A FORMER firefighter who became a paramedic has just had a once in a lifetime experience.

James Sayer, 29, from Pocklington retrained to become a paramedic in 2017 and normally works out of Selby ambulance station.

In 2019, while completing the final stages of his BSc in Paramedic Science, the former York College student, was chosen to complete a five-week elective air ambulance placement with Essex and Herts Air Ambulance Trust (EHAAT) in June 2020, but it was cancelled due to Covid-19 and James, who went to school at Woldgate, thought the he'd missed the opportunity.

He said: "My once in a lifetime placement was postponed and then cancelled. After waiting nearly two years, I was reallocated for my elective placement and on Saturday (July 31) I returned to York after it finished. Over the 5 week week period, I flew multiple missions on HeliMed 07, the EHAAT air ambulance helicopter based at Earls Colne air base. During these shifts, I flew with pre-hospital Doctors and Critical Care Paramedics attending critically ill and unwell patients across Essex, Hertfordshire and London.

"As a critical care team we were able to provide pre-hospital emergency anaesthesia (PHEA) and conduct surgical procedures at the roadside. I also completed numerous night shifts working with a critical care team on EHAAT's Medic 50 rapid response vehicle - attending critically unwell patients by road through the night.

"The experience has been nothing short of life-changing, I attended some of the regions most traumatically and medically ill patients developing both clinical and non-clinical skills including crew resource management (CRM) techniques, scene management and situational awareness skills.

"These are skills that I have developed in London and I am immensely proud to be bringing back to York."