Ellie (3) meets policemen who saved her life
Ellie Salmond with PC Steven Lamb (left) and PC Gareth Henderson.
THE QUICK thinking of a police officer helped save the life of a three-year-old Kirkcaldy girl after she stopped breathing.
PC Steven Lamb was on patrol on King Street with colleague PC Gareth Henderson when a man came running towards them from nearby Winifred Street, carrying something in his arms.
Henry Salmond had run out of his house looking for help after being unable to revive his daughter Ellie.
And PC Lamb admitted he thought the toddler was dead when he first saw her in her father’s arms.
He said: “We were on patrol on King Street and I just remember Mr Salmond running towards me from Winifred Street.
“He was just shouting and was obviously upset, but I couldn’t make out what he was saying or what he was carrying.
“But as he got closer he told me his wee girl was dead, so I realised that she was in his arms.
Shake
“I still get a kind of wee shake when I think about it. She looked blue, she wasn’t breathing and didn’t seem to have any vital signs.
“So I took her from her dad, put her on the ground and gave her CPR.
“She was so small I only needed one hand for the CPR, and that’s how I knew she was coming back, as she squeezed my fingers.
“It was an indescribable feeling, it was part relief and just sheer joy.”
Although the incident took place back in May, it has only recently come to light after Mr Salmond decided the police hero deserved some recognition for his actions.
Temperature
He described how Ellie had awakened the night before with a temperature and when he went to check on her in the morning, he could get no response from the three-year-old.
Mr Salmond said: “She was still hot. Her eyes started to roll and she was slavering at the mouth.
“I ran out of the house to shout for help.
“I thought she was going to die in my arms. I thought I had lost her.
“Luckily this police officer was there. He ran across and saved her life with CPR.
“He is a hero and deserves recognition. He saved her life and he should get something for that.
“The police do things like this but you never hear anything. I want people to realise they do good things and save people.”
After the incident, Ellie was diagnosed with a rare condition and now has to take regular medication.
PC Lamb believes it was simply fate that he and his colleague were passing by when Ellie stopped breathing.
He added: “Nine out of 10 times we might not have got the same result. It was maybe just fate. We were just in the right place at the right time.”
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Weather for Kirkcaldy
Saturday 25 May 2013
Today
Sunny
Temperature: 6 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 18 mph
Wind direction: West
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 8 C to 17 C
Wind Speed: 17 mph
Wind direction: South west
