A SPECIAL team of military volunteers is helping Wiltshire's ambulance service meet Government call-out targets.

Members of the First Responders have been specially trained to provide a life-saving emergency medical service to people throughout the county.

Their work has been praised by Dennis Lauder, the chief executive of the Wiltshire Ambulance Service, who said as well as helping to save lives the team was also saving the service money.

He said the team, which is made up of RAF and Army personnel, are used to respond to 'A' category life threatening cardiac emergency calls.

He said: "We decide which calls they will respond to and they work totally under our direction. They give up their time for free and we provide their vehicle and maintain their support equipment."

The First Responders are led by RAF Lyneham Hercules pilot Scott Bateman who persuaded army colleague Ralph Deign to join him.

Scott said he was inspired to launch First Responders after the death of his own father from a heart attack. The ambulance took nearly 20 minutes to reach his father, and sadly by that time he was beyond medical help.

The work of First responders is to be featured tonight at 7.30pm on BBC Two's Close-Up West programme.