Employees at law firm Blandy & Blandy recently completed vital training on CPR and using an automated external defibrillator (AED).
A volunteer ‘CPR Champion’ from Thames Valley Air Ambulance, one of Blandy & Blandy’s two adopted charities, trained 12 colleagues from across the firm’s Reading, Henley-on-Thames and Wokingham offices and will be returning in the New Year to train a further 12 people.
The training sessions featured an insightful presentation followed by a practical session that involved giving manual CPR and using an AED on specially designed CPR manikins.
Claire Dyer, chair and partner at Blandy & Blandy, said: “Having attended the training myself, I can say first-hand that it offered a valuable reminder of why more people learning how to confidently deliver CPR and use a defibrillator is very important.
“None of us know when we, or those around us, may need someone’s lifesaving assistance.
“As a thank you to Thames Valley Air Ambulance, who we continue to support and work with, and CPR Champion Brian, who kindly visited our offices, we will be making a donation to the charity following the second planned session in the New Year.”
Amanda McLean, chief executive of Thames Valley Air Ambulance, commented: “A third of people in our community would not feel confident performing CPR if they witnessed a cardiac arrest.
“We want to change this. That’s why we started delivering CPR awareness sessions throughout the region. So far, over 1,000 people have attended these sessions.”
Anne Call, a solicitor at the firm, also undertook the training and added: “I found this training invaluable.
“The expertise and clear instructions have made me feel much more confident in my ability to respond in an emergency.”
A recent survey conducted by Thames Valley Air Ambulance found that almost a third of people in the community would not feel confident giving CPR if they witnessed a cardiac arrest, despite 57% having received some form of CPR training in the past. Only 39% would feel confident using an AED.
