Martin George, a former police officer, has been reunited with the firefighters who saved his life after he went into cardiac arrest.
Dan Moon and Wayne Challen, both on-call firefighters at Midhurst Fire Station, were playing golf with Martin when he stopped breathing on November 4, last year.
Dan and Wayne immediately summoned an ambulance and began CPR while using the defibrillator at Cowdray Park Golf Club.
Martin was then flown to the Queen Alexandra Hospital in Portsmouth for surgery.
“I cannot thank Dan and Wayne enough for everything they have done for me,” Martin said of the experience. I had back pains the morning of my cardiac arrest, which I’d had before with a previous injury, and almost didn’t make it to the golf outing. In a strange way, I’m glad I did because it meant I was surrounded by people who were trained in first aid and immediate emergency care response, giving me the best chance of survival.
“For every minute it takes for a defibrillator to reach someone and to deliver a shock, their chances of survival are lower, so having a defibrillator on site at Cowdray Park Golf Club was amazing. All of the staff on-site are also first-aid trained and ready to assist if anyone else has a similar experience. I’d like to thank Cowdray Park Golf Club for these precautions, as well as their willingness to train their staff and assist those who may experience a cardiac arrest.
“The chances of surviving a cardiac arrest are extremely low, so it’s critical that people are educated and trained in CPR so that they can step in and potentially save someone’s life if the need arises.”
Martin returned to Midhurst Fire Station with West Sussex Fire & Rescue Service’s Assistant Chief Fire Officer, Peter Rickard, to congratulate and thank the pair for their actions. Firefighters expect to use their first aid training while on the job and attending emergency incidents, but applying those skills to a situation outside of work can be intimidating when it’s the last thing you expect to do that day,” Peter explained.
I feel extremely proud that both Wayne and Dan felt confident enough to put their first aid training to use in this environment, and their immediate actions were vital to saving their friends’ life.
“It is critical that people understand how to perform CPR and use defibrillators. Several of our fire stations in high-traffic areas have defibrillators installed on the outside of the buildings, and our fire engines also have them.”
The British Heart Foundation’s website has more information on learning CPR.
