Chris Lambeth: Getting a rush from saving people’s lives

Chris Lambeth, like many colleagues, gives up his time to volunteer and help people in the community.

His first time out with the West Midlands CARE team was one he'll never forget. 

With five years’ experience with St John’s Ambulance at football matches, carnivals and festivals, and extensive training with the Corporate Security and Business Protection (CSBP) team, Chris was keen to put his medical skills to the test with the volunteer emergency response team.

Little did he know that the day’s events would earn him a commendation by clinical lead Dr. Iain Davies.

Sharing his gratitude for Chris’s assistance and actions on the day, Dr. Iain, said: “He has flown the flag for Jaguar Land Rover and the Business Protection team high, and should be commended for his calmness, coolness and pro-activeness on the day.

“In a tense and demanding environment, Chris put himself in the middle of the action.”

After attending a couple of routine road traffic collisions, a call came in to support the West Midlands Ambulance Service (WMAS) at a medical emergency at the Custard Factory in Birmingham.

Reliving the events from that day, Chris explains:

“We knew it was a cardiac arrest, but we didn’t have any more details than the gentleman was Dutch and over the age of 50. When we arrived, WMAS was already administering CPR, and I tried to be as useful as I could.

“I helped clear some space for the paramedics to work, monitored the timings of the CPR, cut the gent’s clothes to give better access to use the defibrillator, and helped move him to a board and onto the trolley. I was a cog in a well-oiled machine.”

Although the whole experience was over very quickly, there was a miraculous outcome with the gentleman reversing the grave odds at the time, and was able to return to his family to make a full recovery. For Chris, it was an eye-opening experience, adding:

“It was nice for me to judge my own reactions. I am just glad that in a real situation my training kicked in and I didn’t freeze. Everybody there was doing something and being part of that was amazing – it was an incredible day.

“From my point of view, it was great to see effective use of CPR and the defibrillator. On reflection I am immensely proud to have helped make a difference and knowing that somebody is going to go home to see their family.

“The CARE team is full of exceptional human beings – the things they do is unbelievable. They knew what they needed to do, what was going to happen, and which way the treatment is making the emergency go.”

Chris’s sharp actions comes soon after the Whitley CSBP team was commended for its actions by the WMAS for dealing with a similar cardiac arrest on site. The CSBP team have a multitude of skills and are able to deal with fire, medical and environmental emergencies, with many giving up their spare time, like Chris, to assist the West Midlands CARE team.

These are just a couple of examples of the expertise that the CSBP team possesses ensuring that at each site they are ready to deal with any emergency they may face to protect Jaguar Land Rover and all its people.

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