HE’S one of the team of medics lauded as ‘Helicopter Heroes’ on the popular BBC series. But Holmfirth doctor Jez Pinnell tells SAM CASEY he’s just doing what he loves.

ANAESTHETIST Dr Jez Pinnell plays down the work he does alongside the paramedics and pilots of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance.

Despite appearances on the BBC’s Helicopter Heroes documentary series, he balks at any mention of heroism.

“The majority of the time I’m just an extra pair of hands, an extra head,” he says. I feel privileged to be able to do it, I’m definitely not a hero.”

Dr Pinnell, 40, is a full-time consultant anaesthetist based at Huddersfield Royal Infirmary.

But for several years he has also volunteered for Yorkshire Ambulance Service (YAS) as part of the British Association of Immediate Care Schemes (BASICS) initiative.

Under BASICS, doctors give their spare time to respond to emergency calls.

They provide “pre-hospital care” at incidents including road crashes where someone is trapped and industrial accidents.

As part of the arrangement with YAS, Dr Pinnell spends one day a week as a medical adviser with the Yorkshire Air Ambulance based at Leeds/Bradford Airport.

Dr Pinnell, who lives in Holmfirth with his wife Catherine, and their two young sons, said: “The majority of jobs are trauma-related – road traffic collisions, horse riding accidents, medical emergencies.

“If the road ambulance is a long way away, for example if someone has had a heart attack in a remote area, we will attend.

“We are all trained to do the job, but sometimes you get to see some pretty unpleasant things and it’s clinically quite demanding.”

While in certain cases he may just be the “extra pair of hands”, Dr Pinnell’s expertise means that in some instances he is able to make a real difference.

“We can give drugs that a paramedic can’t give,” he said.

“There are some instances where those extra skills do make a difference. It’s not common, but there are jobs you go to where the skills you provide are of real benefit.” His modest opinion of the work he does is not shared by everyone.

Sgt Paul Denton, of the Huddersfield roads policing team, said Dr Pinnell’s intervention could sometimes make a life-saving difference. He said: “I think he is a bit of a hero.

“There are times when we get called out to a really bad job – a collision where someone is trapped and hurt.

“His work, and that of the rest of the air ambulance team, can be the difference between life and death.”

The family of Fenay Bridge teenager Callum Parkinson agree.

Callum, who was 13, suffered life-threatening head injuries when he was knocked down on Station Road near his home in June 2009.Dr Pinnell, who had been getting ready to go on holiday when he got the emergency call, helped to stabilise Callum at the scene before he was flown to Leeds General Infirmary.Dr Pinnell said: “The night he had his accident we were packing our suitcases to go on holiday. My pager went off and I heard about how seriously injured he was. “He was critically ill when we got there. I worked with paramedics, including his next door neighbour, and we undertook procedures to stabilise him so that we could fly him to Leeds.

“The fact that he got to Leeds and into theatre so quickly made a real difference.”

The road-side treatment was vital – but Dr Pinnell admitted he was surprised Callum lived.

He added: “Obviously I was still thinking about him when we went on holiday. I used the internet to find out how things had gone and I was gobsmacked at the fact that he survived.

“But kids do that, they’re resilient.”

Callum’s family have raised thousands of pounds for the Yorkshire Air Ambulance since his accident.

Mum Christine said: “Without him and the rest of the team, we don’t know what would have happened. What he does is life-saving stuff.”

Dr Pinnell said dealing with life-or-death emergencies could take its toll – but there were ways to cope.

“As a crew we debrief after every incident, you chat things through with your mates,” he said.

“We’re a very tight unit – 14 paramedics, a small number of pilots, a small number of doctors. We all get on very well.

“My wife is a doctor so she’s also very understanding. We have a glass of wine and talk about things.”

In spite of the gruelling nature of the work, he loves the camaraderie and the opportunity to learn from colleagues.

“It is a challenge, but there will be incidents where you can make a difference to somebody like Callum,” he said.

“To see people 12 months on when they are doing so much better is so fulfilling.

“The day I stop enjoying it will be the day I stop.”

Peter Sunderland, chairman of the Yorkshire Air Ambulance, said: “He is a vital part of our clinical team, and we are grateful to him for all the time and effort he dedicates to the charity.

“The swift medical interventions provided by our air ambulance crews, who are kindly provided to us by Yorkshire Ambulance Service, have a major impact on a patient’s chance of survival and subsequent quality of life.

“Having a senior consultant such as Dr Pinnell flying with us is key to us being able to provide excellence pre-hospital care across the region.”