Military personnel train as ambulance drivers to help deal with coronavirus pandemic
and live on Freeview channel 276
A team of 80 personnel from the Royal Air Force, Army and Royal Navy are going to be working alongside the South Central Ambulance Service (Scas) on an intensive course to complete the training in just three days.
The course will focus on the skills needed to drive ambulances at high speeds to respond to emergency situations.
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdThe personnel already volunteer as co-responders with the ambulance service in their spare time and will now become full-time members of the team.
The service predicts at least 240 ambulances will be needed to handle the crisis - an increase of 60 vehicles when compared to normal peak times before the pandemic hit.
Mark Ainsworth, director of operations for Scas, said: ‘The military are coming in to support us with their co-responders. This will probably allow us to get 20 to 30 extra ambulances per day out and operational to help meet the demand as call outs increase over the coming weeks.’
Major Emma Allen, who normally runs the military responder team, said: ‘We have been fully trained by South Central Ambulance Service and we are there to act. There is no difference between the qualifications that we have and the skills that are being delivered by the service itself.’
Advertisement
Hide AdAdvertisement
Hide AdAs well as training to drive ambulances, the team are also learning how to answer emergency calls and the handling of patient transport.
The team is set to start work on April 6.
A MESSAGE FROM THE EDITOR
Thank you for reading this story on portsmouth.co.uk. While I have your attention, I also have an important request to make of you.
With the coronavirus lockdown having a major impact on many of our advertisers - and consequently the revenue we receive - we are more reliant than ever on you taking out a digital subscription.
Subscribe to portsmouth.co.uk and enjoy unlimited access to local news and information online and on our app. With a digital subscription, you can read more than 5 articles, see fewer ads, enjoy faster load times, and get access to exclusive newsletters and content. Visit our Subscription page now to sign up.
Our journalism costs money and we rely on advertising, print and digital revenues to help to support them. By supporting us, we are able to support you in providing trusted, fact-checked content for this website.
Comment Guidelines
National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.