AMBULANCE crews in Ryedale are saving lives thanks to new satellite navigation computers.

The high-tech equipment has been fitted in emergency ambulances and rapid response cars and can locate any address in the district.

A small dashboard-mounted device directs crews on a visual display to guide them right to the doorstep.

The new technology means crews can get to addresses faster than ever.

Alan Peart, Ryedale Group station Officer, said everyone was pleased with the equipment.

He added: "The system speeds up the attendance of a vehicle and saves time, which ultimately saves lives."

Crew members type in the address and receive spoken instructions on how to find the property.

Mr Peart said this was useful for crews searching a long street without a house number.

"A crew from another area who may not be familiar with Ryedale are able to find an address faster."

The mapping system works alongside existing equipment, and can be updated by crew members in case a rural home or recently-built property is not on the system.

Paramedic Richard Ellis, who travels across the region as a rapid response driver, said the system had already proved a success.

He said: "It's very accurate and can cut minutes off our response times.

"The crews often know where they are going because of local knowledge, but out of the district where you don't know the local geography it's a lot easier responding to calls."

He added: "There have certainly been times when we have been in rural areas where we don't have detailed maps.

"It does save time, without a doubt."

The existing Terrafix system works as staff at the control centre plot in the details of an emergency call. Now the satellite navigation can work alongside that as an aid to emergency crews.

Updated: 10:15 Saturday, December 01, 2001