Scottish air ambulance flies 3,000th mission

SCAA's 3,000th response comes as SCAA marks its eighth anniversary, which also occurred on the week of 17 May. One of the charity’s two helicopter air ambulances was scrambled from its central base at Perth Airport when emergency services received a call to a man injured on the hillside high above Lochearnhead. SCAA landed on the hillside, 200 meters below the patient, and paramedics worked with two mountain rescue team members to stretcher the injured man to the helicopter. SCAA then airlifted the patient, who had been hillwalking with his wife, to advanced care at the Major Trauma Centre at Ninewells Hospital in Dundee.

Firmly established as a key element of Scotland's nationwide emergency response network, SCAA's two air ambulance helicopters and two Rapid Response Vehicles - based at Perth and Aberdeen Airports - play a key role in emergency pre-hospital care in cases of serious or critical illness and injury. Commenting on the milestone mission, SCAA Chief Executive David Craig described it as ‘a tremendous achievement’ for the life-saving charity. He wished the patient a speedy recovery and said the thoughts of everyone at SCAA were with the injured man and his family.

"Over the years we have helped to save and improve the lives of thousands of people in extreme situations who require urgent emergency care," he said. "The fact that SCAA has been called on 3,000 times shows the value of the service which is funded entirely by public donation and we can't thank all the people, businesses and communities enough whose support fuels our life-saving flights.

"With the continued support of the people of Scotland, we will be there to complete the next thousand calls for help - and beyond. With 3,000 call outs behind us, SCAA is committed to saving and improving even more lives in every part of Scotland."

AirMed&Rescue spoke to Scotland's Charity Air Ambulance (SCAA) about the unique challenges they face on a daily basis, providing the population with access to emergency air medical transport services.