Julie Tait was the more senior of the two paramedics on the ambulance.
She told the inquest they asked control if they could refuel before they were allocated to Coates, who was classified as a category two case.
Category two is the second highest level of emergency and allocated to people with serious conditions, such as a stroke.
But once the call came in, they refuelled en route to Mr Coates.
The coroner asked Tait: “Was it appropriate to refuel en route?”
She replied: “We had been assigned a category two call but control gave us a direct instruction to continue refuelling.
“We don’t question what control tell us to do.”
She said she had since had training in refuelling and NEAS crews would now stand down from a job if they needed fuel.