More lives can be saved thanks to ambulance service
Wednesday, 26 May, 2010
People in Cheshire are benefitting from life support training given by North West Ambulance Service (NWAS). Now shoppers at Bridgemere Nursery & Garden World near Nantwich can be assured that the staff there can offer more than basic first aid.
Rob Sharples, Community Resuscitation Development Officer at NWAS gave specialist life-support training to 11 members of staff, which included refresher skills for six people and five more staff members taking on the training.
The training took four hours to complete and included operating a defibrillator  a machine that can restart the heart by giving an electric shock in some cases of cardiac arrest  and cardio pulmonary resuscitation (CPR).
NWAS's Community Resuscitation Development Officer, Rob Sharples, who delivered the training said: "In life threatening emergencies such as cardiac arrests, knowing what to do in the first few minutes can make the difference between life and death.
"Applying a shock within five minutes of collapse provides the best possible outcome for the patient so I'm delighted that more staff at Bridgemere Nursery & Garden World have taken our training and have the ability to save a life using the defibrillator at the centre previously donated by NWAS."
Marc Haigh, Manager of Bridgemere Nursery & Garden World, said: "We are very grateful to the NWAS for training members of staff on how to use this life-saving device.
"It means that if someone suffers a cardiac arrest at the garden centre, one of the trained team members can use the equipment to help the patient before an ambulance arrives."
Anyone interested in emergency life support training can contact NWAS on 0845 0021 999.
