Congratulations to paramedic officer Sonia Guille who has been awarded the Chief Ambulance Officer’s Recognition of Performance Award for her leadership of a night time rescue operation on the island of Sark.

In January 2023, Sonia was providing temporary cover for the island doctor, when she was called to an injured patient located on a treacherous cliff path. Sonia was working in an unfamiliar environment with members of Sark’s volunteer ambulance and fire crews, who she had only just met.

The cliff path where the incident occurred is described as treacherous even during the daytime in good light, but to add to the challenge this incident happened at night.

Sonia not only lead the rescue but also provided treatment and management of the patient, using her clinical experience and principles of joint working.

Steve Torode, the ambulance officer who was on duty in Guernsey that night commended Sonia for her professionalism and leadership.

“Whenever Sonia provided an update she was calm and had already thought of a plan and a back-up plan. She also listened to additional suggestions, taking all the information available to successfully extricate the casualty in what would have been a difficult situation in Guernsey, never mind on a different island”.

The patient was conveyed by Sark ambulance to the harbour and transferred to the Flying Christine marine ambulance and onwards to Guernsey for further treatment at the Princess Elizabeth Hospital.

Sonia was full of praise for the island’s emergency responders who were involved in the rescue operation and who worked hard to achieve a positive outcome, sentiments echoed by St John Ambulance and Rescue Service.