The Courier & Advertiser (Perth and Perthshire Edition)
Air ambulance marks decade of saving lives
Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) marked its 10th anniversary yesterday – and dedicated the milestone to its late chairman.
John Bullough, the founder of SCAA and former Mcewens of Perth boss, died suddenly aged 54 on May 8.
Since May 22 2013, SCAA has responded to nearly 5,000 call-outs, raised more than £50 million and flown nearly half a million miles, saving thousands of lives, particularly in remote and rural areas.
SCAA has grown from a one-aircraft service at Perth to a two-helicopter fleet based at Perth and Aberdeen, with two rapid response vehicles responding to nearby emergencies.
It has more than doubled crew numbers, extended its operational hours, developed its workforce and recruited nearly 200 volunteers.
Crews respond to an average of three emergencies every day, sometimes as many as 12. SCAA CEO David Craig dedicated the charity’s milestone anniversary to Bullough’s memory, saying:“he always described SCAA as ‘the people’s helicopter’ – funded by the people of Scotland, for the people of Scotland and we will continue that legacy, with the public’s support, into the future.”
SCAA’S first mission was to airlift Tricia Mackenzie, who was seriously injured when her car swerved to avoid a deer and left the road near Dunoon on May 23, 2013. Its arrival turned a two-hour road trip to hospital into a 12-minute mercy flight.
At the time, she said: “SCAA is an absolutely brilliant addition to Scotland’s life-saving resources and I have nothing but praise for the pilots and paramedics who crew it.”
SCAA is fully integrated into the 999 emergency response network, deployed by the Scottish Ambulance Service special services desk to serious illness and injury anywhere in Scotland and its many islands.
It receives no government funding and is supported entirely by public donations.
Mr Craig said: “As we mark our 10-year milestone, we thank everyone involved in ensuring those most seriously ill or injured have paramedic or doctor attention as quickly as possible and are airlifted to advanced hospital care in the fastest possible time.”