Manchester Ambulance Service employee has become one of the first in the country to complete the Helicopter Emergency Medical Services Dispatch Course.

Along with four colleagues from Cumbrian and Lancashire Ambulance Services, Martin, from Tottington, and fellow GMAS controller Geoff Appleton, attended the training course at Blackpool Airport. The course is specifically designed for control room staff responsible for dispatching the North West Air Ambulance (NWAA).

During the two-day course, Martin completed a number of flights with the air ambulance and learned navigation skills, the implication of certain weather conditions and Civil Aviation Authority regulations.

The 34-year-old will now be responsible for passing on his knowledge to other Greater Manchester Control Room staff.

Martin, who has been with GMAS for more than five years, said: "Before the course, it was very hard for me to imagine what it was like for the aircrew in the helicopter. Having now been on several flights with the helicopter and learned a little about navigation and air regulations, I have a much greater understanding of how it operates and so can utilise it much more effectively."

Paul West, Operations Manager for the NWAA said: "We work very closely with the Control Room staff at GMAS and so it is important that we all have as much knowledge and understanding of each other's roles as possible.

"The course is the first of its kind in the country and has proved to be extremely useful."