Firefighter Soutar saved mother and child from death on Christmas Eve: ''Saving a life, that's the best thing we can do''

Alan Soutar will be one of the competitors at the PDC World Darts Championship during the coming weeks. But he will hardly be impressed by an appearance at Alexandra Palace. Normally, 'Soots' is busy saving lives during Christmas.

A few years ago, he rescued a mother and son from a terrible house fire on Christmas Eve. ''Christmas is one of the busiest times. It's also when people drink. So there's over-indulging drinking, smoking and carelessness. Just two or three years ago, I was on a night shift on Christmas eve. There was a house fire at 3am in a kid's bedroom. So I went in and the smoke was right down and the kid was still in his bed. I had to get him out of there.''

''That scene of the Christmas tree, all the presents... I saved his life and his mum. That's the kind of thing you can encounter. You think of your own house, Christmas tree and presents. Their house was wrecked, gutted by a fire. As a firefighter you are there for that bell going off, that's our job. If we can help save a life, that's the best thing we can do.''

Soutar has also served in the commands in the past. He served with peacekeeping forces in Northern Ireland, Bosnia and Kosovo. ''I was in the 29th Commando Artillery, a sort of spearhead for the UK. So if anything flared up... I've done a few tours, Long Island, Bosnia, Kosovo. I left just before Afghanistan and Iraq. I've done quite a bit of interesting stuff. In the brigade protacted incidents or graphic fatalities and loss of life can be horrendous to deal with. But you are trained to deal with it, it's your job.''

''At the same time it's mentally draining but, if you save some people, that's why it's all worth it. Fatalities are pretty grim and road traffic crashes are also grim. But that's what I chose to do. I think I've got a strong resolve and I can switch off from that sort of stuff.''