Union highlights potentially life-saving cards

An initiative to help locate ill or injured rural workers in an emergency has been highlighted by NFU Scotland (NFUS).

The Saving Time...Saving Lives initiative was first launched in 2014 by the union and Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA).

It involves carrying a pocket-sized card detailing the grid reference of key landmarks on a rural worker’s land. In the event of an emergency the details can then be passed on to the emergency services to help locate the worker.

NFUS spokesman Martin Birse said: “Farming and crofting communities, especially those in more rural and remote areas, rely heavily on the services of responders such as SCAA, and by working together to raise awareness of the importance of the identification of accurate locations, we can hopefully help emergency services locate the casualty quickly.

“I hope farmers, crofters and those working in the industry up and down the country who haven’t filled out a grid card take the time to do so to enable them to have this sort of information available if they ever need to use it.

“Creating their own unique card of reference points is simple, but can be crucial to allow the emergency services to reach a patient as quickly as possible.”

SCAA chief executive David Craig said: “The grid reference cards should be an ever-present aid for anyone working in the country and more remote parts of Scotland.”