Fire service to support ambulance service with COVID-19 response

Leicestershire's fire service will be joining the East Midlands Ambulance service to begin training to support the response to Covid-19.

If the need arises in the coming weeks, fire service personnel will work alongside urgent care colleagues.

They'll support tasks such as driving ambulances and helping with the safe moving and handling of patients.

EMAS Chief Executive Richard Henderson said: “We have always worked closely with our fire and rescue service colleagues at the many multi-agency incidents we attend, and in recent years this relationship has become even stronger thanks to blue light collaboration at some of our stations, for example Birstall in Leicester and South Park in Lincoln, Swadlincote in Derbyshire and Hucknall in Nottinghamshire.

“In addition to such collaboration, we already work closely with fire co-responder schemes across the region and have done for many years.  

“During these unprecedented times, we are more grateful than ever for the support of our blue light colleagues for offering to step in to support our staff and our patients.

“Having these robust plans for support from our fire service colleagues will help to ensure that our EMAS clinicians can continue to provide care to our patients who need us most.”