©InfoHero Chris Wilson saved his neighbour’s life in the midst of a smoke-filled building just three months after learning first aid – and said the training gave him the confidence to help.
In early March, Chris’ neighbour – Jack Kewley, a diabetic 82-year-old – collapsed at home while cooking a meal. As the pensioner lay unconscious on his kitchen floor, his next-door neighbours heard the smoke alarm and called for Chris to help.
Together, they kicked the front door in and found Jack lying among a fog of thick, black smoke. Chris, who has lived next-door-but-one to Jack for 18 years, recalled: “He was lying completely lifeless on the floor – he wasn’t breathing and his eyes were glazed over. I gave him some chest compressions and mouth to mouth, then put him in the recovery position.
Life-saving action
“I did Red Cross training in December so that’s how I was able to get his breathing back. Jack was very fortunate. Another five minutes and he’d have been gone.” When the paramedics arrived, Chris also held the oxygen mask over Jack’s face and told them about the casualty’s diabetic condition and medication.
Looking back on the incident, Chris said: “Afterwards, the magnitude of what had happened – with all these people saying ‘you saved his life’ – slightly overwhelmed me, but at the time I wasn’t panicking at all. I knew what I was doing so just got on with it, in this smoke-filled house with paint peeling off the doors. A few minutes later, and the flames would have started up.”
‘Thank you, neighbours’
Chris credits his cool response to the quality of the first aid training he received in December. He said: “I really enjoyed it. I was worried at first about remembering everything, but the trainers were great and by the end I felt empowered to give it a go if necessary – and that’s how it turned out!
A recovering Jack told the Lytham St Annes Express: “My first memory was Chris saying ‘breathe, breathe’. I had no idea where I was and kept coughing black stuff up, but I’m all right. If it wasn’t for my neighbours, I’d be dead. I want to say thank you very much to them.”
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