FESTIVE RESCUE HEROES
Air ambulance charity looks ahead to 10-year milestone by recalling call-outs at Christmas
As Scotland’s Charity
Air Ambulance (SCAA) approaches its 10th Christmas in service, two of the charity’s original crew, who are still serving, look back on some festive memories.
Clinical Paramedic Team Leader John Pritchard, from Crieff, and senior pilot Captain Russell Myles, from Blairgowrie, helped set up SCAA’s original operations base at Perth Airport in 2013 and remember well the charity’s first festive season just seven months later.
“Where SCAA is today is like night and day compared to the operation we had then,”said John.“We were still a fairly unknown charity proving itself in the field and gradually building up public support and funding.
“Our first Christmas Day saw us flying to Highland Perthshire to a man suffering a stroke. The family was so appreciative and so apologetic for what they saw as ruining our Christmas.
“It was really humbling as they were having one of the darkest times of their lives and yet were genuinely concerned for us.”
John continued:“Christmas Day is just another shift when you work in emergency services. But each festive season at SCAA we try to create a bit of a Christmas atmosphere with our work ‘family’.”
Russell added:“Interestingly, the first Christmas Day shift I did for SCAA saw us fly to Rothesay and my last Christmas Day shift in 2021 took us back to Rothesay for another emergency.”
“I remember having to land in a turnip field one Christmas to reach a patient and trudging mud into someone’s house,”recalled John. “Luckily they were very understanding and hugely grateful to see us.”
And, switching back to Russell, he said:“The winter brought its own set of challenges with weather pushing the Bolkow aircraft’s capabilities and flying being restricted to daylight hours only.
“I remember once having to drop the paramedics at an emergency on the hillside at West Lomond and head back to base without them as darkness fell. They got a lift from a Navy Sea King.”
Upgrades right across the charity and advances in technology, clinical practices and equipment have resulted in a rapid-response, life-saving service light years ahead of the 2013 operation – all made possible by the growing awareness and support of the Scottish public.
“We now have two more advanced helicopters at bases in Perth and Aberdeen and a workload that sees us respond to around 900 call outs each year,”said John.
And Russell said:“We now have more
capability including flying in the dark and a raft of other improvements on the old Bolkow and in our current EC 135 aircraft.
“As winter draws on it’s comforting to know it has an efficient heating system as well.”
Russell, however, looks to the public to help him through some of the coldest winter weather.
“The heating only works when the engine is running so I’m often left waiting by the aircraft in the cold while the paramedics are tending to a patient elsewhere,”he said.“I was once brought a bacon roll and a cup of tea by an engineer whose house we landed next to, which was great.
“So if anyone sees a cold lonely SCAA pilot standing by his aircraft this winter, a warm cuppa would be most appreciated!”
That Christmas kindness is something John has often witnessed.
“People are really kind at Christmas time,”said John.“They hand in biscuits and sweets to the bases for the crews and festive messages from them touch our hearts and really lift the team.
“There’s always been a nice atmosphere around SCAA at Christmas. From the very first year we have decorated the base with trees and lights and set out the Christmas cards people send us.
“We’re away from our family on Christmas Day for 12-14 hours so we bring Christmas to the base with the team making a special meal, with crackers and Secret Santa presents.”
Over the years, that special meal has varied from a South African BBQ courtesy of the duty pilot’s wife, a feast handed in by a local restaurant and a Chinese carry out following a late return from a mission.
“We’ve learned to start Christmas Day with a hearty full Scottish breakfast,”said John.“Just in case we don’t get time for anything else later.”
“It’s nice to make things as traditional as possible for the crew’s Christmas,”added Russell, although the experienced pilot conceded that sprouts weren’t the best foodstuff for a crew sharing a small helicopter!
SCAA has never missed a Christmas Day yet. Even the weather has not prevented the charity delivering its life-saving service where and when required on December 25 – just as it does every other day of the year.