A potentially lifesaving defibrillator has been installed in The Brunel in Swindon Town Centre much to the relief of local man Colin Jarvis (pictured second left) whose own life was saved at the centre.
An automated defibrillator is a machine that delivers a high-energy shock to the heart through the chest wall and can be used by members of the public when someone is in cardiac arrest.
Colin, who lives in Royal Wootton Bassett, was enjoying a coffee at Muffin Break in The Brunel Plaza whilst his wife Margaret was shopping. Suddenly he collapsed and had what transpired to be a cardiac arrest. Two men, one of whom was The Brunel’s Operations Manager, Rob Faulkner, performed CPR and managed to restart Colin’s heart several times and keep it going until the paramedics arrived.
Colin said: “I’m so pleased to see that the centre now has a defibrillator. Against all the odds, I survived. But I also know that I was extremely lucky because I was looked after that day by people who knew how to perform CPR. Sadly that’s not something that every passer by feels able to do, especially in the heat of the moment. However, these new defibrillators are automated so can be used by anyone, regardless of whether or not they are trained in first aid. I’m absolutely certain that this piece of equipment will save lives.”
The equipment has been jointly funded by FI Real Estate Management who run The Brunel shopping centre, and Swindon Lions Club.
Alan Mitchell of Swindon Lions said: “We are really pleased to see the defibrillator is now installed and operational. At Swindon Lions, we believe that many more defibrillators are needed around the town. They are very easy to use and can be used by anyone, regardless of whether they have first aid skills or not. Defibrillators really can be the difference between life and death. Many people come along to our annual fireworks display but do not realise where the profits from such events go. This is just one of those projects and hopefully people can see how supporting such event really does help us all”.
The new defibrillator has been installed in the first aid room in the toilet area of the second floor of the shopping centre. In the event of an emergency, any member of staff at the centre, including all security and cleaning staff, will fetch the defibrillator.
Rob Faulkner said: “Of course we hope that it will never need to be used but it does give us peace of mind that should such a situation such as Colin’s happen again, we all have access to this life-saving equipment.”
Luckily for Colin, when he collapsed, he was sitting near to Roy, the other person who helped him that day. Colin has recently tracked Roy down and it transpires that Roy had immediately phoned a friend of his who as a paramedic was able to tell him exactly what to do. All staff at The Brunel Centre are trained in life saving skills so once they were alerted to the emergency they also knew exactly what to do until the paramedics arrived.
Colin is now well and is extremely grateful for the care he received from NHS staff at the Ambulance Service and GWH but first and foremost, he’s grateful to Rob and to Roy (or Rob Roy as he likes to call them!) The three men met up recently, on the fourth anniversary of Colin’s collapse. Colin would love to be able to track down the paramedics that also helped him that day so he can thank them too. If anyone knows who they might have been please contact Rob Faulkner at The Brunel Centre, tel 01793 525857.
Advice From the British Heart Foundation’s website
“If you come across someone who has had a cardiac arrest, it’s vital to call 999 and start CPR. Then you should find out if there is a defibrillator nearby. There are many defibrillators available in public places such as train stations, shopping centres, airport and leisure centres. These defibrillators are often known as public access defibrillators (PAD) as anyone can use them in an emergency. You shouldn’t be afraid of using a defibrillator if someone has had a cardiac arrest.”
