Devon Air Ambulance is sharing a remarkable story involving a former patient, and his lifesaving intervention, to mark Restart a Heart Day

Devon Air Ambulance is sharing a remarkable story involving a former patient, and his lifesaving intervention, to mark Restart a Heart Day on Thursday (16 October) - a national initiative to raise awareness of cardiac arrest and empower more people with the skills to save a life.

This year Devon Air Ambulance pledged to train 2,025 people in CPR and defibrillator use, through bespoke sessions and attending events including the Devon County Show, Armed Forces Day in Plymouth, and the Kingsbridge Show. So far more than 1,900 Devon locals and visitors have taken part in this training.

Over 30,000 people suffer an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the UK each year and fewer than one in 10 survive. Every minute without effective CPR and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival by 10%, so early CPR can double or triple survival rates.

Dean Stelloo is the health and safety lead for a building company, whose job is to ensure contractors have defibrillators installed at all their premises and are trained in CPR and defibrillator use. During a routine visit to a site in Combe Martin, he suffered an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest. Fortunately, a colleague who had recently been trained, resuscitated him using CPR and the defibrillator that Dean himself had installed only weeks prior, before Devon Air Ambulance arrived on the scene. Since then, Dean has been advocating for more awareness and training in workplaces, schools and communities urging more people to learn CPR and find out where their closest defibrillator is.

Dean said: 'I can’t express how important it is for people to know where the defibrillators are in their area – it could be a school, shop, play area, office building. It is so important for not only adults but also your children to know where they are too.

'Beyond that, starting CPR is your first line of defence, even if you’re not 100% confident, doing something is better than doing nothing! One thing that I do stress to people is that a heart attack and cardiac arrest are different, but both can happen to any of us, at any time, no matter how fit, healthy and young we think we are. I found out after my cardiac arrest the most common age range is around 16-64!'

Dean’s children now know where their closest defibrillators are located and proudly share this knowledge with their peers.

To read more about Dean’s story visit: Saved by the defibrillator he fought for - Devon Air Ambulance Trust

To learn about CPR and find out more about Defib training in your area, visit: Cardiac incidents - how you can help - Devon Air Ambulance Trust