'Air Ambulance', David Craig

Wed, Jul 20th 2016 at 7:00 pm - 8:30 pm

Permission to use image of Helimed 5 from Dougie Macdonald CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

Permission to use image from Dougie Macdonald CC BY 3.0 via Wikimedia Commons

David Craig is Chief Executive of Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) which operates out of Perth Airport and can respond to calls to 90% of Scotland’s population within 30 Minutes -’Saving Timeā€¦.Saving Lives’.


Starting operations in May 2013, the charity initially operated a Bolkow 105 helicopter (same type as in the latest James Bond film!) but replaced this in 2015 with a twin engined civil helicopter Eurocopter EC15 - the type widely used by police and ambulance services. This machine is faster, holds more people and can fly in cloud. The crew consists of a pilot and two paramedics, the latter with extensive medical and aviation training.


The charity’s four core aims in time-critical medical emergencies are:

- Save life

- Preserve life

- Increase survival rates

- Assist speed of recovery


On a lighter note, David told of the local response to an emergency landing on Blairgowrie Golf Course - was the helicopter a movable or an immovable obstruction? The answer - technically a movable obstruction but only if you’re a pilot!


In Scotland there are two other air ambulances - government funded services based in Glasgow and Inverness. SCAA however is not supported by any statutory funding and the service is funded solely by donations from private individuals, companies and community trusts. It works alongside NHS Scotland and the Scottish Ambulance Service tasked by the command centre responding to 999 emergencies.


So, Scotland with one-third the land mass of the UK has three HEMS (Helicopter Emergency Medical Services) while England and Wales has thirty with none yet in Northern Ireland.


Most common call-outs are from road traffic collisions (RTCs), from breaks/injuries, from cardiac problems. The first 60 minutes after an incident is known as the ‘golden hour’ when getting a person treatment is crucial. SCAA can fly Ranchoch Moor to Ninewells Hospital, Dundee, in 25 minutes - by road it is more like one hour twenty-five minutes.


David showed a video of the charity’s work and this can be found on the homepage of their website at www.scaa.org.uk.


A final point - In 2015 the helicopter was called to 420 incidents. Year to date, operations are up by 30% while flying hours are up by 80%!


A range of questions was asked and answered before Angus MacPhie gave the Club’s vote of thanks.

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