Medical response team facing cut

Each Co-Responder call-out costs nearly £100

An emergency medical service in west Cornwall is under threat because of funding problems.

The co-responders in St Kevern, Mullion and Helston are firefighters who respond to medical emergencies and wait until ambulances arrive.

They are paid for by the county's fire brigade, but with a shortfall in next year's budget, the brigade says it cannot afford to keep it going.

Co-responders attended 200 incidents in 2005 at a cost of £97 a call-out.

Swift response

The Westcountry Ambulance Trust trained the firefighters on the Lizard to attend medical emergencies.

When a patient dials 999, an ambulance is sent. But until it turns up, the co-responders administer treatment.

But the service is facing being cut after it was estimated that the number of call-outs in 2005 cost the brigade nearly £20,000.

Local councillors are concerned that if the service is stopped it will leave the Lizard without swift medical response facilities.

The Westcountry Ambulance Trust said it was also having to deal severe budgetary constraints.