A team of West Lothian police officers have been recognised at the prestigious Scottish First Aid Awards ceremony after saving a man with severe mental health during a serious incident.
The ceremony was held in Glasgow to celebrate the remarkable achievements of saw Police Constables Rachael Hendry, Chris Smart, Nikki Smith and David Jones from the East J Division, take home the Chairman’s Award in recognition of a heroic act of bravery and first aid intervention in the face of a high risk situation.
After responding to reports of a gas leak in a residential area of Edinburgh, the officers did not hesitate by putting themselves in the front line and protecting other first responders.
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Whilst dealing with the incident, the officers came across a man who was suffering from a mental-health episode. The man had a knife and had self-inflicted wounds and had severely hurt himself with an artery damaged.
As PCs Smith and Jones arrived on the scene, the four officers provided life-saving treatment, stemming the source of blood loss until paramedics arrived. The calm and swift actions taken saved the man’s life, before they then evacuated the wider building to ensure the safety of the public amidst the gas leak.
Following emergency surgery, the injured man recovered and was provided with further mental health support.
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Police Constable Chris Smart said: “In this job, you never quite know what situation you are walking into, and we are trained to keep calm and assess. Ultimately, we saw a man who was in need of our help and support, and it was second nature to act.
"We heard so many inspiring tales at the ceremony, it’s clear to see that everyone in the room is a hero, but my colleagues and I being recognised by St Andrew’s First Aid is an exciting surprise.”
Rudy Crawford, Chairman of St Andrew’s First Aid, said: “When faced with a distressing and compounding emergency situation, the officers demonstrated essential life-saving treatment, and heroic acts of bravery.
“Thanks to their efforts that day, a man’s life was saved, enabling him to go on and receive the care and support he needed; and a wider catastrophe was avoided. I cannot think of a more fitting example for the Chairman’s Award.”
More than 400 people attended the St Andrew’s First Aid Scottish First Aid Awards which were held at Radisson Blu on Cambridge Street in Glasgow. The night was hosted by actor, comedian and writer, Sanjeev Kohli, also known as shopkeeper, Navid Harrid from Still Game.
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