ONE of the region's fire brigades is the first in the country to provide emergency life support training to members of the community.

Cleveland Fire Brigade will be in The Mall shopping centre, in Middlesbrough, tomorrow, for the launch of Heartstart UK, which aims to get people signed up to courses to learn what to do if someone suffers a heart attack.

The brigade will be the first fire service in the country to offer the programme, which is run in conjunction with the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

It demonstrates how people's lives can be saved by simple first aid techniques.

After the launch tomorrow, the scheme will be expanded nationally to all fire services that are interested.

Cleveland Fire Brigade has already trained more than 800 people in the actions needed to keep someone alive until professional help arrives.

At least 100 people have signed up to take the free two-hour course.

Charity chiefs and colleagues from other brigades will be at the shopping centre to see firefighters demonstrate the simple lifesaving techniques to members of the public and explain how they can learn them.

Redcar and Cleveland district manager for the BHF, Steve Walton, said: "A Heartstart UK course will teach you what to do in a wide range of emergencies, and your actions could make the difference between life and death."

Ian Hayton, executive director at Cleveland Fire Brigade, said: "I cannot emphasise enough the importance of this life-saving course for the communities we serve and the powerful partnerships and alliances that have been forged between the brigade and the British Heart Foundation."