The Scottish Ambulance Servicedeploys the most appropriate resource to an emergency call, and in relation to CategoryA (life-threatening) calls, the policy provides for this to be a paramedic response,whether that paramedic is in a single-manned rapid response unit or is part of adouble crewed ambulance. There may however be exceptional circumstances when, owingto short notice sick absences or other situations, the choice is whether to deploya rapid response unit manned by a technician or to run with one less emergency resourcefor that particular shift.The ambulance service has inrecent months introduced nearly 100 additional technicians in Glasgow and Lanarkshire.This influx of staff has skewed the ratio of technicians to paramedics meaning thatcurrently there are seven technicians out of a staff of 30 who may be deployed onrapid response units, while other technicians are being trained up to paramediclevel.