CALLS for ambulances in the Cowdenbeath-Lochgelly area are answered well within the national time requirement.

Figures released for January to October last year set eight minutes has the expected time for an ambulance to attend a call and the figures for the KY4 postal area (Cowdenbeath, Kelty, Crossgates, Lumphinnans and Hill of Beath), was 5 minutes 57 seconds and for KY5 (Lochgelly, Benarty and Cardenden) 7 minutes 23 seconds.

The stats for the Dunfermline area show 7 minutes 31 seconds while for Kirkcaldy it is 5 minutes 2 seconds. But for North East Fife it ranged between 8 minutes 54 seconds to 12 minutes 17 seconds.

North East Fife MSP, Willie Rennie, the former MP for Crossgates, Hill of Beath and Moss-side, aired his concern about the variations: "It is common sense that the longer a patient waits to be seen by paramedics the higher the risk to their health.

"The responders are a vital link in the chain of survival, they increase people's survival chances, especially in the case of or those who have suffered a cardiac arrest or a heart attack.

"Our health service is fantastic and saves lives in Fife and Scotland every day, but we do need to be transparent about the care we can provide."

Former Benarty Community Council chairman, Stephen Nardone, was warm in his praise for the team for Lumphinnans Ambulance depot who raced to St Kenneth's Primary School, in Ballingry, when he suffered a heart attack in December 2017.

He was delighted with the work of the team that he helped him and was convinced that their work, and the CPR he received from people at the event he was attending, saved his life and he went to the Lumphinnans station to personally thank the team who helped him.

The Ambulance Service now has a system which prioritises patients whose lives are at risk and helps ensure paramedics can get the quickest response possible to those patients.