A JOINT project to deliver first aid more quickly in emergencies has responded to more than 150 life-threatening calls in North Yorkshire in 12 months.

The joint ambulance and fire service project means an emergency first responder (EFR) is dispatched at the same time as the ambulance. Their location within communities often means they are nearer to the scene in those first critical minutes of a medical emergency.

A recent review of the scheme shows that EFRs have attended 28 999 calls of breathing difficulties, four cardiac arrests, and 35 instances of chest pain between April 1, 2016 and March 31, this year.