There is increasing pressure on volunteer fire brigades to attend medical call outs.

Information given to a select committee inquiry into the ambulance service has revealed volunteer firefighters have seen a 47 percent increase in medical call outs since 2003.

National's internal affairs spokeswoman Sandra Goudie says that has not been matched by an increase in resources or training. She says if the Fire Service is expecting their crews to fill gaps created by a shortage of ambulance staff, they need to put in place training and equipment so that the job can be carried out correctly.