A PETITION to save the Canvey rapid response vehicle has reached 1,500 signatures.

Fears were raised a restructure of ambulance provision would see the vehicle removed.

The vehicle was designated to the island but it has been claimed this is in danger.

Mick Allwood, co-ordinator of Canvey First Responders, said: “Kieran Smith, who organised the petition, approached me and we both felt that this was worth campaigning for.

“We felt we needed to spread the word. I am still a resident in Canvey and have been for 52 years. I brought my children up here, my family live here, so it hits a nerve with me that we could lose a service that is so vitally important to residents.

“My sister-in-law Janet, suffered from a heart attack. She was attended to after minutes of making the call and without the intervention of those from the response vehicle, she wouldn’t be with us.”

He added: “Having the RRV, there’s an immediate response.

“If you have someone having cardiac arrest and for whatever reason the first responders aren’t available, someone needs to get them in four to five minutes, where there is a 70 per cent survival rate.

“After that it decreases by 10per cent every minute and the patients quality of life is affected by any delay.

“Without this being available, ambulances will be backlogged.

“A few nights ago, people were already facing a three-hour wait. Patients are already having to wait in the back of an ambulance because there’s no room in the corridor and are there laid on a trolley for a horrendous amount of time.

“The RRV is local and can get to people in good time, where residents will benefit from a speedy response.

“I believe Canvey is a unique case. It has a population of 40,000 people and is difficult to get to in an emergency at certain points in the day.”

The East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust originally confirmed rapid response vehicles are at risk of being cut.

However a spokesman for the trust, speaking on Friday, denied the vehicle will be cut in February and claimed there are no plans at this current time to remove Canvey’s vehicle.