PARAMEDICS are now better equipped to deal with emergencies and save vital seconds.

Burnley and Nelson ambulance stations have been supplied with the latest state of the art medical equipment and drugs and have new ambulances.

Burnley district manager Tony Dixon said: "Since we became a trust two and a half years ago, new equipment and new vehicles have been on the drawing board.

"There are 20 new generation ambulances in Lancashire and, by October, all of the front-line ambulances will be new.

"A new stretcher can be used by just one paramedic and the vehicle is wider. The patient is placed in the middle and the paramedic can work all round them.

"There is more space for equipment and each paramedic has a 'snatch bag' which contains all the equipment they need."

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