Sixteen people received a Brave@Heart Award at a ceremony held at Bute House.
Fourteen emergency response workers and two members of the public have been presented with a Brave@Heart Award by the First Minister.
The award recognises acts of bravery and heroism across Scotland with nominations made by the emergency services and winners selected by an independent validation panel.
This year winners include staff from HM Coast Guard, Scottish Ambulance Service and Police Scotland for acts as wide ranging as dealing with violent attackers, life-saving actions in challenging search and rescue conditions, and assisting during an explosion and building collapse.
Two members of the public have also been recognised for their quick thinking including six-year-old Benji who phoned an ambulance for his mum during an emergency, and Scott MacQuarrie who helped get members of the public to safety after driving their car onto tram tracks before making contact with an oncoming tram driver to prevent a collision and avoid a more serious incident.
Scott MacQuarrie is Head of Operations for Edinburgh Trams, and he prevented a much more serious accident occurring by assisting people who had driven their car onto the tram tracks at the Eastfield crossing to get out of their car and to a place of safety. He then proceeded to alert the oncoming tram driver to prevent contact between the tram and the car and avoid a more serious incident occurring.
PC Glenn Coletta was also presented with two St Andrew’s Awards for exceptional acts of bravery on behalf of himself and his colleague PC Josh McCorry – both men were left severely injured after being attacked by a man with a meat cleaver but managed to prevent him from injuring anyone else.
Speaking after the award ceremony at Bute House, First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “Presenting these awards is an honour for me and I’m extremely happy to able to recognise those who put their lives at risk to save others in person once again.
“Each and every one of the recipients here tonight went above and beyond the call of duty, showing astounding courage and quick thinking to prevent incidents in extraordinary circumstances. They are inspiring and an example to the whole of Scotland.”
Phil Jones, Chair of the Brave@Heart 2022 validation panel, said: “The Brave@Heart award winners represent the very best of Scotland. Their heroic acts have protected others who have often been in desperate and perilous situations.
“These winners also remind us that thousands of people in Scotland are working to protect others every day. It’s so important that their contributions are celebrated because they set an example to us all.”
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