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Firefighters could soon be dispatched to treat people suffering life-threatening injuries and cardiac arrests – as part of a radical shake-up of emergency services in Scotland.
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Firefighters → click → Scotland
The Scottish Mail on Sunday can reveal that the role of the country’s fire heroes is set to be significantly expanded, to include not only tackling blazes but also providing ‘emergency medical response’.
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role → reveal → response
As part of the plan, fire crews are likely to receive extra training and learn skills such as stemming bleeding, stabilising casualties, administering oxygen and using a defibrillator.
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crews → receive → defibrillator
For the public, it will mean a visible transformation of the country’s ‘blue-light’ services, with people who dial 999 finding a fire engine arriving even though they were expecting an ambulance.
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they → mean → ambulance
By increasing the speed of emergency response, the aim is to save lives, especially in rural areas, where firefighters may be closer to the scene and be able to turn up more quickly than the nearest ambulance crew.
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firefighters → increase → crew
The move could also help address Scotland’s longstanding issues with ambulance availability.
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move → help → availability
People who dial 999 may find a fire engine arriving when they are expecting an ambulance
The Scottish Government has now confirmed the move, with a spokesman saying: ‘We are committed to expanding the role of firefighters by the end of this parliament.
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We → dial → parliament
This will see the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service working in partnership with the Scottish Ambulance Service to provide an enhanced Emergency Medical Response.
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Service → see → Response
Talks are currently underway between ministers, the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (SFRS), the Fire Brigades Union and the Scottish Ambulance Service to discuss exactly what the new role will involve.
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role → discuss → what
For their part, firefighters have welcomed the proposed change.
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firefighters → welcome → change
Fire Brigades Union Scotland regional chair Gus Sproul said: ‘Being despatched to medical emergencies represents a significant shift in what we do.
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we → say → what
But we will be pressing hard for this to become a reality.
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this → press → ?
‘It’s a positive move for communities across Scotland, for our members, for the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service and for the Scottish Government.
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It → ’ → Government
‘However, it will require significant upfront investment in terms of training, equipment, and remuneration.’
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it → require → training
Firefighters already receive first-aid training and often provide immediate medical assistance to people they have freed from car wrecks or pulled from fires.
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they → receive → fires
Some also voluntarily carry naloxone, an injectable medicine that can reverse the effects of a drug overdose.
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that → carry → overdose
However, the fire service is not currently the main agency despatched to deal with medical emergencies.
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service → despatch → emergencies
The move would see firefighters dispatched to medical emergencies
Under the new system, though, firefighters could be deployed to some medical call-outs to provide immediate care.
But even with the expanded role, fire crews will not be sent as a replacement for ambulance staff.
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crews → see → staff
Firefighters will not be expected to administer intravenous medicines or convey patients to hospital in fire engines.
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Firefighters → expect → engines
Instead they will provide emergency treatment until an ambulance arrives.
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ambulance → provide → treatment
A trial project carried out around the UK in 2017 found that training firefighters to use defibrillators helped improve survival rates among people suffering out-of-hospital cardiac arrest.
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training → carry → arrest
The expanded role of firefighters could also ease pressure on the ambulance service.
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role → expand → service
Although life-threatening emergency calls are still typically reached within eight minutes, ambulance availability is often hampered by long delays at hospital and extended waiting times.
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availability → threaten → hospital
The SFRS said the proposed expansion of the role of firefighters would help improve public safety.
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expansion → say → safety
Chief officer Stuart Stevens said: ‘We believe there is significant potential to build on their existing role through carefully planned investment, training and partnership working.
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We → say → investment
We remain in close dialogue with the Scottish Government on a number of areas of investment that will support the future development of the Service and help ensure we continue to meet the changing needs of Scotland’s communities.
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we → remain → communities
‘SFRS has a strong ambition to deliver an expanded role for firefighters in Scotland, creating further opportunities to improve public safety and add value to communities across the country.’
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SFRS → have → country
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