Firefighter highlights importance of First Aid - after saving 8-week-old baby while off duty
Gary Curran won Emergency Services Hero of the Year at the Scottish First Aid awards on Friday
Last updated 3rd Apr 2023
A Grantown-on-Spey based firefighter wants to put the spotlight on the importance of First Aid, after saving a baby who had stopped breathing.
Originally from Hamilton, Gary Curran was in Perth for a rest en route to his Highland home after visiting family in December.
After hearing a mother screaming for help, he quickly ran over and started performing paediatric CPR on her 8-week-old son.
Following three rounds of CPR, Oliver began to show signs of life and colour returned to his face.
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.
His heroics saw him pick up Emergency Services Hero of the Year at the St Andrew's Scottish First Aid awards in Glasgow on Friday.
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.