The decision to train some Oxfordshire firefighters as paramedics has paid handsome dividends.

In the past 10 months, fire crews have used equipment to restart patients' hearts during cardiac arrest eight times and given oxygen 68 times.

But now there are fears that we may be relying on our firefighters too much.

People in the Chipping Norton area are worried that the stand-in paramedics are not sufficiently trained to deal with cases of serious injury or illness.

The problem will be more acute in remote areas of the county. There are also suspicions that ambulance target times in answering calls are being 'improved' as a result of firefighters' efforts, distorting the true picture of the ambulance service's performance.

In the 21st century, it is nonsense to suggest that police, fire and ambulance services should have their separate roles, and that ne'er the twain shall meet.

We need a flexible system so that if one emergency crew arrives on the scene first, it can start work before colleagues arrive.

But clearly, firefighters will not be fully trained in all the techniques of the paramedics. There will always be limitations to their skills.

The ambulance service, in particular, needs to look at whether its coverage of the county is as good as it ought to be.