FIREFIGHTERS will respond to heart attack incidents in Stroud after a successful pilot scheme in rural areas of the county.

Ambulance crews will still be sent to all call outs, but crews from Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service may provide CPR before the arrival of paramedics if it is needed.

The initiative, which will also be rolled out in Gloucester and Cheltenham, follows the success of the 'co-responder' scheme which saw firefighters respond to cardiac arrests in rural areas.

Councillor Nigel Moor, cabinet member for fire and infrastructure at Gloucestershire County Council (GCC), said: "Speed of response for cardiac arrest incidents is essential and there will be occasions when fire crews are the closest emergency resource.

“The scheme will not affect the number of calls that SWASFT (South Western Ambulance Service Foundation Trust) deals with and will not affect firefighters from doing their job.”

Newly trained firefighters will be armed with the latest defibrillators when they are called out.

The initiative will help save lives, claim GCC, as in some cases firefighters will be able to provide life-saving care before paramedics are able to arrive.

Stewart Edgar, chief fire officer and operations director for Gloucestershire Fire and Rescue Service, said: “This is a great example of closer collaboration between emergency services which will lead to lives being saved.

"The scheme is working well in rural areas of the county so I’m confident it will be a success in the county’s urban areas as well."