Ambulance crew meets up with award-nominated staff who saved colleague's life

EEAST ambulance crews have met up with two Environment Agency officers nominated for a Royal Humane Society award for helping save the life of a colleague who had a cardiac arrest. ? ?

James Carter and Matthew Bailey work in the EA’s Ipswich depot. They were attending a team training session in November last year when their trainer, Carl Tibbles, began to feel unwell.? ?

During a break in training Mr Bailey found Mr Tibbles unresponsive and struggling to breathe. They correctly suspected that Carl was suffering a cardiac arrest and James called 999 while Matthew grabbed the team’s defibrillator.?? ? ?

They provided cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) to Mr Tibbles and delivered shocks using the defibrillator.? ?

Suffolk Police officers also assisted at the scene, and soon two EEAST crews arrived and provided Advanced Life Support until he was stable enough to be taken to hospital.??? ?

Mr Tibbles has since made a good recovery and has returned to work.? He recently met up the the EA staff, police officers and EEAST clinicians that helped save his life.????

All Environment Agency field teams are trained to be able to carry out CPR in case of emergency while in the field. EEAST Leading Operations Manager Andy Benson said this was a critical factor in Mr Tibbles being alive today: ?

“The chances of surviving a cardiac arrest out of hospital are slim but are increased when the right steps are taken. ?

“James and Matthew recognised that Mr Tibbles was in cardiac arrest and knew what to do. ?

“They provided good CPR immediately and used the defibrillator until we came and provided advanced life support.??

“If one of those links in the chain of survival had been missing, it could have impacted on Mr Tibble’s outcome. ?

“This highlights the importance of learning CPR and knowing where your community defibrillators are. “??