Worcester-based Cyber Security company Titania received the Outstanding Achievement award from local accreditation scheme Worcestershire Works Well for their lifesaving Heart Safe Campaign.
The campaign was established earlier this year to raise awareness of cardiac arrests and train people from across the community to potentially save lives. The award, sponsored by local business Southco, was presented to Titania’s HR Manager Shelley Gunnell and Vice President of Operations, Ruth Inglis, at a ceremony on Thursday 10 November.
There are 60,000 out-of-hospital cardiac arrests every year in the UK and only 10% survive. With immediate action from a bystander and access to an AED (Automated External Defibrillator), this can be dramatically increased to 50%. Cardiac arrests can affect anyone at any time, regardless of age, gender or lifestyle.
American Police Officer Bryan Platz, of Coon Rapids, Minnesota, visited Titania’s headquarters in Barbourne last February at the invitation of chief executive Ian Whiting. A close friend of the business, Officer Platz delivered potentially lifesaving Heart Safe training to the Titania team and members of the local community, covering basic CPR and how to use a defibrillator machine.
A nine-year veteran of the United States Air Force and with 15 years’ experience in the police, Officer Platz launched a grassroots campaign after an episode where a man suffered a cardiac arrest in a retail store and no one was able to help. With the help of Titania, he was able to bring his training across the Atlantic to Worcestershire where he trained 100 people across two days. The event was also visited by the Mayor of Worcester.
Officer Platz said “In all the travels in my life, Worcester is without question the best place I have ever visited! What really struck me was the passion and enthusiasm every member of your community I met had for this programme. Simply put, it was amazing. The experience of a lifetime!”
Miss Gunnell commented: “To gain the sort of confidence and skills that Bryan Platz gave us most participants would have usually enrolled on a course at a cost to themselves or their company. Instead, they have been able to access this for free and benefit from Bryan’s first-hand experience and passion. I am sure the knowledge he passed on will stay with all of us for a very long time.”
Titania’s Directors recently visited Bryan in Minnesota and received an award live on the local news for becoming the first designated Heart Safe employer in the UK. However, the company’s lifesaving campaign does not stop there. The business has recently purchased specialised CPR dummies for practice and are planning to encourage team members to become trainers in the programme to spread the word even further. They also plan to fly Bryan Platz over again for further training and are hoping to engage with the British Heart Foundation to continue to raise awareness of these lifesaving skills.
The free to join Worcestershire Works Well scheme is open to all public, private and third sector organisations of any size that are located in the county. For further information and to sign up to the scheme, visit the Worcestershire Works Well website.
Pictured: Ruth Inglis and Shelley Gunnell of Titania receive their Outstanding Achievement Award from Worcestershire Works Well.