Life-saving equipment has been fitted to Manchester police vehicles to aid in the treatment of cardiac arrest after figures revealed a 14% survival decrease every minute a person goes untreated.
Police will now have access to defibrillators which can help restart a patients heartbeat in the event that officers arrive on the scene of an incident before paramedics.
The scheme has been backed by the North West Ambulance Service (NWAS) with David McNally, Paramedic and Community Resuscitation Manager at NWAS, stressing the importance of responding quickly to cardiac arrest.
Mr McNally said: “We are delighted that Greater Manchester Police are on board with this initiative which will ultimately equip police officers to potentially save lives.
“In the event of a person suffering a cardiac arrest, quick actions must be taken in order to ensure the patient has the best possible chance of survival.”
The initiative has already saved one life when two officers used a defibrillator on a man who made a full recovery after he had taken an overdose at his home in Cheadle.
“It has been proven that when a person suffers a cardiac arrest, the chances of survival decrease by up to 14 per cent for every minute that passes without intervention,” Mr McNally added.
“Ultimately, effective CPR (Cardio-Pulmonary Resuscitation) and defibrillation ensures the patient has the best chance of survival.”
Sergeant Mark Allinson of GMP’s North Division is proud of the scheme which is the only one of its kind in the North West.
“We are pleased to be involved in this pilot as we often act as the first responders to victims,” Mr Allinson said.
“Our primary function is to preserve life and a significant proportion of police officer time is spent out in the community, dealing with members of the public.”
Currently there are 200 officers who have been trained to use the equipment which has been fitted into 15 vehicles.
If you need to call the police for a non-emergency or to report a crime call 101 or for more information visit gmp.police.uk and only use 999 in emergencies where there is a threat to life or property or a crime in progress.
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