Tuesday 21st July 2015 – 11.50am – Claire Brown.
A car dealership in Birmingham has a shocking new installation in its showrooms thanks to West Midlands Ambulance Service.
Listers Group is one of the largest car dealerships in the West Midlands which now owns five sites in Birmingham and Solihull alone. Earlier this year, the company decided to approach the ambulance service to enquire about defibrillators after a recommendation from a member of staff.
Two of Listers dealerships located in Birmingham City Centre and on the Stratford Road are now the proud owners of an automated external defibrillator; a device used to help restart the heart of someone in cardiac arrest.
Last month, 20 staff were trained in CPR and how to use the life-saving devices by the Trust. Chris Thompson, Listers Quality and Safety Manager, was one of those trained and said: “The training has given me the confidence to step in and help someone in cardiac arrest. The defibrillator is a smart piece of kit and tells you exactly what to you.
“This is a fantastic program and Listers are proud to be a part of it. With more than 200 staff across Birmingham and Solihull and thousands of customers in our dealerships each week, we take their welfare very seriously. We hope the defibrillators will never be needed, but it is reassuring to know we are in a position to potentially save a life one day.”
Andy Jeynes, the Trust’s Community Response Manager, said: “The staff I trained were extremely enthusiastic and passionate about helping to save lives. I’m pleased that there are two more defibrillators out in the community in Birmingham as every second really does count when someone has a cardiac arrest.”
ENDS
Notes to Editor
Pictured left to right: Chris Thompson and Andy Jeynes.