RAF Wittering News

Royal Air Force Wittering Co-Responders CPR Marathon

Nearly 80,000 chest compressions happened at Royal Air Force Wittering last week as the Station’s Emergency Co-Responders undertook a CPR marathon for the British Heart Foundation.

RAF Wittering’s Co-Responders
RAF Wittering’s Co-Responders
Image By: Cpl Paul Robertshaw

Co-Responders are volunteers with medical training and are usually members of the emergency services or armed forces. When available, they respond to emergency medical calls as part of their normal employment. Wittering’s Co-Responders are part of the East Midlands Ambulance Service, who provide the training and equipment.

Warrant Officer Dave Hughes is the Wing Warrant Officer on No 85 Expeditionary Logistics Wing and the Officer-in-Charge of Wittering’s Co-Responders.  He said: “Our target was 60,000 compressions because that’s how many out of hospital sudden cardiac arrests happen in the UK each year.”

CPR stands for cardiopulmonary resuscitation. It’s an emergency treatment used to massage and restart a person’s heart and breathing during a cardiac arrest or heart attack. CPR is a lifesaving skill and basic first aid courses can found almost everywhere.

On Wednesday 24th October, a team of six Co-Responders set themselves up in the Station gym with some resuscitation training dolls and started their compress-a-thon. Group Captain Tony Keeling, Station Commander at RAF Wittering, was the first of many to help the team reach their target.

Group Captain Tony Keeling
Group Captain Tony Keeling
image By Cpl Paul Robertshaw

Group Captain Keeling said: “What I love about this event is that it’s a real and relevant challenge, but it’s also has tremendous awareness and educational value too. Sure, a cross-section of our people are doing the compressions, but our Co-Responders are showing them how it’s done properly. That’s a good thing for everyone involved.”

The British Heart Foundation (BHF) was founded in 1961 by medical professionals, who were concerned about the increasing death rate from cardiovascular disease. Today the charity is a leading funder of research into cardiac and circulatory diseases.

The team at work
The team at work
Image By: Cpl Paul Robertshaw

Working in two-minute bursts at a rate of two compressions per second, the Co-Responders and the many Station volunteers soon started racking up the numbers, with the Station gym echoing to the regular clicks of the resuscitation dolls.

Keeping count of the compressions
Keeping count of the compressions
Image By Cpl Paul Robertshaw

At five o’clock the compress-a-thon finished with the team having smashed their target, reaching 65535 compressions. No 2 Mechanical Transport Squadron also added to the haul with 13305 compressions and the Royal Engineers added another 1131, making a grand total of 79971 with £302 raised so far.

Warrant Officer Hughes said: “It’s been a really good day, there are going to be some sore shoulders and arms, but the team and the volunteers have been amazing. Together we’ve raised a tidy sum for the BHF and taught loads of people how to do compressions properly, which is a good place to start.”

 

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