Trenitalia c2c has fitted each of its 26 stations with life-saving, community-accessible defibrillators.
The defibrillators have been installed at stations as part of a route-wide upgrade project, with the units accessible to both local communities and colleagues in case of emergency.
Anybody can access and use the life-saving equipment at c2c stations, with the units available to members of the public 24/7.
If a person has a cardiac arrest, a defibrillator can help restart their heart while waiting for emergency services to arrive – they have simple instructions and anyone can use one.
Margaret Mullane, MP for Dagenham and Rainham, said on the completion of the roll-out: “I am pleased to be able to help raise awareness of the fact that there is a potentially life-saving defibrillator at each of c2c’s stations.
“There are more than 30,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in the UK each year and currently less than one in 10 survive. It is great to see our local railway taking steps to protect our community in this way and I would urge everyone to take a moment to find out where the defibrillator is at their local c2c station.”
Trenitalia c2c is committed to positively contributing to the health and wellbeing of its local communities – and, in case of an emergency, the location of the defibrillators can be found easily by looking at the British Heart Foundation website online at Defib finder.
The operator has also installed further potentially life-saving equipment, with Bleed Kits now at seven locations across the route. The kits are designed to allow health professionals or members of the public to stem serious bleeding by using items such as bandages, gauze and tourniquets.
Managing Director Rob Mullen, said: “We take the health and wellbeing of our local communities and colleagues very seriously, so to be able to offer life-saving equipment at all of our stations along our route shows the commitment we have to being there for people, should the most serious of situations occur.
“These defibrillators now sit alongside our existing specialist medical equipment, which includes our new Bleed Kits, and are available to those who need help in an emergency. Of course, our hope is that the people of our local communities never have the need to use these incredible pieces of equipment, but if they do, we are proud to be able to offer it.”
The defibrillators are self-instructing so that anyone can use them. No training is required, which makes them fully accessible to the public for emergency use – furthermore, they also have sensors in them so they will never shock a person unless it is needed.
Recently, c2c Customer Delivery Assistant, Donna Ilett and her colleague, Train Dispatcher, Abdul Kadir, found themselves in an emergency situation at Barking station when a member of the public collapsed on the station concourse. An ambulance was called and while they waited for paramedics, Donna performed CPR and used the station’s defibrillator.
The person’s heart restarted and Donna continued with CPR until the ambulance arrived and the customer was taken to hospital, where they were successfully treated – and, after the person had been discharged, they paid a visit to Barking station to thank Donna and the team personally for saving their life.
Donna said: “I am so happy that we now have defibrillators installed across the entire c2c route. I know first-hand that these machines save lives and have a huge impact on the lives of the families of anybody that requires such critical help.
“In that crucial moment when I found myself having to use a defibrillator, it was such an easy machine to use and had it not been there, that person would not have been able to get the medical treatment they needed.”
Leah Cable, c2c’s Customer Delivery Manager, who led the installation project, said: “It is stories such as Donna’s that make the installation of these amazing pieces of equipment so worth it. We have worked hard to get the defibrillators and the Bleed Kits installed at our stations and I am so proud that when the crucial time came, our equipment was there to save a life.
“These really do benefit our local communities and I am proud to have led the charge to get them installed on our route.”
Image credit: c2c
