LIVES are being put at risk because of a communication problem between emergency services, according to members of a local First Responders team.

Members of the Windermere group say they are not receiving text or pager alerts from the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) when someone in the town requires emergency medical attention - even though it can sometimes take up to 45 minutes for an ambulance to arrive.

"If someone is having a heart attack and the person who received the message can't make it, there isn't time for them to ring round everyone else to see who else is free," explained member, John Dixon, of Holly Road.

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"If somebody is seriously ill or choking or something they need help immediately."

He explained there are 12 members in the Windermere First Responders group, who cover roughly a five mile radius around the town centre.

The group are on standby for incidents where somebody may be choking, suffering a heart attack or having a seizure, for example.

But in September Mr Dixon said the team was asked to opt back into the alert service - and despite contacting NWAS 'multiple times' he has not received a single message since then.

Members can be at a scene within four minutes while an ambulance can take up to 45.

"All we've got in our group are two people being told about emergencies. The rest of us have got first aid kits and defibrillators and expertise but we're not getting the messages," he continued.

"It costs pennies to send a message, but can you put a price on someone being able get there and potentially save someone's life before the ambulance can get there?"

Member, Claire Reilly, added: "CPR cannot be sustained for long because it's hard work.

"If there's two members of the team attending, where someone is in cardiac arrest for example, two hands are better than one."

Community engagement manager for NWAS, Andrew Redgrave, said the ambulance service has recently made changes to the way information is received by volunteers.

It now has a dedicated 24 hour desk that members can contact to make themselves available, while the trust has also introduced two-way messaging devices to help it find the nearest volunteer.

"The trust values and supports our CFRs immensely and we will continue to support the local teams as much as possible," he added.