• All King Edward VII Memorial Hospital ambulance crew members are trained as emergency medical technicians (EMT), either at a basic or intermediate level. One EMT has completed paramedic training.

• Basic EMTs must have 78 hours of classroom training and 71 clinical hours, 21 of them in the Emergency Department. Basic EMTs are trained in immobilisation techniques, transport, the administration of some medicine and the use of heart defibrillators.

• Intermediate EMTs complete an extra 36 classroom hours and 32 clinical hours. They can insert intravenous lines and some advanced airway devices, analyse heart ECGs and give medicine.

• Paramedics can receive anything between 1,000 to 2,000 hours of training, with some institutions offering two-year degrees. They are allowed to give more medications and perform a wider variety of emergency procedures than basics and intermediates.

• The training of KEMH EMTs is based on the US Department of Transportation's national programme. Skills assessment is required annually and re-certification is required every two years.