Tony Durham, the Immediate Past Master of Old Bridlingtonian Lodge No 6843 in Yorkshire North and East Ridings, works for the Yorkshire Ambulance Service as a Critical Care Paramedic.

This role means he provides advanced levels of care to patients over and above the care a paramedic would normally be able to provide. Currently, in Bridlington where he lives, there is no critical care provision other than the Air Ambulance of which there are only two to cover the whole of Yorkshire. For the Air Ambulance to get to Bridlington, and the surrounding areas, it would take a minimum of 20 minutes, but if they are already committed or restricted by the weather, then this may mean that enhanced care is not available at all.

The nearest land-based critical care cover to Bridlington is in Hull and mrealistically this would take 45 minutes to reach the coast by which time it would most likely be past any window of opportunity to help. Recognising the need, Tony is offering his own time, on a voluntary basis, to respond as a British Association for Immediate Care (BASICs) responder, in his capacity as a Critical Care Paramedic, to provide this enhanced level of care to the people of Bridlington and the surrounding areas. He regards this as his opportunity to give back to the local community and provide a level of advanced care not usually available in the area. He will be dispatched by, and on behalf of, Yorkshire Ambulance Service, but only by the Critical Care desk, to appropriate incidents requiring advanced care. Tony had already addressed all the legal requirements of his providing this voluntary service but still needed help with the installation of a “blue light” system to his own vehicle, costing around £3,000.

The Old Bridlingtonian Lodge had already donated £400 towards this and asked the Freemasons’ Charity of Yorkshire N&E Ridings (FCYNER) for additional funding support. The FCYNER readily agreed to meet this request and as you can see from our picture, Tony and his vehicle are now ready for action!

Picture: Tony Durham with his newly fitted out response vehicle