Triage kits to help emergency services at Grand Prix

A new 10-second triage kit will help a fire service "be prepared" for any major incident at the British Grand Prix.

The new kit, along with Xtract Stretchers, have been provided to Northamptonshire Fire and Rescue Service following the Manchester Arena bombing inquiry.

The kit helps emergency responders quickly identify how urgently someone needs treatment.

Nick Gayton, from the service, said although there were no large concert venues in the county, it hosted the Grand Prix - described as "the largest sporting event in the country", with 480,000 spectators at Silverstone.

The fire service said colour-coded slap wristbands that could highlight how injured a person was would be available to firefighters by the end of September.

Mr Gayton, the specialist operation response officer, said the kit was about "getting the right care to the right people".

He said: "So it's any type of major incident, not just concerts.

"We're not immune to having large numbers of people gathering in the area.

"It's about us as an emergency service, working alongside the other emergency services, to be prepared should anything come around."

The kits allow fire crews to identify what category of care an injured patient needs within 10 seconds, so they can apply wristbands.

Then when paramedics arrive, they can quickly see who to treat first.

Prior to this, fire crews would carry out a "form of triage", but due to them doing a full assessment on an individual, it would make treatment "a lot slower", said Mr Gayton.

Xtract Stretchers that quickly move people away from areas of risk are also being added to the engines.

As well as being used at major events, the stretchers can also be used in domestic circumstances.