Firefighters could be first on the scene as part of a scheme to improve survival rates for patients in cardiac arrest in the region.

St Albans and Borehamwood fire stations are the latest to join the co-responding scheme, which has been running successfully in Watford and Stevenage since the summer. Firefighters have been given extra training and equipment so they can start life-saving CPR before an ambulance arrives.

The scheme has been set up because successfully treating cardiac arrest patients greatly depends on getting help to them as quickly as possible.

READ MORE: St Albans Fire now able to assist ambulance with cardiac arrest incidents

Hertfordshire County Cllr Richard Thake said: “Our firefighters are trained to provide immediate emergency care and already carry trauma kits and defibrillators on the fire engines.

"It makes sense for them to use these life-saving skills to support the ambulance service in situations where they can get to a patient more quickly.

“Our crews already work closely with the ambulance service at incidents and we even share stations in some areas so this pilot is a natural evolution of that collaboration.

"We are not trying to turn firefighters in to paramedics, it is about making the best use of the emergency services capabilities, regardless of which uniform they wear.”

Under the agreement between Hertfordshire County Council’s Fire and Rescue Service and the East of England Ambulance Service (EEAST), when a 999 call is made to the ambulance service about a cardiac arrest, their control room will send firefighters to the scene if they are closer than the nearest ambulance. This means that emergency care can start as quickly as possible while paramedics are on their way, greatly improving a patient’s chances of survival.

Kevin Brown, director of service delivery for EEAST, said: "We already work closely with 999 colleagues and this is an extension of our partnership to help patients with an immediately life-threatening condition.

"Building on the collaborative work already undertaken through community first response (CFR), public access defibrillation and RAF co-response schemes, we also believe co-response schemes can add significantly to our ability to respond to patients quickly and start basic life support. We know that the quicker someone starts cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and gets a defibrillator to a patient in cardiac arrest the better chance they have of surviving.

"The ambulance service will continue to send clinicians to such patients as a top priority, but the best thing for the patient is to get someone trained in basic life support to their side as quickly as possible.”

Responding to cardiac arrests will not affect the fire service’s ability to attend fires, road traffic collisions and other serious incidents in these areas but adds another life-saving service to those they already provide.

Firefighters will not convey casualties to hospital but offer trauma care at the scene until an ambulance arrives.