Two Fife Scouts have been presented with a top award after they gave First Aid to a woman who fell and sustained a facial injury.
Burntisland teenager Maddison MacPherson, saw a woman fall flat on her face at Kinghorn Station, and, along with Explorer Scout Alicia Thomson, 17, used the training they had learned through Scouts to tend to her wounds and stayed with her until she was picked up by her son.
The girls have now been presented with a Scout Commissioners Commendation Award for Service.
Alicia, a former pupil of Balwearie High School, Kirkcaldy, told The Courier how Maddison initially saw the woman trip and fall into the road injuring her face.
The casualty was clearly in distress.
Assistance
Maddison went to her assistance, checked she was safe to move and brought the casualty to the side of the road and did initial checks.
Alicia, who was there separately heard someone shout for assistance and went to investigate.
Seeing Maddison and the casualty, she then took over and treated the injured woman, stopping the bleeding to her nose and, with the assistance of Maddison, comforted the casualty and stayed with her until she was taken home.
Alicia said: “I was meeting a friend I hadn’t seen since the start of lockdown.
“We were going to walk the coastal path from Kinghorn back to Burntisland when we heard a bunch of kids screaming and shouting.
Bleeding
“The woman had got off the train and was heading to her car when she fell straight on her face.
“We’ve done lots of First Aid training at Scouts and when I saw the bleeding I knew what to do.
“I went up to the shop and got some tissues, put pressure on her nose.
“I asked if she felt nauseous or if anything else hurt. She’d cut her head a bit so I told her to focus on her nose.
“She was shaken up. We took her up to a shop and sat with her until her son came from Markinch.”
What does the girls’ Scout leader think?
11th Fife (Burntisland) Scout Group leader David Laing said: “When I heard that Alicia and Maddison had not hesitated to put into practice their First Aid training and go to the aid of an injured woman I was not surprised.
“They have always shown a commitment to help others, such as Alicia volunteering as a Young Leader to pass on her skills and knowledge to the younger sections.
“Alicia and Maddison are two fantastic young people that represent the best values and traditions of Scouting.
“I could not be prouder of them both, especially as this has been a difficult year for everyone due to the pandemic and associated restrictions but despite this they continued to be active within the group showing a positive attitude that reflects the old Scouting maxim of ‘A Scout smiles under all circumstances’.
“They both thoroughly deserve their commendation and they are a credit to Scouting and the 11th Fife (Burntisland) Scout Group.”
