Just 24 hours after completing his Emergency First Aid at Work (EFAW) refresher training, Paul Bewsey, a senior site surveyor with Leeds based Met Geo Environmental Ltd, was called into action in a potentially life-threatening situation.
Paul was part of the Met Geo Environmental site team surveying a building elevation in King Edward Street, a busy pedestrianised shopping area in the centre of Halifax, when he noticed a member of the public collapse to the ground.
“I noticed out the corner of my eye a man in his twenties suddenly collapse to the floor,” says Paul. “Then he started to fit. Having had my first aid training the day before I knew I had to put him into the recovery position, call an ambulance and make sure that he came to no further harm. I stayed with him until the ambulance arrived, making sure he was on his side and reassuring him he would be fine.”
It is understood the young man has since made a full recovery, though Nigel Barraclough, director of First On Scene, the firm that provided the EFAW programme to Met Geo Environmental Limited, believes, but for Paul’s training, it could have been a very different outcome.
“It just goes to prove that even a little first aid knowledge saves lives,” he said. “It’s great to hear that Paul was able to assist the gentleman who was in seizure, and it sounds as though he provided excellent first aid. It makes our job even more worthwhile when we hear that the first aid training has been put to good use. Our congratulations go to Paul for a job well done.”
“We are all immensely proud of Paul for his quick thinking and action’,” says Met Geo Environmental director Neil Harvey. “I think it all too easy for some firm’s to dismiss health and safety compliance and training as a bit of an administrative inconvenience, but I doubt you will hear any complaints from that young man.”