AMBULANCE service bosses are making an urgent call themselves in a search for life-saving volunteers from Kidderminster's Spennells estate, Harvington, Chaddesley Corbett and Hartlebury.

The Hereford and Worcester Ambulance Service Trust is setting up community first responder schemes in those areas and needs volunteers who can be the first people on the scene to treat heart attack patients.

They will go through a full training programme covering the use of portable defibrillators, as well as assessing patients, oxygen therapy and airway management. The trust has already recruited more than 90 volunteers across the two counties and is also looking for more volunteers to join the recently launched schemes in Bewdley and Stourport.

Volunteers work on an on-call rota from home and if anyone collapses in their area they can get there quickly and provide care in the few minutes before the paramedics and ambulance arrive.

Community defibrillation officer, Michelle Brotherton, said: "When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, their chances of survival drop by up to 10 per cent for every minute that passes.

"The quicker you can get treatment, the better your chances of survival and the better quality of life you will have afterwards."

Anyone interested should contact the trust's human resources department on 01905 765005 for an application pack.