400 Calls In Six Months For New Team

4 August 2011, 09:27 | Updated: 4 August 2011, 09:36

Heart's got hold of figures showing South Central Ambulance Service's Hazardous Area Response Team (HART) has been called out 600 times since it was set up in January.

The team is made up of specially trained ambulance crew, who are able to help out in very dangerous situations where ordinary paramedics would not be allowed to provide treatment and care for patients.

Before the introduction of HART, police officers and fire crews had to remove the patients from the 'hot zone' of the incident so ambulance staff could treat them in a safe area.

In the last six months, emergencies the team has attended in the Thames Valley include the Swinley Forest fires near Bracknell, a chemical spill at a school in Basingtoke, and serious car accidents where people are trapped.