MOTORBIKE-riding paramedics could soon be on the roads countywide after a six week trial period proved highly successful.

During the trial, paramedics using motor cycles and an estate car responded to emergency calls more than 50 per cent quicker than ambulances - and in some cases arrived 10 minutes earlier.

Now David Hill, chief executive of Lancashire Ambulance Service is hoping that the potentially life-saving scheme will be introduced countywide.

A key aim of the pilot scheme - which took place in Preston and West Lancashire - was to test whether the single manned fast response vehicles would improve response times to emergency cases and to potentially life threatening calls in particular.

And several cases proved the paramedics using fast response vehicles were able to administer life saving treatment such as resuscitation, canulation, oxygen and airway management in the critical minutes before an ambulance had arrived.

Mr Hill said: "Initial results show that the number and type of calls to which the single manned fast response vehicles were able to respond quicker than the traditional ambulance demonstrates that there is a tremendous potential for saving lives. So much so that we are now exploring ways of providing rapid response vehicles for the whole of the county."

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