After spending hours slaving away preparing and cooking a Christmas dinner, none of us would comprehend abandoning it moments before it was ready.

But that is the reality of the hundreds of emergency workers across the county who will be spending the big day “mission ready” in case of a 999 call.

Critical care paramedic Phill Richardson is one of them who will be spending December 25 at the Air Ambulance Charity Kent, Surrey, and Sussex (KSS) base.

He said the team will still try and celebrate the festivities by preparing a meal, playing board games and exchanging Secret Santa’s but as soon as a call comes in they will be prepared to abandon it all.

Phill added: “We will still try and have some form of a Christmas together but we are still absolutely ready to drop everything and get our medical heads.

“Last year, we spent a couple of hours preparing dinner and then 30 minutes before we were ready to lay it all out, a call came in and one of the crews had to get up and go.

“We plated it up for them and they ate it a few hours later, all be it cold.”

Last December, KSS crews responded to 284 emergency calls, making 12 missions on Christmas Day alone.

The majority (67%) of the incidents were to patients who had experienced serious injury from crashes, work or leisure accidents and falls from height.

While the other missions were to people suffering a medical emergency such as a sudden illness, cardiac arrest or stroke.

Phill, who has worked at KSS for two years, said the incidents they respond to tend to be similar all year around, however, said they can see more suicides or alcohol-related calls around the festive period.

As part of the charity’s Christmas campaign Ready to Save Lives, crews are urging people to stay safe while celebrating and travelling this year.

Phill said: “Plan your journey before you leave and give yourself plenty of time.

“The moment you start rushing, taking extra risks, checking your phone while driving or travelling while still under the influence of alcohol from the night before, that is when things start to go wrong.

“We encourage everyone not to drink and drive but also have a cautious thought about whether or not the aftermath of the Christmas party is still in your system.

“If people are buying things like bikes or skateboards, also include the safety items like helmets, pads and lighting because that is also important.

“If you are struggling this Christmas, try and reach out to someone. If it is not a loved one then organisations.”

Read More: Meet the team behind Air Ambulance Charity Kent, Surrey and Sussex

Two KSS crews, each with a paramedic, doctor and pilot, will be on call on Christmas Day alongside a duty manager and dispatcher who is based at the ambulance call centre.

They will be able to reach any part of Kent within half an hour, bringing the emergency room to the scene and being able to perform interventions such as general anaesthesia, blood transfusions and surgery.