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Three UK school staff save cyclist with 25 minutes of CPR, win national awards

By · Via Times of India · Published by Everything Blog

In short

While walking on the South Downs, teachers Stacey Charman and Chellie Messenger witnessed Kip Knowles collapse during a bike ride. Charman began continuous CPR while Messenger alerted emergency services and contacted their school to retrieve an automated external defibrillator. School nurse Claire Agnew brought the equipment and delivered two shocks, eventually prompting Knowles to resume breathing and sit up. Exactly one year later, Knowles and his wife reunited with the three staff members in London to celebrate their national recognition.

Key points

  • The rapid deployment of a school defibrillator directly contributed to the survival of a…: The rapid deployment of a school defibrillator directly contributed to the survival of a collapsed cyclist.
  • Workplace first-aid training can provide staff members with the crucial skills needed to…: Workplace first-aid training can provide staff members with the crucial skills needed to handle life-threatening incidents off campus.
  • St John Ambulance honoured the rescuers at Chapter Hall in London to spotlight the broade…: St John Ambulance honoured the rescuers at Chapter Hall in London to spotlight the broader value of first-aid preparedness.

Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1

Kip Knowles, 58, has reunited with the three school staff members who saved his life last year, after he collapsed in cardiac arrest while cycling alone on the South Downs. PE teacher Stacey Charman, cookery teacher Chellie Messenger and school nurse Claire Agnew performed CPR for around 25 minutes and used a defibrillator to restart his heart. The women were honoured by St John Ambulance’s Lifesavers at Work Awards for their lifesaving actions, Sussex World reported. The charity launched the initiative to recognise inspirational lifesavers in workplaces across the UK. The event was held at Chapter Hall at St John’s Gate, London.

“Every one of the winners was an ordinary person who refused to give up on someone whose life was slipping away. These people are alive today because someone nearby knew what to do, and that should be true for everyone in this country,” Shona Dunn, CEO of St John Ambulance, said at the event.

“Cardiac arrest is the emergency that workers fear the most, yet two in five say they wouldn’t know how to perform CPR. That’s a…

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