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I feel that I am a doctor and I have chosen to live on the Isle of Man. I should do all I can to support an event which is so unique to the Island.

Not everyone likes the idea of flying in the helicopters and attending incidents, but I enjoy working as part of the team and seeing the Island from the air is an added bonus!

We are trying to treat our casualty, keep Race Control aware of what is happening and look after everyone involved at the incident.

It takes up to 25 people – all highly trained and usually volunteers to organise the transfer of one fallen rider from the course to Noble’s Hospital. Everyone has to do their job quickly and efficiently for the system to work.

There are a number of potentially dangerous situations where we all have to look after each other. 

On the course itself we rely on the flag marshals and marshals to keep us safe while we look after the casualty and the helicopters themselves can be a hazard. 

We load and unload the casualties with the rotor blades running.

They can be dangerous, especially the rear rotor blade which is not visible when it is running. It is very easy to forget in the heat of the moment that you need to stay well clear, so we are always watching each others’ back.

Michael Rutter by Ron Clarke

I also work in Race Control and am involved in sending the helicopters to the incidents.

Inevitably we spend hours with nothing much happening and then we have several incidents all at once. We then have to prioritise and the technological advances in communications have definitely made this easier.

We also provide medical cover for the Paddock area and unfortunately sometimes have to break bad news to a rider’s family or team members. Obviously this is very distressing to everyone involved. All the officials are passionate about racing and it is always hard to cope with this side of the event.

At the end of the day, the riders get immense satisfaction from pushing themselves to their limits; more satisfaction than most of us will ever achieve.

They know the risks and choose to take them. We are all richer for their achievements.