NEC staff praised after saving lives

The NEC staff came to the aid of not one but two members of the public in 2014 after they both suffered a cardiac arrest.

In October, a man collapsed by the Information Desk during the Motorhome and Caravan Show. Staff quickly established he wasn't breathing and immediately commenced CPR and used their onsite defibrillator to restart his heart. Thankfully, due to their quick actions, the man started to breathe for himself before the ambulance service arrived.

The second case was in December during the Clothes Show Live. A couple were just about to leave The NEC in their car when the husband noticed his wife looked unwell. Realising the seriousness of her condition, he turned the car around and returned to the car park for help. A team effort by The NEC staff meant that an ambulance was called immediately, a defibrillator was bought to the scene and CPR was carried out on the woman. The staff also ensured her husband was looked after during the ordeal. Both patients went on to make a full recovery.

This week seven staff were presented with commendations from West Midlands Ambulance Service during The NEC's 'Good Practice and Recognition Awards'.

Andy Jeynes, the Trust's Community Response Manager, presented the awards and said: "These cases are a great example of team work and show just how important early CPR is when someone is in cardiac arrest. If it hadn't of been for their decisive actions, the outcome for both patients would've ultimately been very different."

Gary Masters, NEC Security and Traffic Operations Manager, said: "These members of Team NEC have taken customer service to the next level by truly going the extra mile. In both cases, our security and traffic officers were going about their daily duties and suddenly found themselves thrust in to an extremely pressurised and demanding situation. They remained calm and administered first aid and CPR, as well as using the public space defibrillators deployed at the site. Their actions were exemplary and in both cases they gave back a life. We are extremely proud of them."