A NEW air ambulance which could help to save lives across East Lancashire could take to the skies next month, we can reveal today.

The mercy helicopter will become one of the few dedicated air ambulances in the country.

Talks are under way involving an unnamed national sponsor which will provide the helicopter for the whole of the North West.

If the project takes off, the helicopter will be based at Blackpool Airport and will be staffed by flight paramedics and technicians from Lancashire Ambulance Service.

Air crews will be contracted to work for one year and the helicopter will only operate during daylight hours. Ambulance chiefs have tried to keep the project top secret while negotiations have taken place. David Hill, chief executive of Lancashire Ambulance NHS Trust, was tight-lipped about details of the scheme, but confirmed that negotiations were under way.

But the Lancashire Evening Telegraph has learned that interviews and tests will be held for interested flight staff later this month.

training courses will be held for about two weeks from March 26 with the air ambulance due to begin operating in mid-April.

Ambulance staff will have to complete a national survival programme which shows they do not suffer from air sickness. They will also undergo training in underwater escape procedures.

Paramedics currently request the use of the Lancashire Police helicopter if they need air support.

Cornwall was the first in the UK to have an air ambulance in 1988 and there are still only a handful in the UK.

The Kent air ambulance is the only one to be funded by charitable donations while the others are paid for by business sponsorship or NHS cash.

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