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Call out statistics

Since our launch in 2013, we have responded to

7833

Call outs

We fly to a wide range of emergencies all over Scotland

21%

Medical

21%

Cardiac

7%

Stroke

35%

Trauma

Recent call outs include

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Scotland regional map. Click on a map pin to read more information.

Mel's Story

  • LocationBen Lomond
  • Distance20 minutes
  • Road traffic collision

The last thing Mel remembers before entering a world of fear and pain was the front of a large black truck bearing down on their small hatchback car.

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Gavin's Story

  • LocationOrkney
  • Transfer

Gavin (40) thought nothing of having a lose lithium battery in his pocket as he went about his work in the jewellery workshop in Orkney. It was one he had charged and kept spare for his vape.

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Kate's Story

  • LocationBanff
  • Road traffic collision

Kate couldn’t have known when she was abseiling from the roof of Murrayfield Stadium for Scotland’s Charity Air Ambulance’s (SCAA) biggest ever event, that the service she was fundraising for would be airlifting her just four days later.

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Emergency Response

  • LocationAberdeenshire
  • Distance20m
  • Trauma fall

SCAA flew to the heart of rural Aberdeenshire to help a man injured when he fell from a ladder onto farm machinery. Our Helimed 79 helicopter was first on scene. The man was airlifted to Major Trauma at Aberdeen Royal Infirmary – in just 10 minutes.

Emergency Response

  • LocationFair Isle

SCAA made the long flight to the remote Fair Isle again recently to ensure a seriously ill woman requiring emergency care was in hospital on Shetland as quickly as possible.

Eilidh's Story

  • LocationStornoway
  • Medical

Eilidh, from North Uist, was 34 weeks into her third pregnancy when a routine midwife appointment at her local hospital revealed a worrying test result.

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Mary-Jane's Story

  • LocationNewtonmore
  • Agricultural

Within minutes she was in a world of pain, terror and despair as she was crushed, dragged, tossed and trampled by a herd of cattle on the approach footpath to her first ascent.

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Emergency Response

  • LocationGlentress Forest
  • Trauma

SCAA paramedics worked with the Scottish Ambulance Service at the scene of a mountain bike accident. Both teams worked to bring the injured man from an inaccessible part of the Glentress trails complex before he was taken to Edinburgh Hospital.

Emergency Response

  • LocationAviemore
  • Road traffic collision

SCAA was part of a multi-service emergency response to a coach crash on the A9 near Aviemore. Our Aberdeen-based Helimed 79 airlifted a specialist doctor-led team to the scene in under half an hour, landing on the closed roadway nearby.

Emergency Response

  • LocationBarra
  • Medical

Our Helimed 76 from Perth made the long flight to Barra in the Outer Hebrides to ensure a sick patient was airlifted to vital mainland hospital care. The ill man was flown to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital in Glasgow in just 70 minutes.

Emergency Response

  • LocationTyndrum
  • Road traffic collision

SCAA landed on open ground opposite the Green Welly Stop, close to a two-vehicle collision near Tyndrum. Paramedics joined colleagues from the Scottish Ambulance Service and Police Scotland before airlifting an injured man to Ninewells Hospital, Dundee.

Emergency Response

  • LocationCampbeltown
  • Transfer

A patient from Campbeltown was in hospital care at Glasgow in under 25 minutes after SCAA flew to carry out the urgent transfer. The flight to the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital saved a the three hour-plus journey by road.

Emergency Response

  • LocationTiree
  • Distance45m

SCAA was called to the island of Tiree when a man suffering heart failure required an emergency transfer to mainland hospital care. The patient was airlifted to QEUH in 45 minutes.

Emergency Response

  • LocationAchnasheen

SCAA’s Helimed 79 was one of two air ambulances deployed to a serious road traffic collision near Achnasheen in the Highlands. The Aberdeen-based helicopter airlifted a specialist doctor-led team quickly to the remote scene.

Emergency Response

  • LocationNorth Fife
  • Distance5m

It took SCAA just five minutes to reach a woman injured in a riding accident in north Fife. SCAA was first on scene, landing in the field next to the injured woman. The rider, suffering leg injuries, was airlifted in minutes to Ninewells Hospital.

Emergency Response

  • LocationLoch Hourn
  • Medical

SCAA was the only emergency resource at the scene of a medical emergency at remote Loch Hourn in northwest Scotland. Our Perth-based helicopter took around 45 minutes to reach the area allowing paramedics to treat the patient at scene.

Emergency Response

  • LocationThornhill
  • Industrial

Helimed 76 was called to a trauma industrial incident. Crew worked with Police Scotland before airlifting a man to Glasgow’s Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.

Duncan's Story

  • LocationHighland Perthshire
  • Cardiac arrest

Duncan's cardiac arrest resulted in him 'dying' seven times. The crew were fighting for his life throughout the journey to hospital.

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Marc's Story

  • LocationGlencoe
  • Distance25m

A serious leg injury left mountain biker Marc stranded in Glencoe. When he noticed his foot facing the wrong way, he knew he needed help to get there quickly.

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21% Medical

This covers emergencies involving shortness of breath; diabetes; acute abdominal illness; epilepsy; sepsis; meningitis; convulsion; respiratory emergencies; multi organ failure; and other medical issues.

21% Cardiac

Includes heart attacks; chronic congestive heart failure; arrhythmias; and Primary Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PPCI) admissions.

7% Stroke

A stroke is a serious life-threatening medical condition that occurs when blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. Receiving urgent medical attention is critical to improve the chance of survival.

35% Trauma

This includes road traffic accidents; motorcycle accidents; equestrian injuries; agricultural, industrial and sporting injuries; falls and impact injuries.

17% Retrieval and Transfer

The airlift of a seriously ill patient from remote and rural medical hubs to centralised specialist hospital care.

Patient stories

Hear from some of the people we've helped.

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How we are tasked

Learn what happens between an emergency call being made and our crew becoming airborne.

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Support us

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News stories

View all of our latest news stories.

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