Coastguard crews drafted in to help Cornwall's ambulance service amid heatwave
They are now being sent to medical incidents across places like the South West Coast Path
Coastguard crews are being drafted in to help Cornwall's ambulance service as the heatwave causes a rise in pressure.
The South Western Ambulance Service say they are seeing 'sustained demand' as temperatures continue to rise.
It means coastguards are now being sent to medical incidents across places like the South West Coast Path.
Pete Kenny oversees the service in parts of Devon and Cornwall. He told us: "We are currently keeping ourselves on high alert, we are finding ourselves responding to a lot of requests from South Western Ambulance Service to help people out who are suffering from exhaustion, heat stroke, etc.
"We do a lot of category 3 calls, where people might be on the coast path where accessibility is limited or they might not be deemed an urgent call, so we're finding ourselves utilised more for those types of call outs."
A spokesperson for the South Western Ambulance Service NHS Foundation Trust said: “As a result of a sustained demand on our service, our Resource Escalation Action Plan (REAP) is at Level 4 – which represents ‘extreme pressure’.
“This level allows us to reallocate resources on the road and in our control rooms and to reprioritise our operational efforts to ensure we provide the best care possible to the communities we serve.
“The public can support us by only calling 999 in the event of a life-threatening emergency and by taking steps to keep hydrated and stay out of the sun at the hottest periods of the day.”
The UK Health Security Agency have published a heat alert which has details of how people can stay safe during this warmer weather