Big Wave Media staff join nation of lifesavers to boost cardiac arrest survival

The chance of surviving a cardiac arrest has been boosted, thanks to the staff at Bigwave Media in Exeter and the British Heart Foundation (BHF).

The creative agency decided to join the BHF’s force of Nation of Lifesavers by training ten of their staff in Exeter, to learn life-saving CPR (Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation) skills.

The staff were trained by Hilary Sanders, who is the coordinator and a trainer for a BHF Heartstart Community Group based in Kentisbeare near Cullompton. She volunteered to provide the training, including a practice defibrillator to help the staff become confident with using publically available AED’s (automated external defibrillator). For every minute that passes without CPR and defibrillation the chances of survival decrease by around ten per cent.

Hilary Sanders Heartstart group provides free CPR training lessons to anyone that wishes to learn how to potentially save a life. Hilary decided to start training people CPR, after saving her husband’s life in the summer of 2013.

Norman Sanders, Hilary’s husband, suffered a cardiac arrest in the middle of the night on the June 9th 2013. When the local villagers heard what had happened, Hilary experienced a regular response, that people wouldn’t know what to do if in her shoes. This made Hilary want to change that.
Hilary said “I had been working as a BHF sponsored nurse and was aware that the BHF helped to facilitate Heartstart groups that would train people in CPR choking, bleeding and how to deal with both the conscious and unconscious casualty, as well as using a defibrillator. Gathering together other people with a desire to raise awareness and train people, Heartstart Kentisbeare Parish was born and began training people in Kentisbeare and the surrounding area”.

Joy Petley fundraising manager at the BHF, said: “More than 30,000 people suffer a cardiac arrest outside of hospital every year but less than one in ten survive.

“More people could be saved if we could increase the number of people that have been trained in CPR and give people confidence in using defibrillators. Most people I come across are scared of using one, and when they find out they are completely automated, they are so much more at ease. This confidence could save someone’s life. It could really be the difference between life and death.”

Bigwave Media staff decided to train themselves in CPR after fundraising for the BHF earlier this year, taking part in BHF’s flagship campaign, Wear It. Beat It. The staff raised over £50 for their Wear Red Day back in June and are keen to do some other fundraising activities in the near future.

Dan Tofield, Head of Creative Services said, “We probably all know someone with heart disease or someone that has suffered from a cardiac arrest. But now thanks to BHF’s free CPR training course we could now save someone’s life.”

The next sessions available are taking place on 21st September and 12th October at Wyndham Arms Pub in Kentisbeare at 7pm. To register, please contact Kelly Broad on 01884 266211 or email: richardandkellyb@btinternet.com.