Thame Firemen Save Heart Attack Victim

FIRE Officers from Thame almost certainly saved the life of one of their ex colleagues, when they were first on the scene recently when he suffered a heart attack.
The fire crew’s action came only days after the launch of a three month pilot scheme which means retained firefighters in three areas of the County, being able to offer defibrillation treatment in the community.

Firefighters from Thame, Bampton, and Chipping Norton have been trained to administer CPR and/or defibrillation treatment to patients within a small radius of their fire station. Should they be mobilised, it will be after an ambulance and Paramedic crew has been dispatched. However, even arriving only a minute before the ambulance could help save a life.
Dick Tracy, the Oxfordshire Ambulance NHS Trust’s Community Defibrillation Officer, who has trained the fire fighters in conjuction with the British Heart Foundation, told ThameNews.Net: “When someone suffers a cardiac arrest, their chances of survival drop by up to 10% for every minute that passes so a speedy response is crucial. Performing cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) can double a person?s chances of survival and having a defibrillator close to hand can further increase their chances by more than a third.

?Expanding the network of people suitably trained to provide such vital early treatment for cardiac arrest, is something the Trust feels very strongly about. The more people in the community who have this level of knowledge and can use it appropriately, the better for everyone.?

PHOTOGRAPH: Dick Tracy with Thame Fire Crews outside Thame Fire station with Sharon Wheeler, whose husband, Richard, died after a heart attack three years ago. Money raised from a Memorial football match to be held at Thame United on Good Friday, will be used to help purchase two defibrillators for Thame Fire station. (See Sports News section for full details.