No one knows the difference defibrillators can make more than Jeff Morgan, whose life was saved by colleagues after having a cardiac arrest at work.
Rob Duggan, 46, was among those who performed lifesaving CPR on Jeff after rushing to his aid at the Budweiser Brewing Group brewery in Magor.
"It all happened so quickly,
One minute I was sat in the break room and the next someone ran in shouting for help."
Rob Duggan
Rob responded to the calls of his colleague by getting to Jeff as quickly as he could. Little did Rob know, just seconds later, he’d be saving Jeff’s life.
“I could see it was serious - Jeff wasn’t breathing so I knew I needed to act quickly.
CPR was started while someone was sent to get a defibrillator - luckily we’ve got three on site.”
Rob was helped by his colleagues and between them, they worked tirelessly for almost 30 minutes trying to save Jeff. They combined chest compressions with lifesaving shocks from the defibrillator – a device which is attached onto the chest of a casualty and monitors their heart rhythm. A defibrillator will only shock when it detects a shockable rhythm
After the third shock was given Jeff finally became responsive and was made comfortable by his colleagues until further medical help arrived.
“I’ve been a first aider for almost 10 years but I’ve never had to deal with a life or death situation like this before.
I’m glad I kept my first aid training up-to-date because knowing what to do definitely made a difference that day. It could have been a lot more serious if the four of us hadn’t acted as quickly as we did.”
Rob learned his lifesaving skills during his training with us at our centre in Newport.
"Rob’s quick-thinking and confidence to step into such a high-pressure situation really demonstrates the importance of first aid in a life-threating situation.
We’re so proud Rob showed the conviction he needed to step in and help Jeff when he needed it most.
Rob’s story is sure to inspire others to learn vital first aid skills and it’s with their efforts that more people like Jeff survive cardiac arrest outside of hospital.”St John Ambulance Cymru, Director of Training, Jon Philips
“At Budweiser Brewing Group we take first aid really seriously, and are so proud of Rob and the team for reacting quickly and effectively during this incident.”
Magor Brewery Brewery Manager, Lloyd Manship
Jeff was taken to hospital where he had surgery, before being sent home to recover.
More information about our first aid training at work and in the community, as well as information how you can buy or fundraise for a defibrillator, can be found on our website.