FIREFIGHTERS from Caldicot, Chepstow and Monmouth could be first to medical emergencies in their area as part of a new scheme with Welsh ambulance service.

The Fire Medical Response pilot will see suitably trained firefighters sent to help people until the arrival or either an ambulance or rapid response vehicle.

The Welsh Ambulance Service has been criticised in the past for response times to incidents in rural Monmouthshire.

The pilot will see the three Welsh fire services and the Welsh Ambulance Service NHS Trust working together during the pilot scheme which is expected to last until June 2016.

Greg Lloyd, head of clinical operations at the Welsh Ambulance Service, said: “Every second counts in an emergency.

“If our fire service colleagues can get to a scene before one of our ambulances they can begin to deliver life-saving treatment – that’s only going to improve that patient’s chance of surviving.

Fire Medical Response (FMR) crews are being trained to administer life-saving treatment, including CPR and the use of a defibrillator.

“We must stress that they will not replace the normal response of a paramedic in a rapid response car or an emergency ambulance but will form part of an integrated approach to providing immediate, life-saving treatment to patients in our communities.

Fire medical response (FMR) personnel play an important role alongside frontline ambulance staff in making sure patients get appropriate help quickly and efficiently.”

The vehicles will be equipped with specialised equipment enabling specially-trained staff to respond to incidents such as heart attacks, casualties who are reported unconscious or choking, and ’catastrophic’ bleeding.