A teenage cadet flight sergeant has been praised after helping to save the life of a 73-year-old woman who collapsed in Inverness.
Chris Falkingham, 17, was walking with his grandparents down the High Street towards the River Ness when he came across the woman lying on the ground.
Two other women were with her as Mr Falkingham approached and identified himself as a trained first aider.
Having completed the British Heart Foundation Headstart and the St John Ambulance Young Lifesaver Plus courses – he took over chest compressions.
The woman, who had taken a fall, soon started showing Agonal breathing – a sign of dying which is often mistaken for normal breathing – and the teenager was shouted at by bystanders to stop.
But crucially he was able to tell the difference and continued carrying out CPR, and after a number of repartitions a pulse was detected and he stopped.
Moments later the woman had a further cardiac arrest and the youngster restarted CPR. A pulse was detected as paramedics arrived on scene, but then she went into cardiac arrest for a third time during the incident last month.
Mr Falkingham, of the Inverness-based 161 Squadron of the Highland Wing Royal Air Force Air Cadets, then helped support her bleeding head while paramedics continued CPR and prepared a defibrillator, which brought back a strong pulse.
Wing Commander Christine Copsey said: “It is without doubt that the effective actions by Chris on this date saved the life of this lady.
“He maintained his composure, worked extremely efficiently and put into practice what he had learned as an Air Cadet. He is a credit to the Air Cadet Organisation and an outstanding young man”.
After tabling a motion of congratulations in the Scottish Parliament, Labour MSP Rhoda Grant said: “I would like to congratulate Chris Falkingham from Inverness on his swift action that helped save the life of a woman who had collapsed in Inverness city centre.
“I would like to thank the Air Cadet Corps who make attendance at these courses possible for their members and would like to encourage councils to follow the lead of Western Isles Council and make emergency life saving part of their school curriculum.
“Chris should be proud of what he did. He is a credit to his family and the Air Cadet Corps and I am delighted to have tabled a motion in the Scottish Parliament formally congratulating him”.
