A new scheme where Kent's fire service will respond to medical emergencies has been launched.

The co-responding project will see Kent Fire and Rescue Service (KFRS) attend to life-threatening emergencies such as cardiac arrests, chest pains and breathing difficulties.

Firefighters won't be alone in their work, though, and assurances have been given ambulance crews will also attend call outs.

However, all participating officers have received medical training, allowing them to provide treatment in the minutes before ambulance crews arrive.

Crews from Sittingbourne, Larkfield, Sevenoaks, Herne Bay, Sheppey, Margate and Tunbridge Wells are involved in the pilot but it is hoped by April next year it will be rolled out across the county.

The scheme builds on the existing co-responding work KFRS has been doing on behalf of SECAmb since 2004.

This has involved crews at Hoo, Wye, Marden, Dymchurch, Paddock Wood, Eastchurch and Edenbridge attending more than 8,200 medical incidents on behalf of the ambulance service.

In addition to this new scheme, KFRS has put defibrillators on blue-light vehicles and all staff using those vehicles have been trained in their use.

South East Coast Ambulance Service (SECAmb) paramedic and immediate emergency care responder (IECR) project leader Matt England said: “This is all about saving more lives. When someone is in cardiac arrest, with every minute that passes their chances of survival diminish significantly.

"This great scheme will give us up to an extra 120 defibrillators out there in communities across Kent which has to be a good thing. All the firefighters volunteered to be part of the scheme and act as an additional response to our crews.

“We’ll always assign an ambulance response to the call at the same time but if the firefighters reach the scene of an emergency before ambulance crews, they will be able to begin vital life-saving treatment.”

David Escudier, KFRS operational and development manager, said: “We have been responding to medical emergencies on behalf of SECAmb in some areas since 2004 and have had a lot of public support for this work.

"We are therefore delighted to be able to work with SECAmb to extend this potentially life-saving work. It makes sense that if an equipped and trained firefighter can get to a medical emergency first, or is already on the scene of an incident, that they provide appropriate medical assistance while an ambulance is on its way.

"We hope that this pilot will prove a success and we can roll it out to other wholetime stations next year.”