On Thursday 15 August, train passengers between Swansea and Llandrindod Wells on the Heart of Wales line were provided with life-saving CPR and defibrillator training as part of a pan-Wales initiative.
Passengers were informed of life-saving techniques to help someone in the event of an emergency as well as being given a chance to practice on a dummy within the carriages. The initiative between Welsh Hearts and Brecon Carreg aims to educate people throughout Wales about CPR training and fundraise for much-needed defibrillators for some of the most rural areas.
Sharon Owen, director, Welsh Hearts said: “It’s our mission to see a future where nobody in Wales dies prematurely from heart disease and the statistics speak for themselves. Defibrillators save lives and we want to ensure nobody in Wales is ever further than 100m away from a lifesaving defibrillator.”
Eleri Powell, Brand Manager, Brecon Carreg said: “We’re extremely grateful to James and the team at Transport for Wales for allowing us to speak directly with passengers to help equip them with life-saving techniques. Many of the passengers we spoke to hadn’t had any formal first aid training before, so we hope they now feel more confident to help in the event of an emergency.”
James Nicholas, Communications Manager at Transport for Wales, said: “It was fantastic to work with Welsh Hearts and Brecon Carreg in promoting CPR and defibrillator training on our network.
“These skills are so important, and you never know where you might need them to help you save someone’s life. At Transport for Wales we are blessed to operate trains and manage stations in some of the most beautiful communities in the world. However, many are in remote areas where help may not always be immediately available. So knowing the right thing to do in an emergency is vital. Working with Welsh Hearts, we are aiming to introduce more defibrillators across our network in the coming months.”
One teenage passenger who hadn’t had any formal first aid training before was surprised by how much information was provided by the defibrillator: “I thought it was really good, definitely different from what I thought you’d have to do. It’s great that the machine gives you instructions on what to do so it’s been very informative having the training today.”
