Commendation for Harlow ambulance staff Ray Gates and Orla Dunne who stopped woman jumping from bridge

Two East of England Ambulance Service medics who stopped a woman jumping off a bridge have received a commendation.

Senior paramedic Ray Gates and senior emergency medical technician Orla Dunne, based at Harlow, were on their way to an emergency call when they intervened.

They were flagged down by members of the public who told them a woman was on the wrong side of a bridge over a busy main road.

Ray and Orla stopped and approached the woman, who was hanging onto the railings. Several times she let go and then grabbed back on.

Then the woman started to lean backwards and, as she tried to jump, they both grabbed her, stopping her from falling onto the road below.

With the help of bystanders, they managed to safely move her to the right side of the railings and comforted her while waiting for police to arrive.

Leading operations manager Ian Fazakerley was dispatched to the scene and later nominated Ray and Orla for the commendation.

He said: "On arrival, both staff were visibly shaken but reluctant to take any praise for their outstanding work, which, in my opinion, was above and beyond what is expected in the normal day-to-day work of an ambulance crew.”

At the presentation, East of England Ambulance Service NHS Trust chief executive Neill Moloney said: “It is a great testament to the dedication and commitment of our teams that they showed such bravery and initiative.”