Meet The Team – Steve Welsh

Our meet the team series – Steve Welsh

Hi, I’m Steve Welsh and I am a Paramedic with the Scottish Ambulance Service Special Operations Response Team (SORT).  This is a specialist team with a varied and extensive set of disciplines ranging from support to police operations, Swift Water & Flood operations, SWAH/USAR, mass casualty incidents and category 4 infectious diseases. I am the water rescue lead for all 15 teams within the three SORT bases, Edinburgh, Aberdeen and Glasgow as well as Instructing in SWAH and Decontamination disciplines. I also support the National Risk and Resilience Department for these specialisms. Before joining the Ambulance service, I served in the Army for 24 years.

I became a First Aid trainer because I wanted to pass on the experience I have gained as a Paramedic to others who are involved in carrying out first aid. I am an instructor with the First Aid Training Co-operative and I recently became one of the IQA team, responsible for the quality assurance within the instructor team and delivery of all the courses that the Co-operative run. Working with the Co-operative allows me to learn from experienced teachers, trainers and other outdoor professionals as well as meeting people from all walks of life.

In my spare time, which has been rare this year, I enjoy kayaking / skiing / hillwalking, and generally being in the outdoors (but I’m definitely more of a water baby).

This year I have been working towards my IQA qualification and a BSc in Professional Practice (Paramedical Sciences) at Stirling University, and renovating my house. I’m looking forward to completing all of them in the couple of months!

Not all work though. I have managed to squeeze in a surf camp in the canaries this summer, great fun but hard work. I have a new found respect for surfers!