Radio ham to rescue after mayday for epilepsy girl

AN amateur radio enthusiast helped rescue a girl having a seizure 70 miles away after hearing a mayday call.

Mike Everett, 24, was scanning the radio waves when he heard the night-time call from campers in a remote part of Exmoor.

The 12-year-old girl was having a severe epileptic fit and needed immediate medical help but the group did not have signal on their mobile phones.

Instead, one of her family members used an amateur radio to call for help.

Mr Everett, an electronics student from Bristol, was one of the first to hear their pleas on the airwaves and was able to direct paramedics to the area.

As other radio enthusiasts listened in across the country, he

called 999 and summoned an ambulance to Wimbleball Lake, Exmoor.

He also acted as a middle-man for the emergency call handler and the campers, relaying medical instructions.

Paramedics arrived within ten minutes and the girl, only known as May, was taken to hospital. She later said the quick medical response was crucial as the seizure caused her oxygen levels to be low.

Describing the moment he heard the call, Mr Everett said: ‘I heard the urgency in his voice and I knew he definitely wanted me to respond to his call, or anybody out there.’

‘Urgency in his voice’