Southeastern now have Automated External Defibrillators or AEDs available at all 164 of its stations and 17 depots. The AEDs give a verbal step-by-step explanation as to how to use the device's high-energy electric shock on somebody in cardiac arrest.
Over 30,000 cardiac arrests happen outside of hospitals with a survival rate of less than 10% according to the British Heart Foundation. The use of a defibrillator during the first minute of collapsing can create a survival rate as high as 90%.
David Wornham, Passenger Services Director at Southeastern, said “One of our key objectives at Southeastern is to get everyone home safely every day and having defibrillators at every single one of our stations will play a key part in that. This is such an important project as we know how vital it is to have defibrillators close at hand when an emergency occurs.
“It is vital to have them in accessible public places. At train stations, they can be used by staff, customers or members of the public nearby. If someone is in cardiac arrest, the first thing to do is dial 999. The operator will be able to talk the caller through where their nearest defibrillator is and provide a pin code to access it from a secure cabinet.
“No training is required to operate these defibrillators – the unit will talk you through exactly what you have to do. I can understand some people may feel hesitant in using an AED but they really are very easy to operate. We have staff who have saved passengers' lives with a defibrillator so we know how vital they are.”
Laura McMahon and Sebastian Szymanski are colleagues at Southeastern and were working at Maidstone East station when a customer ran into the office to inform them that a man had collapsed and was having a heart attack in the car park. Stuart Legg was the man in question and had been on a day trip to London with his fiancee had felt unwell with what he thought was indigestion and returned early.
Laura explained: “When something like that happens the adrenaline just takes over. I grabbed the defibrillator and Seb and I headed to the car park where another passenger was already performing CPR.”
The colleagues dialled 999 and ahead of the paramedics arriving were able to use the defibrillator which saved Stuart's life.
Seb said: “I put the phone on loudspeaker so we could follow the instructions being given to us. The defibrillator talked us through what to do and was so easy to use. It analyses the patient's heart rhythm and will only deliver a shock when needed. Neither of us hesitated to help because, in that kind of situation, you just do what you need to do.”
Stuart's story thankfully goes on to have a happy ending and he went on to make a full recovery.
Stuart said: “I became ill very suddenly, suffering a near-fatal cardiac arrest as I came off the train. If it wasn't for the swift actions of the staff and the use of the newly fitted defibrillator, I wouldn't be here with my family today. They saved my life – they are heroes. This piece of equipment is essential and could save other people's lives, as it did mine.”
To find out more about Southeastern's defibrillators including a map of where they can be found, please visit: https://www.southeasternrailway.co.uk/travel-information/more-travel-help/defibrillators
