1,300 passengers and staff learn lifesaving CPR skills

More than 1,300 passengers and airport colleagues learned potentially lifesaving CPR skills at London Stansted as part of Restart a Heart Day.

A team from Essex & Herts Air Ambulance spent Friday, October 16, at the airport showing passengers heading off on their holidays and airport staff how to perform CPR and use a defibrillator.

The event was held as part of Restart a Heart Day, a national initiative encouraging more people to learn CPR and giving them the confidence to act if someone suffers a cardiac arrest.

Around 40,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests happen in the UK each year, with survival rates below 10%. Essex & Herts Air Ambulance attended 570 cardiac arrests last year.

Adam Carr, Critical Care Paramedic at Essex & Herts Air Ambulance, who leads the charity’s CPR Smart programme, said:

“CPR isn’t hard, but people need to know the basics. It was brilliant to have so many willing volunteers looking to refresh their skills. If any one of those people is now on the scene when someone has a cardiac arrest, they can intervene and make a life-saving difference. CPR is something we all need to be able to do.”

Natalie Putt, Head of Customer Operations at London Stansted, said:

“It was great to welcome Essex & Herts Air Ambulance back to Stansted for Restart a Heart Day. You never know when you might need to use CPR, and having the confidence to step in could save someone’s life. Our customer service teams are trained as first responders, but these are simple skills that anyone can learn, which is why days like this are so valuable.”

More information about Essex & Herts Air Ambulance and its work is available at ehaat.org, while CPR advice is available on its life-saving first aid page.