Before the story, one thing is worth making clear: first aid training saves lives.
At Whitchurch Cycling Club, safety is one of our highest priorities on every organised ride. That’s why all of our ride leaders hold current first aid qualifications, giving our members the reassurance that, should the unexpected happen, there is someone trained and confident to respond.
But first aid isn’t just a qualification for ride leaders – it’s a life skill that anyone can benefit from. You never know when you’ll be the person who can make the difference between life and death.
Dave recalls.
Just a week after completing our training in Febuary this year, we discovered exactly how valuable those skills could be.
On a cold Tuesday morning ride through Porth, two elderly ladies stopped us and asked if we could help. Their neighbour had fallen inside his house against the front door, preventing anyone from getting in to reach him.
With our first aid training still fresh in our minds, I took the lead. I managed to open the door just enough to make visual and verbal contact. His responses were weak and confused, so we immediately called 999.
The door was still blocked by his legs. I asked him to move them, but he couldn’t. By reaching through the gap, I was able to lift one leg clear, then the other, allowing us to gain access to the house.
Once inside, I carried out a primary assessment, exactly as we’d been taught. There were no obvious injuries, but his breathing was laboured and irregular, and his pulse was weak, suggesting a possible cardiac emergency. We relayed this information to the emergency services.
Then something from the course immediately stood out. Our instructor had spent time explaining agonal breathing – an abnormal pattern of breathing that can occur during cardiac arrest and is often mistaken for normal breathing. We recognised it straight away. He had stopped breathing effectively and needed CPR immediately.
Without hesitation, we began CPR, following the techniques we had practised just days before.
The ambulance service confirmed that a crew was on its way under blue lights and instructed us to continue. Shortly afterwards, a First Responder arrived, quickly took control of the scene and relieved us so that high-quality CPR could continue. Just a couple of minutes later, the ambulance crew arrived and took over.
Around twenty minutes later, they had restored a pulse and he was breathing on his own again.
We’ll never know what might have happened had we not stopped that morning. What we do know is that our recent first aid training meant we recognised the signs of cardiac arrest, acted without delay and gave someone the best possible chance of surviving until professional help arrived.
That’s exactly why first aid training matters. It gives ordinary people the knowledge and confidence to act when every second counts – and sometimes, those few minutes can save a life. I would urge everyone to get first aid training. In this case it was a random person, what if something happened to a fellow cyclist or someone close to you…would you know what to do and be calm enough to help?