No two days are the same for Shildon Neighbourhood Policing Team as PCSOs Holly Cowton and Jordan Bayles can attest after a recent shift.
The 19-year-olds were wrapping up a scene preservation when a panicked member of the public approached them reporting a man in the street fitting. Both Holly and Jordan rushed to the scene to find the man unresponsive and appearing to have a seizure.
Their training kicked in and after establishing that he was breathing, they put him in the recovery position whilst also calling an ambulance. With help from staff in the ambulance control room, the duo located the nearest defibrillator and then started CPR as the man’s health had deteriorated further. Thankfully paramedics arrived minutes later and rushed the man to hospital.
His condition was so serious that he was put on life support and kept in intensive care, but thankfully he has now pulled through and is back home, with the PCSOs paying him a visit to check in on him and support with help from partner agencies.
Holly, who has been in the job 18 months, said the adrenaline kicked in and she was relieved the man had survived. “You’re trained in CPR but you definitely don’t expect to be standing on a cordon one minute and then jumping on someone’s chest doing CPR the next,” she said. “It was the first time I’d performed CPR on someone and a very intense situation but we were both so relieved when we heard he’d pulled through.”
She added: “I know it always sounds cliché, but I love my job because there’s literally no two days that are ever the same.” Jordan, who has been in his role just eight months, said: “This was a distressing incident for members of the public so I am just happy we were at the right place at the right time. “I hope the man has a speedy recovery.”
Neighbourhood Inspector Sarah Honeyman said: “I am immensely proud of Holly and Jordan. They are dedicated to their role and community and have already made a big impression in Shildon with their patrols, work to prevent anti-social behaviour and helping vulnerable people. Their efforts to save this man’s life were outstanding and we are all pleased that there was a happy ending.”
Shildon & District's local community newspaper.
