Bermuda's congested roads are holding up the emergency services and could cost lives.

Motorists failing to use their mirrors, talking on their cell phones or playing loud music are failing to give way to fire trucks and hampering their attempts to offer pre-ambulance emergency medical care.

Lieutenant Jon Thompson, station commander at Port Royal Fire Station, has called on motorists to be more helpful to his drivers by giving way on both sides of the road and pulling in at suitable places to let the trucks passed. Since 1999, firefighters have also performed first-response medical treatment as part of a revamp of their service and in the East and West Ends are despatched to stabilise and control medical emergencies until ambulances arrive.

But heavy traffic, particularly at rush-hour, and inconsiderate drivers are slowing down the vehicles, specially-made for around $280,000 to fit Bermuda's narrower roads, and making the eight to ten minute arrival window less of a possibility.

"It certainly is a problem that is getting worse and a real cause for concern," Lt. Thompson told The Royal Gazette. "We would urge motorists to keep an eye out for emergency vehicles and make sure they pull over, even if they are coming in the other direction.

"We would also urge people to be aware of the roads and try and pull over at an appropriate spot, stopping on bends or at the crests of the hill can create dangers for all road users."

Although there has not been a serious accident involving emergency services' vehicles and other road users recently, Lt. Thompson believes that patients are in danger if the emergency services can't get to their destination quickly enough.

Lt. Thompson, who joined the service back in 1977 and was both station commander in Hamilton and press liaison officer for the service before moving westwards, believes the problem has been getting progressively worse over the years, with increased traffic and a change in attitude by road-users to blame.

At the moment, the fire trucks never operate on Harbour Road, instead using Middle Road and cutting through where appropriate to get as close as possible to the incidents.

Some of the hold-ups, he said, were not actually the fault of motorists, instead the stark reality of an increasingly road-reliant population forced to use narrow roads. But that does not mean drivers can do more. "I want motorists to be aware that it could be their mother, or uncle or grandmother we are trying to reach," he added. "That is the bottom line."

The Emergency Medical Service, which includes fire and ambulance, responded to more than 6,000 calls last year, including nearly 5,000 medical emergencies.