Medical student and RNLI Crew Member Stuart Braithwaite took to the Alaska skies with the US Coast Guard last year – training and undertaking medical research

Stuart (31) is Second Mechanic at Aberdeen Lifeboat Station, and on the inshore lifeboat crew at Kessock (he does some of his training in nearby Inverness). But he swapped lifeboats for helicopters for 2 months on a placement at Sitka Air Base, Alaska.

‘I first got involved with the RNLI about 8 years ago,’ he says. ‘I’ve always loved being around water and had huge respect for what the RNLI does. To become part of the crew was just great. Before retiring, my dad worked at the harbour in Aberdeen and so this made for an even stronger connection.’

The RNLI has a close relationship with the US Coast Guard and, when it came to choosing a project as part of his medical degree, Stuart grabbed the opportunity to do some research with our international search and rescue colleagues. The project involved studying the use of medical equipment onboard search and rescue helicopters.

The hospitality extended to Stuart in Alaska last Autumn is even more remarkable in the light of a sad event that shook the station a few weeks before his arrival – one of the helicopters was lost, and three of its four-person crew killed.

‘I spent many hours on training and patrol flights in the Jayhawks [US Coast Guard helicopters],’ he says. ‘I also managed to get involved with a commercial medevac service, Guardian Flight, who were a great bunch of guys and would phone me at any time of the day or night when they got a call. I ended up doing 40 or 50 fixed-wing medevacs with them, covering huge amounts of Alaska. My record was 10 different airports in 36 hours! This certainly supplemented my medical training. I also learned many things that are relevant to my work in the RNLI.'

One service stands out in his mind: ‘We transported a man who had been involved in a mid-air collision between two small aircraft, flying him from a small village to one of the big hospitals. He had significant trauma, including multiple fractures to his legs. The transport was successful, despite a bumpy journey.

‘I spent a long time explaining how things are done within the RNLI and we discussed many search and rescue stories from our own experience. The concept of a charity-funded voluntary search and rescue organisation as large and professional as the RNLI was a constant wonder to my friends in the US Coast Guard.’

So what’s next for Stuart after all that adventure and academia? ‘This amazing experience has simply fuelled my passion for pre-hospital medicine and I think my career will head that way. Basically though, as long as I’m near a lifeboat I’ll be just fine ... ’