Guernsey community 'need to know how to Restart a Heart'

Monday, 14 October 2024 07:55

A series of free CPR and Defibrillator training sessions are taking place across Guernsey this week.

Restart a Heart is a global initiative which aims to increase public awareness of cardiac arrests and train life-saving skills.

In Guernsey, The Cardiac Action Group is hosting multiple training sessions this week, at Community Centres and Douzaine Rooms around the island.

Mike Froome from the charity says quick bystander intervention is crucial.

"If you happen to be there when somebody collapses, and you think that they are unconscious, and you don't think they are breathing normally, and you start pressing up and down on their chest as soon as possible, then their chance of survival is enhanced a lot.

"If we can get a shock delivered to someone experiencing cardiac arrest within three or four minutes, their chance of survival is greatly improved.

"Every minute you don't get a shock from a defibrillator, your life expectancy goes down by 10%."

Guernsey man, John Greenfield, shares his own cardiac arrest story to promote the initiative.

"Knowing what to do when someone collapses and stops breathing normally can be the difference between a life lost and a life saved.

"I experienced this first-hand. My friends recognised I was in cardiac arrest and immediately started CPR while someone else called 999 and retrieved the code for a nearby PAD site.

"Thanks to their quick actions, I am here today, back to full-me work and enjoying life with my family."