Scott’s Story

Scott Halliday was badly injured in a fire in St Ives in August 2020. The 33-year-old was working at a harbour front restaurant when he was engulfed in flames after a deep fat fryer exploded.

He said: “I took the brunt of the explosion, my left arm, back, head and hand were essentially on fire. The pain was extreme, I went into shock.”

Passing holidaymakers, who happened to be paramedics, were the first to attend Scott. He was dosed in cold water, while the air ambulance was tasked to the incident. When the charity’s critical care paramedics arrived, they found Scott was very distressed. They administered strong pain relief before taking him to the waiting helicopter, which landed in St Ives Harbour.

Scott said: “I don’t think you realise how amazing the air ambulance is until you actually use it. When you see it go over, you just hope the person who needs it is OK- you just never think it is going to be you. It’s so reassuring to know that service is there.”

Scott was taken to Derriford Hospital and later transferred to a specialist burns unit in Salisbury, where he underwent skin graft operations. Several months on, and Scott is recovering well and recently managed to return to work before lockdown.

He added: “The speed with which they can get you the treatment you need is amazing, and that’s a big factor in why I have recovered so well. My incident was shown in the TV series Cornwall Air 999 and it helped me to raise around £4,000 for Cornwall Air Ambulance- it’s great to think that will help fund a flight for the next person in need.”