Recently, a learner on a WorkSafe First Aid course delivered by Alex Livingstone of South East Land Based Training had the opportunity to put their CPR skills into practice when they responded to a request for an AED for a collapsed person in the car park. Thanks to their training, they were able to respond quickly and effectively, contributing to a very positive outcome.
Sarah from South East Land Based Training has kindly agreed for us to share the fantastic feedback they received following this real-life emergency.
Hi Sarah
I just wanted to share something that you may like to pass on to the gentleman who delivered our first aid training.
Back in October, I was sitting in my office when someone burst in asking if we had a defibrillator. I grabbed our defib immediately and followed them out to the car park in Uckfield, where a man had collapsed and was completely unresponsive.
Another member of the public had already started CPR by the time I arrived. While he continued compressions, I unpacked and prepared the defibrillator. What struck me afterwards was how familiar the process felt — it was almost exactly the same as the scenario we had practised during the training session.
The defib carried out its first analysis and advised a shock, as no heartbeat was detected. After the shock was delivered, I took over CPR, and the other gentleman and I rotated every few minutes to keep the compressions effective. During the second analysis, the defib detected a heartbeat but instructed us to continue CPR. On the third analysis, there was again no heartbeat detected, and a second shock was administered.
We continued CPR for around 30 minutes until the paramedics arrived. Even when they took over the scene, they asked us to continue with compressions because, in their words, we appeared to be doing everything correctly. One of the paramedics later commented that it was genuinely refreshing to see such a serious incident handled so calmly and effectively by members of the public.
The gentleman was taken to hospital alive and with a heartbeat, although his family were warned that his chances of survival were only around 8%.
Recently, his family contacted me and asked if we could meet. I was incredibly pleased to hear that, after spending a considerable amount of time in intensive care, Nigel has gone on to make a full recovery. The doctors told his family that the CPR had been carried out so effectively that he suffered no neurological damage whatsoever, and physically he is steadily returning to normal life.
The surgeons also explained that he had sustained three broken ribs, but reassuringly added that, in circumstances like this, that is often a sign that high-quality CPR was being delivered properly.
I especially wanted to pass on that the defibrillator deployment worked exactly as we had practised during the training. That practical scenario-based exercise clearly stayed with me under pressure and made a real difference on the day. The CPR refresher training was equally invaluable.
So, thank you for the training and preparation. I genuinely wanted you to know that a life was saved because of it.
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