First class

When Gary Cox collapsed in the early hours of a Heathrow Worldwide Distribution Centre (HWDC) night shift, he was left forever grateful for the first-aid-trained colleagues who sprung to his rescue.

Gary was sorting parcels on the LPSS machine when he felt dizzy, fell to the floor and sparked a frantic response by a number of colleagues. Work area manager Gary had suffered a stroke.

‘Our first-aiders responded in a manner where their training kicked in,’ explained night shift lead Kamaljit Juttla. ‘One minute you’re being trained, the next you’re in a real situation. They dealt with it brilliantly and were outstanding.

‘There were around 100 people in the area. There was anxiousness, people wanted to help. But the first-aiders responded. They kept the situation calm and managed the process perfectly.’

Deputy manager Jocelyn Munoz was one of the first on the scene. ‘I was able to give some instructions to the first aiders,’ she said. ‘I was shocked, it’s the first time since I was trained – in a year – that something has happened. Adrenaline does kick in, but afterwards, the emotions were hard because it’s difficult to understand what has happened.’

OPG Leonard Singh showed bravery to take charge of the recovery. ‘I’ve encountered an unconscious person on the floor before – that wasn’t the surprise,’ he said. ‘The surprise was who it was. I know the person. So, having to try and shut off the emotions and think, this is the training, this is the process.

‘We made sure we gave him over to the ambulance crew in a good position as opposed to them having to resuscitate.’

Among the other first-aiders on the scene were Davinder Dhamrait, Amina Alim, Manharpreet Hehar and Nick Knapman – and you can hear from some of them in the above video, which first appeared in RMtv.

OPG Manharpreet works on one of two LPSS machines in the area – opposite the one Gary was, when she heard a cry. ‘Someone was screaming “we need a first-aider,” she said. ‘I went around and saw Gary on the floor. It felt scary seeing him on the floor – what can you do? We tried to give CPR, but he was breathing. We remained calm, called the ambulance and luckily, they came very quickly.

‘I helped save someone’s life’

First-aid volunteers are required in all Royal Mail premises, and stories such as this bring home their value. Anyone interested in becoming first-aid trained should speak to their manager.

OPG Amina was preparing for her break when she saw some colleagues running to the scene. ‘That was strange for me to see,’ she said. ‘I heard the call for first-aiders. I had to see what was happening.’

Amina’s training kicked in and she joined in the efforts of her colleagues. Teamwork proved key. ‘I went to the first-aid room, which isn’t far from where Gary was lying, and I got something to cover him up,’ she said. ‘I started helping my colleagues to help make him okay.

‘It’s good to have teamwork. I enjoy being a first-aider and any time they call out for one, I want to be there to get more experience.’

Nick, a workplace coach and the CWU health and safety rep for the night shift, added: ‘In an incident like this, all that matters is helping out this person. People pulled together, or took charge in certain areas, and made it clear for the ambulance to come through.

‘Everyone did a fantastic job and I’m really proud to be part of this team. As the health and safety rep I need to make sure we have enough first-aiders, and in the right areas, as we are a very large plant. We work closely to ensure there’s a good spread.’

After around seven minutes from Gary collapsing, the paramedics arrived to take over.

‘My concern was protecting his airway,’ said Leonard. ‘In the background someone was on the phone to the ambulance. I was relaying information and making sure Gary’s airway was clear.

‘As oxygen started to get to him, he began to come around, but couldn’t maintain consciousness. I tried to keep him comfortable, make sure he was breathing and had a pulse. Then I got a reassuring presence on my back, which is how the ambulance crews take over from you, so I stepped back and let them carry on.’

To everyone’s delight, Gary is now making a strong recovery from home. And he has a message for his colleagues.

‘Without their intervention I may not have come through,’ he said. ‘It must have been a very stressful situation for them, but their prompt actions assisted my survival.

‘It just shows that the team put into practice what they learned on courses and competitions. It is reassuring to know that we have a well-trained and dedicated team of first-aiders who act in such a professional manner. My wife and family would also like to pass on their heartfelt thanks too.’

‘I can’t wait to see him,’ said Jocelyn. ‘He said he’ll give me a big kiss and a hug!’

HWDC’s head of international operations, Simon Aris, presented certificates to the colleagues who helped, and said: ‘You have shown excellent commitment to safety where you helped save and maintain the life of a frontline colleague. Your professional caring manner came across even when facing such challenging circumstances. You should be extremely proud of your achievement, as we are of you – well done and thank you.’

OPG and first-aider Paul Beardon believes the incident proves exactly why he signed-up to the training. ‘With what happened to Gary, that’s where your training comes in,’ he said. ‘It can be life or death – that’s how important it is.’