ONE of the first firefighters in East Lancashire to receive special medical training says he hopes his new skills will lead to more lives being saved.

Leading firefighter Jim Earnshaw was the first person from Darwen Fire Station to take part in the course run through Lancashire teaching Hospitals NHS Trust and Lancashire Fire and Rescue.

The fire service is often the first of the emergency services to reach the scene of a crash and treatment in the vital seconds or minutes before a paramedic arrives can help save lives.During a week-long placement with consultant anaesthetists at Royal Preston Hospital, Jim learned basic airway management skills, as well as attending the operating theatre and learning how to recognise a critically ill patient.

Jim said: "The aim is to train fire service instructors, like myself, who then go back and pass on their expertise to other firefighters.

"The course is excellent as it provides invaluable experience of the types of injuries firefighters can face when attending an incident and helps them to identify problems they can come across, depending on the severity of the crash and the seriousness of the injuries.

"Importantly, it also gives you the confidence to perform the life-saving techniques."

Graham Jones, consultant anaesthetist, Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, said: "The course is a hands-on follow up to a week-long theory and practice based course which is run at the Lancashire Fire Service's training centre.

"The hospital placement is developed from similar work we do with paramedics.

"Keeping a patient's airway free from obstruction can be the difference between life and death.

"The course is designed to give firefighters an insight into the hospital as well as offer advice and step by step training.

"The skills we are teaching do not replace the work that paramedics do but it will give firefighters the abilty to give initial support and care."