Two members of staff at Oakwood Park Grammar School in Maidstone, Sam and Tony, were able to save the life of a local man thanks to their school’s defibrillator, which was registered on The Circuit.
Barry had popped into his local pub for a pint. Before he could take a sip, he had a heart attack that triggered a cardiac arrest.
Thanks to the quick actions of bystanders, and the defibrillator registered on The Circuit at the school just across the road, his life was saved.
Barry has since met with the heroes who saved his life. “Meeting someone who has saved your life is not something you are ever prepared for prior to it happening” he says.
“You expect [it] at a hospital or with a doctor, but ordinary people in the street? You don’t expect it to happen. I’m very lucky.
“Make sure if you’ve got a defibrillator [that] it is registered, because if it is not registered, someone is going to miss it one day.”
Headteacher Mrs Craig elaborated: “We got a call from staff at the local pub to say a man had collapsed and the ambulance service had located our defibrillator as being the nearest.
“Two of the staff raced to the scene and saw a man lying on the floor being given CPR. They used the defibrillator to give him a shock and minutes later the paramedics arrived.
“We are so incredibly proud to have staff who are also lifesavers. They had the foresight to register our defibrillator, so the ambulance service could locate it in an emergency, and then they remained calm in using the defibrillator when an emergency struck.
“Some schools might think registering the defibrillator is unnecessary paperwork but it’s only a five-minute job that can save lives. I’d urge all headteachers to find out where your defibrillators are and get them registered.”