Braintree: Firefighters save heart patient (From Gazette)

Braintree: Firefighters save heart patient

8:00am Monday 13th February 2012 in Braintree

Coggeshall firemen

Firefighters helped save a man’s life after being called not to tackle a fire, but a medical emergency.

Six retained firemen from Coggeshall have recently been trained as first responders to give on the spot emergency first aid before paramedics arrive.

They were called out 15 times in January, and in one case their help potentially stopped a desperately sick man from suffering a heart attack.

They are trained in giving oxygen therapy, cardiopulmonary resuscitation and using a defibrillator.

Full story in this week's Braintree and Witham Times