Grantown's baby-saving hero Gary is honoured with emergency services award
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A Grantown-based firefighter has been named Emergency Services Hero of the Year at the prestigious Scottish First Aid Awards ceremony held in Glasgow on Friday 31st March, for two heroic life-saving acts in the space of just 24 hours.
The annual event, organised by Scotland’s only dedicated first aid charity, St Andrew’s First Aid, saw Gary Curran recognised for intervening in two medical emergencies while off duty, saving the life of an eight-week-old baby in one of them.
As he travelled home from visiting his parents, Gary had stopped for a rest in Perth. When heading back to his car, he heard a woman screaming for help, as her young baby, Oliver, had stopped breathing and become unresponsive.
Acting quickly, Gary assessed Oliver’s airways, checking for obstructions before carrying out paediatric CPR, while guiding the boy’s mum to perform rescue breaths on her son. He calmly asked a bystander to call 999, relaying information that would ensure the swift arrival of an ambulance. After three rounds of CPR, Oliver began to show signs of life, and colour returned to his cheeks.
Gary’s quick-thinking saved the life of the young baby, who was released from hospital after an overnight stay; and grateful mum Camilla is still in contact with Gary to this day.
The event came just hours after Gary was a first responder to a car accident, when the car in front of him skidded on ice and careered off the road. He tended to the family of four within the vehicle, establishing their conditions and remaining with them until emergency services arrived.
Nominated by his proud sister, Gary learned first aid through his career, spending 20 years with the fire and rescue service in Greater Glasgow and Inverness. Now living closer to the mountains, he is also trained to deliver rope rescue training within his station.
Speaking about his win, Gary said: “I am grateful that I was lucky to be in the right place at the right time for both of these situations. Throughout my career, I have been trained in dealing with unexpected emergencies, but knowing Oliver was safe and recovering was particularly emotional.
“It goes to show the importance of everyone being trained in first aid and paediatric first aid. In my opinion, it is an essential skill that should be taught to all, as you never know when you might need it.”
Stuart Callison, chief executive of St Andrew’s First Aid, said: “Gary’s story goes to show that first aid skills can be required at any given moment. Fate allowed him to help several people in such a short space of time, but his skill and training is what saved lives. I am sure Oliver and his family will be thrilled to see Gary win this much deserved award.”
More than 400 people attended the 10th annual 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.
More than 60 nominations across nine categories were received this year, each one highlighting an exceptional example of first aid intervention, skill or sharing best practice.
