A community of lifesavers

Businesses across Northern Ireland have been helping to create a Community of Lifesavers by teaming up with the British Heart Foundation to offer their staff vital CPR awareness.

Colleagues from some of Northern Ireland’s best-known businesses have been learning CPR via RevivR, a free interactive online training tool that takes just 15 minutes to complete.

RevivR, developed by the British Heart Foundation, offers simple, step-by-step training on how to recognise a cardiac arrest and what to do in a cardiac arrest emergency. It is free to use and the training can be done anywhere. All that is needed is a phone or tablet, floor space, and a firm cushion.

A cardiac arrest is the ultimate medical emergency. There are around 1,400 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests in Northern Ireland each year and, unfortunately, less than one in 10 people survive.

By undergoing BHF RevivR CPR training, employees are not only better prepared to respond to emergencies within their workplaces, but they also have the knowledge and skills to make a difference in their communities.

Fearghal McKinney, Head of British Heart Foundation Northern Ireland recently presented some of the businesses that have completed the RevivR training with an award recognising their commitment to improving Northern Ireland out-of-hospital cardiac arrest survival.

“We are incredibly grateful to all the businesses who have already got involved to offer this lifesaving training to employees,” he states.

“It has been a privilege to present staff from some of our best-known businesses with an award to celebrate their leadership in providing RevivR CPR training for staff. The power to save a life is now quite literally in their hands.”

For more information about the BHF RevivR and how to get involved, please contact Órla Copeland on copelando@bhf.org.uk or
077 1406 9129.